E-course Designation

Why a community-engaged course designation? 

Related to the 2020 Carnegie Community-Engagement classification, the University of Washington is replacing the legacy “S” (for service-learning) course designation with a revised “E” (for community-engaged) course designation. We chose “E” for community-Engaged since the “C” designation is already in use to denote composition courses.

While “E” courses are not a required category in the general education curriculum, it is important to have a searchable, transcriptable way for students to demonstrate this component of their undergraduate coursework. The new course designation allows the University to hold a standard for community-engaged learning across the institution and acknowledges courses that  meet a defined set of quality measures in regard to community-engagement in the curriculum.

The community-engaged course definition and criteria for the new designation were developed and vetted by a tri-campus committee of faculty and subject matter experts between 2020 and 2023. Final approval for the revised course designation came from the registrar’s office in 2024. Each campus will review and designate courses via a process that has been vetted by respective faculty approval processes. 

This website details the course review and designation process for the Seattle campus. 

Definition

Developed by a tri-campus committee of faculty and administrators, then approved by the University Committee on Curriculum Administration (UCCA) in Autumn 2020.

Community-engaged learning (E) courses are hands-on, skill-building opportunities for students to engage with community partners through the mutually beneficial exchange of creativity, knowledge, and resources.


Designation Process

We recommend that instructors start the steps outlined below for having courses e-designated a minimum of three months in advance--though four to six months is more comfortable. Please see the section below regarding support that the CELE Center can offer during the course development phase (another four to six months in advance of starting these steps!).

  1. Fill out the Community Engaged Learning (E) course designation review form [LINK COMING SOON].
     
  2. Submit completed form and course syllabus to School or College curriculum oversight committee/authority.  
    1. Review at the school/college level can be routine and draw from the overall E-course criteria for assessment, This may be as simple as getting a letter of support for E-course designation from your academic services director.
    2. Review at this level can be more in depth, including the development of additional criteria using disciplinary specific definitions and examples of community-engaged learning and scholarship by college level curriculum committees.
       
  3. After review and approval at the school level, course materials (review form, syllabus, and approval from school) should be submitted to the Seattle campus E-course Curriculum and Policy Committee for secondary review and formal approval.    
     
  4. Through Autumn 2025, the Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center will work with the Registrar's Office to mark courses approved by the Seattle-campus E-course Curriculum and Policy committee in the time schedule. The CELE Center is managing this administration process in coordination with the Registrar’s Office while updates are made to the time schedule construction tool. 

 

A Note on Committee Composition

The E-course Curriculum and Policy committee is composed of a minimum of three faculty members (tenure-line and teaching faculty are eligible) with experience in community-engaged teaching. These individuals volunteer for a two year term as part of their service-commitment to the University; each member of the committee can be reappointed for one additional two-year term. Every effort will be made to represent different disciplines/schools in committee composition. 

The review committee is staffed by the Community Engagement and Leadership Education (CELE) Center; these members of the committee serve as subject matter experts and make recommendations to the committee, but do not vote on course designation.