Workshop 1: Integrating Civic Learning and Career Readiness Outcomes in Community-Engaged Learning: What, Why, and How? (3/26/26)

Workshop 1: Integrating Civic Learning and Career Readiness Outcomes in Community-Engaged Learning: What, Why, and How? 

Workshop Overview:

Employers increasingly seek graduates who combine technical expertise with civic awareness, ethical reasoning, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. This two-part workshop explores how intentional integration of civic learning and professional development strengthens student career readiness while advancing institutional priorities related to workforce preparation, student success, and community benefit.

Participants will engage with national workforce trends, evidence-based teaching practices, and applied course design strategies that connect civic learning outcomes to transferable career skills. Attendees will leave with practical tools for designing high-quality community-engaged learning experiences and communicating their outcomes to campus leadership.

Part 1: Conceptualizing the Integration of Civic Learning and Career Readiness Outcomes

10:00 AM –11:30 AM

Session Abstract:

This session introduces a shared framework for understanding how civic learning contributes directly to workforce preparation and career readiness. Participants will explore why integrating civic and professional learning is increasingly essential in today’s evolving labor market and how higher education can intentionally respond to shifting employer expectations.

Drawing on current workforce trends and in-demand professional competencies, the session highlights the role of civic capacities—such as communication, ethical judgment, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership—as critical drivers of professional success. Participants will develop a common language for articulating how civic outcomes align with workforce needs and prepare graduates to navigate complex, collaborative, and values-driven work environments.

Participants will:

• Examine workforce trends shaping employer expectations and career pathways

• Identify connections between civic learning outcomes and professional competencies

• Build shared language for linking civic development to workforce preparation and career readiness

LUNCH – 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Part 2: Designing Community-Engaged Learning to Integrate Civic Learning and Career Readiness

12:30 PM – 4:30 PM

Session Abstract:

This hands-on workshop focuses on building faculty and staff capacity to design, implement, and assess high-quality community-engaged learning experiences that cultivate both civic outcomes and transferable career skills.

Using applied teaching practices and the DEAL Model for Critical Reflection, participants will work through interactive activities focused on course design, partnership-building, and assessment. The session also addresses strategies for aligning this work with institutional priorities and telling a compelling story of outcomes to campus leadership.

Participants will:

• Identify transferable skills developed through community-engaged learning

• Apply course design strategies that integrate civic learning and career readiness

• Practice using the DEAL Model to connect civic outcomes with professional goals

• Evaluate examples of campus–community partnerships that support civic and career growth

• Explore assessment tools to document and communicate student civic and professional learning