A new report calls for all colleges and universities to make civic learning and democracy engagement an “essential part of students’ pathways through postsecondary education.”
The Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement (CLDE) Coalition report contends that college civic learning can be vital to “renewing our democracy” at a time when there is growing distrust of institutions, increasingly polarized views and the spread of disinformation and persistent unequal economic opportunity.
According to a survey of 4,000 18- to 24-year-olds, confidence in American democracy is waning – and so is civic engagement. A third of those surveyed indicated no intention to participate civically — through voting, political volunteerism, donating, event attendance, etc. — in 2024. And 33% said they are not currently engaged in community activities. When it comes to voting, less than half (48%) intend to vote in the 2024 general election. That’s far lower than the nationwide baseline of 68%.
But there’s reason for hope, the report’s authors say: “U.S. higher education institutions can work — individually and collectively — to address democracy’s current challenges and to engage students in the learning that will prepare them to contribute to democracy’s success.”
A framework
The CLDE Coalition has created a framework to help postsecondary institutions increase their approaches to college civic learning and democracy engagement.
The framework has four components:
- Democratic knowledge and levers for change
- Bridge-building and problem-solving skills
- Practical experience and projects, including collaborative work in real-world settings
- Career-related civic and ethical learning
The overarching goal is each student’s individual development of purposeful civic engagement.
In the classroom, educators are encouraged to create opportunities for reasoned and evidence-based discussions, require practical experiences, and engage students in core issues related to democracy and freedom.
Among the benefits of this work to students are higher levels of persistence and completion, better informed choices about civic and justice issues and stronger collaborative and problem-solving skills.
The nation benefits, too, by having graduates with practical problem-solving skills in careers and communities and higher levels of community service, among other benefits.
Doing the work
Several colleges and universities are already engaged in this work.
Allegany College of Maryland has embedded personal and civic responsibility in the curriculum through the college’s general education learning outcomes and Educational Master Plan. Students have opportunities to learn about and practice democracy through engagement with the community, usually tied to career opportunities.
In New York, Kingsborough Community College (KCC) requires all students to have at least one civic engagement experience before graduating. This requirement can be satisfied through coursework or an approved non-course-related experience.
The assessment measure for these experiences is typically a reflective assignment. The college has defined three domains of civic engagement: civic knowledge, political knowledge, and social responsibility. Reflective assignments are assessed using a rubric based on these domains.
Piedmont Virginia Community College, in an attempt to respond to the events that occurred at the 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, addressed civic engagement through the accreditation process. The college produced the 2019 Quality Enhancement Plan “Civic Sense: Engaging Students in the Civic Life of Their Communities.“
Among the changes included were enriching civic engagement opportunities throughout the co-curriculum and adding a substantial assignment focused on civic engagement in every major.
And Salt Lake Community College’s general education learning outcomes include developing civic literacy and the capacity to be community-engaged learners. The requirement is assessed through a required e-portfolio.
