Community Engagement: A Process for Curriculum Integration

This chapter focuses on the process for developing service-learning as a method for community engagement for students and faculty to meet the goal of experiencing the breadth and depth of occupations of individuals in community. Thus, community engagement through service-learning provides students with an opportunity to learn the foundations of occupational therapy while providing faculty a novel opportunity to develop scholarship in community engagement. The chapter will describe the process implemented within a curriculum in a master's occupational therapy program to meet the goals of the community, students, and faculty for community engagement, learning, and scholarship. The overall process of discovering service-learning is described as: (1) matching service-learning to the mission of the university, and (2) matching the faculty interests to the purposes and aspirations of the community. The process for developing, sustaining, and evaluating service-learning is presented with a final description of the lessons learned and future considerations. [author]