The Office of Engaged Learning strongly believes students’ academic learning is facilitated by presenting content and methods within a real-world context. “Curricular Engagement describes the teaching, learning, and scholarship that engages faculty, students, and community in mutually beneficial and respectful collaboration” (Carnegie). To this end, OEL is working to provide assessment of curricular-engaged courses and supports faculty development toward engaged learning.

Utah Valley University was one of the first universities in Utah to receive an Elective Community Engagement designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (2008). As recipient of the designation, Utah Valley University has demonstrated commitment to community engagement and has worked diligently to develop organizational structures, policies, and programming that facilitate student, faculty, and staff involvement in the community. In 2015, Utah Valley University received this designation for a second time, one of 361 colleges and universities who have been given the designation.

The Carnegie Foundation stated the following in regard to Utah Valley University's reclassification, "Your application documented excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources, and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement, and it responded to the classification framework with both descriptions and examples of exemplary institutionalized practices of community engagement. The application also documented evidence of community engagement in a coherent and compelling response to the framework’s inquiry."

To learn more about the Carnegie Foundation Elective Community Engagement Classification, click here.