Guide to Experiential and Community Engaged Education at McMaster University – An interdisciplinary guide to integrating community-engaged components into a course based on expertise from staff and faculty at McMaster, as well as scholarly research and resources compiled by other postsecondary institutions. (Developed by the ExCEL Faculty Group)

Community Engagement and Research LibGuide – This interdisciplinary guide is for those looking to understand the Hamilton context as they engaged with off-campus communities through teaching, research, and service. (Developed by McMaster University Library)

Fundamentals of Community Engagement: A Sourcebook for Students– A comprehensive guide to community-engaged learning at McMaster University. This resource is intended to support students as they participate in curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular community-engaged opportunities. (Developed by the ExCEL Faculty Group)

Experiential Learning Toolkit– The Experiential Learning Toolkit is a website that provides information, examples, and templates for designing, delivering, facilitating, and evaluating experiential learning in postsecondary education.  (Developed by Niagara College Canada)

How to Develop Community-Engaged Research Questions – (Developed by OCE)

Community-Engaged Research Ethical Principles – Each principle includes a set of practical questions that a community engaged researcher might consider as part of their process. (Developed by Simon Fraser University CERi)

Toolbox for Conducting Community-Engaged Research – This guide provides researchers and community partners with CEnR tools for every phase of a project (e.g. relationship building, proposal development, project execution and dissemination). (Developed by Scripps Translational Science Institute, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute) (The download link for this guide is under the “Resources and Guides” dropdown.

Participatory Action (PAR) Toolkit – Intended to provide guidance on what a PAR project commonly looks like, how to work together and some questions to ask as you go.

Community-Engaged Education Worksheet – This worksheet can help instructors evaluate their readiness to build community-engaged components into their curriculum. (Developed by OCE)

Creating Experiential Learning Opportunities in Any Course– This article outlines seven steps to integrate experiential learning opportunities with a focus on creating contacts in the community. (Developed by Timothy Hanrahan, Faculty Focus)

List of Resources for Online Experiential Learning – A curated collection of resources for online experiential learning created by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. The resource covers experiential learning broadly, which includes community-engaged learning, as well as work-integrated learning. (Curated by the University of Calgary Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning)

Critical Reflection as Assessment – Critical reflection is a metacognitive process whereby learners articulate connections between their own experiences and course content. This resource explains the benefits of critical reflection, as well as how to incorporate critical reflection as a method of assessment.

Assessing Reflection Using Rubrics – Assessing reflection is key because it signals to students the importance of experiential learning and the value of thinking about how they acquire knowledge. This resource explains how to grade reflection assessments using rubrics.

Prompts for Critical Reflection – There are many different frameworks that can help structure reflection. Regardless of the framework, providing students with prompts can ensure they are moving beyond summary to critically examine their learning experience. This resource provides a series of prompts that move students through the process of describing what they learned, synthesizing new knowledge with prior knowledge, and analyzing the impact of the learning on their educational, personal, or professional development.

Reflective Writing for Students – Reflection helps students think about how they acquire knowledge, but often students do not know how to write reflectively. This resource is intended for instructors to share with students as an introduction to writing reflectively.

Rubric Templates: 

Reflection  Rubric – 3 Levels– Download this sample rubric designed specifically for making critical reflection. This rubric features three levels of assessment.

Reflection Rubric – 4 Levels– Download this sample rubric designed specifically for marking critical reflection. This rubric features four levels of assessment.

Virtual Engagement Toolkit – A reflection of lessons learned during the 2020 CityLAB Hamilton Semester in Residence Program. This document provides support for community engagement practitioners conducting virtual programming online. Topics covered include virtual facilitation skills, platform recommendations, and accessibility considerations. (Developed by OCE)

Adapting Experiential Community-Engaged Learning for the Remote Context – (Developed by the Ad Hoc Experiential Learning and Community Engagement Working Group [ExCEL])

Online Community Engagement – Best Practices and Key Considerations – This resource provides a short summary of a background review which was completed to better understand best practices, challenges, and key consideration for courses facilitating community engagement courses online, or extreme e-learning. (Developed by OCE)

Guidance and Resources for Honoraria, Payments, Stipends, and Gifts in Community Research – (Developed by OCE)

Gift-Giving and Honoraria Practices for Teaching & Learning at McMaster University: A Resource for Staff & Faculty – (Developed by OCE)

Community-Engaged Learning and Well Being (Wise Practices Book) – This online resource is based provides guidance on ensuring that community-engaged learning is ethical, accessible, and inclusive. Students who participate in community-engaged learning may encounter a wide range of experiences that have both beneficial and detrimental impacts on their mental health.

Responding to Sexual Harassment in Experiential Learning – Students who participate in experiential learning context are uniquely vulnerable to sexual harassment and/or violence. This toolkit supports staff and faculty in understanding what sexual harassment looks like for student who engaged in experiential learning. (Developed by Courage to Act)

McMaster University Accessibility Hub – The Accessibility Hub is a one stop shop for all things accessibility at McMaster. It includes links to training, an accessible event planning checklist, and information on groups and services available to students, faculty, and staff.

McMaster University Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office – Provides supports for all members of the McMaster community, including undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education students, staff, faculty, medical residents, volunteers, visitors and visiting professors, and institutional administrators and officials representing McMaster University. Their website features educational material, guidance on seeking medical care, and information on McMaster’ sexual violence policy.

McMaster University Equity and Inclusion Office: Inclusion and Anti-Racism Education Program – The Equity and Inclusion Office provides supports for faculty, staff, and students to advance institutional equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility goals. Their website includes links to relevant institutional policies, educational content, and support for human rights complaints. The Inclusion and Anti-Racism program specializes in providing education and support regarding race, equity and inclusion, and human rights.

Reading List – A curated collection of resources on equity, diversity, and inclusion in experiential learning: 

• Anti-Racist Community Engagement: Principles and Practices –Edited by Christina Santana, Roopika Risam, Aldo Garcia-Guevara, Joseph Krupczynski, Cynthia Lynch, John Reiff, Cindy Vincent, and Elaine Ward. Foreward by Timothy K. Eatman. (This book is available through the McMaster University Library) (See the Digital Companion for additional Resources)
• Culturally Engaging Service-Learning with Diverse Communities – Edited by Omobolade Delano-Oriaran, Suzanne Fondrie, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks. (This book is available through the McMaster University Library)
• Educating for Citizenship and Social Justice Practices for Community Engagement at Research Universities – Edited by Tania D. Mitchell and Krista M. Soria. (This book is available through the McMaster University Library)
• Feminist Praxis Revisited: Critical Reflection on University-Community Engagement – Amber Dean, Jennifer L. Johnson, Susanne Luhmann. (This book is available through the McMaster University Library)
• The Wiley International Handbook for Service-Learning for Social Justice – Edited by Darren E. Lund

Sample Memorandum of Understanding for Partnerships – (Developed by OCE)

Indigenous Research Primer – To guide those at McMaster University who are engaging with Indigenous Peoples and communities in their research. The Primer seeks to inform Indigenous and non-Indigenous, early and experienced researchers at any stage of their career and/or education.(Developed by McMaster Indigenous Research Institute [MIRI])

ʔit̓qawxawiȼikimik: Everyone Holds This Belief Together – Guiding principles for research and engagement within the Ktunaxa Nation. (Developed by the Ktunaxa Nation, University of British Columbia, and Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research)

Community-Based Research Canada (CBRC)– A national champion and facilitator of community-based research excellence, a research approach addressing challenging societal problems.

Research Impact Canada (RIC)– RIC is committed to helping universities and other organizations across Canada maximize the impact of research for communities.

Community-Campus Engage Canada (CCEC) – A national network and community of practice that fuels authentic research, learning, and creative partnerships between academic institutions and community organizations.  CCEC brings participants in community-campus partnerships together, provide a national advocacy voice, and build capacity for community engagement professionals, engaged faculty and students, and community partners.

McMaster University Spark: a centre for social research innovation – Connects researchers to the people, skills and tools needed to stand at the forefront of social research innovation. Through partnerships, training, and consultation, Spark’s mission is to engage with researchers and the community to expand methodological boundaries and harness the full power of social research to build a brighter world