1. Faculty and Staff
  2. Course support

Course support

Thinking about course implementation?

Implementing community engaged learning into student course promotes connective citizenship, deepens discipline-specific knowledge, and engaging in practical application of their skills to make long-standing and relevant change within a partnership environment. There are many considerations for implementing community engagement into a course structure, but Queen’s is here to support you, whatever your vision is.  

Group of students sitting at a table with their laptops out.

Integrating community engagement into my course 

For more assistance visit check out some resources to co-create research.

Finding the most suitable partner is an important preliminary step to the onset of your course or research collaboration. Please fill out our intake form [link form] to get connected with the right individuals for your vision, or indicate on the form if you already have a specific partnership in mind. 

Ready to collaborate with a partner? Incorporating community engagement into your classroom can take multiple forms and may differ depending on course objectives and learning material. Identify a project that addresses a community issue using partner feedback and the principles of I-EDIAA and Sustainable Development Goals. Ensure that you and your partner are well-supported in your capacity to tackle these projects by accessing teaching resources.

Community engagement emphasizes reciprocity in an equitable partnership. This includes recognizing the expertise, ways of knowing, experiences and perspectives of students, partners, and faculty members. Click here to learn more about the spectrum of engagement and different ways that you can engage with community partners.

Setting clear expectations at the beginning of your partnership is an integral step of successful community engagement. Resources to provide you with steps to do this include our legal resources or faculty toolkit. 

Community engagement course support 

There are many resources available to support your integration of community engagement into your courses. Here below are some highlights:

The is a website that provides information, examples, and templates for designing, delivering, facilitating, and evaluating experiential learning (EL) in post-secondary education. The Toolkit provides answers to EL-related questions commonly asked by faculty, academic leaders, and community or industry partners.

The Queen’s Learning Outcomes Framework (PDF 159 KB)  is meant to guide the development of learning outcomes in courses, programs and co-curricular learning, in alignment with existing program-level outcomes and accreditation requirements. There are a great number of ways in which the framework can be used, including:  

  • To inform the development of learning outcomes for academic and co-curricular programs as well as experiential learning  
  • To promote equity, diversity, inclusivity and indigeneity in the curriculum and in the learning environment  
  • To enable students to develop a learning plan and to track and articulate their skill development throughout their degree and as they prepare to enter the labour market  
  • To inform strategic planning and programming  
  • To enhance the QUQAP Cyclical Program Review 

The EL Faculty Toolkit (PDF 1.2MB) consists of resources, tools, and templates that will help you design and implement high-impact experiential learning opportunities in a time-effective manner. To help ensure that your experiential learning courses and programs are accessible for all Queen’s students, including those from underrepresented and equity-deserving groups, this toolkit has embedded considerations related to Indigeneity-Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity, Anti-Racism and Accessibility (I-EDIAA) throughout.  

Teaching and learning guiding questions 

What scale of community engagement do I want to incorporate in my course?
Course partnerships can be incorporated in many ways, including guided collaboration, experiential learning, consultation, and individual projects that offer collaboration between students and partners. Consider which avenue would fit best into your instruction.







Are you involved with not-for-credit student opportunities that could incorporate community engagement outside of the classroom?
Not-for-credit student opportunities, such as volunteering or club membership, can be a fitting way for students to get involved with community engagement. If you have a partnership or community that you work with in a capacity that could involve students outside of course instruction, contact us to find out more about how you can incorporate community engagement into co-curricular opportunities!





Are there existing community engagement initiatives that I can incorporate into my course?
At Queen’s, we have a plethora of existing community engagement partnerships, projects, and events that span across all faculties, programs, and student years. Whatever the unique needs of your course, there are community engagement initiatives that can be could be incorporated or potentially adapted to fit them. Fill out our intake form to find the most suitable matches for engagement opportunities in your course.





What professional skills am I looking to foster in my students?
There are many professional skills that students can develop through participating in community-engaged learning. Queen’s Career Services have created a skills card resource that outlines professional skills and their definitions and applications. These were created based on the professional skills that employers reported were important, and allow students to recognize there current strengths and areas for future development. These cards are a helpful resource to use when planning the ways in which community engagement can fit into your course of instruction.




In the media

Community Engagement Summit

Oct 20, 2025

Building community connections

Queen’s celebrates the launch of a new community engagement framework and website with a day of collaboration and relationship-building.

ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½ Logo on a blue field

Oct 16, 2025

Strategies for increasing accessibility in teaching and learning

The Centre for Teaching and Learning is hosting a speaker series that aims to foster dialogue on disability and provide practical solutions for making courses more accessible.

Fall safety social campaign

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Fall activities emphasize responsibility and community

Community partners are working together to provide a range of programming and activities on campus in the busy fall season, including Homecoming.

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