Academic Community Engagement (ACE) is an umbrella term for scholarly work done within a community context. The different forms of ACE integrate community expertise into the academic work of students and provide real-world experiences.

• Service-Learning: a teaching method that meets the academic goals of a credit-bearing course by encouraging students to apply theories and skills to meet actual needs within the community.
• Community-Based Research: a type of research using established academic methods to answer a question of interest to the community.
• Internship and Practicum: pre-professional experiences in a student's field of study, which typically culminates with a project or research paper regarding the students' experiences.

Working With an ACE Project:

ACE Projects take many forms, however, all follow the same format:

• Completion of an ACE Project Agreement, signed by a faculty sponsor, student and community partner.
• Completion of a liability form by the host site, as required by college policies.
• Completion of evaluation forms by faculty, students and partners at the project's conclusion.

As you begin planning an ACE project, faculty may wish to consult Campus Compact's list of example syllabi. Students may use the planning guide developed by our office. We also have compiled tips for faculty and partners.

What participants are saying:

• "I see such growth in every student involved in these projects. ... They transform from students into young professionals."
  - Jody Roy, associate professor of communication

• "Students' feedback included insights that would never have occurred without this service-learning opportunity." - Michelle Fuerch, professor of Spanish
• "It's more than just classroom experience -- it's real experience because you have to deal with real people. "
  - Sierra Bussey, Ripon College student '09
• "It would be impossible to find enough good placements for all of my business students without the help of the OCE." - Mary Avery, associate professor of business administration
• After a service-learning project for her history class, one Ripon student wrote a paper about her experience. She and a classmate served at Harmony Cafe a number of times, and she has some great observations. Her observations really lend credence to the challenging but amazing work we do, particlularly with helping those who are not always welcomed elsewhere in our society.
  - Shannon Kenevan, Harmony Cafe
  

Past ACE Projects:

• Anthropology 216: Archaeological Methods
  Community-based research (CBR), practicum
• Anthropology 115: Museum Studies
  Service-learning, internship
• Art 375: Art and Gender
  Service-learning
• Biology 247 General Ecology
  Field studies
• Biology 300: Biology of Cancer
  Service-learning, CBR
• Business 310: Nonprofit Organization Management
  Service-learning, CBR
• Classics 300 : Roman Coins and Roman Emperors
  Service-learning
• Communications 440: Applied Communication
  Service-learning
• Education 421, 431, 441, 451, 461: Student Teaching
  Practicum, service-learning
• French 175: First Year Studies: Sex, Gender & Culture
  Field studies
• History 220: Non-conformity and Deviance in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
  Service-learning
• Interdisciplinary Studies 150: Fisk
  Practicum, field studies
• Interdisciplinary Studies 212: Journalism II
  Internship, practicum
• Leadership Studies 100: Introduction to Leadership Studies; Leadership and the Human Spirit
  Service-learning
• Leadership Studies 264: Team Learning Workshop
  Service-learning
• Philosophy 120: Introduction to Philosophy
  Service-lLearning
• Philosophy 281: Human Nature
  Service-learning
• Psychology 300.02: Positive Psychology
  Service-lLearning
• Psychology 313: Social Psychology
  Field studies, CBR
• Psychology 326: Theories of Motivation
  Service-learning
• Spanish 451: Applied Spanish
  Service-learning
• Religion 122: Introduction to Christian Scriptures
  Service-learning
• Religion 231: History of Christian Theology and Ethics
  Service-learning, field studies