This toolkit was created by CIRTL (Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning) in partnership with UCC Civic and Community Engagement. The toolkit is underpinned by an expertise in the scholarship of community engaged teaching and learning.

Pedagogical Leadership and User-focussed Supports

CIRTL supports staff and students who are engaged in teaching and demonstrates academic leadership in the scholarship of teaching and learning. In UCC that academic leadership includes an ambition for further embedding civic and community engagement in the curriculum. Read more about the benefits, rationale and policy imperative in the Why Get Engaged section. 

The toolkit has been devised to support all staff who teach in UCC who wish to integrate civic engagement into their teaching. Staff have requested opportunities to exchange knowledge, to hear from their peers, learn what’s worked well elsewhere, to be inspired. That is why this toolkit is centred around Practice Insights articles with practical examples and tools to support implementation from peers and colleagues in the University, nationally and internationally. This toolkit can be used to enhance professional practice in community-engaged teaching and learning and uncovers the variety of learning activities and methodologies that are available for use in teaching.

Practical Examples Underpinned by Key Competencies

The ‘Practice Insights’ articles are organised around four main  topics:

• How to Cultivate Core Values
• How to Connect Societal Challenges
• How to Learn with Communities
• How to Enhance Partnerships

These topics are central to best practice in integrating civic and community engagement into the curriculum and are informed and underpinned by key scholarship in the area. 

Whether you are just beginning to explore or you are continuing your journey in integrating civic and community engagement in your teaching, we hope that these practical examples will support and inspire you.

Other Professional Development Supports

This toolkit is just one of the ways we are working with peers and colleagues to embed civic and community engagement in the curriculum. There are a number of professional development supports you could consider if you are interested in deepening your professional practice. In particular we recommend the Campus Engage Community Engaged Learning (CEL) online short course.

A Civically Engaged University

This toolkit is part of the wider ambition for UCC outlined in the 2018 Civic and Community Engagement Plan. The plan outlines UCC’s plan to enact a strategic and coordinated approach to civic engagement across all aspects of University activities to embed a culture of engaged staff and students in UCC, and to deepen our presence in the community.

Find out more about the wider eco-system of Civic & Community Engagement at UCC.  

About Us

The toolkit was designed, developed and delivered by the following team:

• Dr. Ruth Hally, Civic Engagement Project Co-ordinator, CIRTL;
• Dr. Catherine O'Mahony, Director of the Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL);
• Ciara O'Halloran, Project and Communications Officer, UCC Civic and Community Engagement;
• Dr. Martin Galvin, Head of UCC Civic and Community Engagement.