Impact of Community Engagement on Students’ College Experience

Abstract

Past research has shown student engagement with the college community provides a valuable experience during the student’s college career. Community engagement not only helps make college life a more pleasant one, but could potentially help develop a more well-rounded individual. This study aims to explore the issue of engaging college students with the local community, with a focus on simple approaches to helping make stronger connections between the two sides. We adopt a real-life case study approach to explore students’ experiences after they are introduced to some unique aspects of the community. Two programs, one on local business history and the other on current local businesses, were designed to familiarize students, especially new college students, with the community. The results of the study have implications for student engagement programs, acculturation of international students, students’ learning experiences, and students’ professional growth.