Community Engagement and Leadership (CEL) Designation

CEL Core Elements

All CEL-designated courses must meet the following core criteria. The review process is holistic; however, all core elements must be present for approval.

• Community engagement activities are explicitly tied to at least one course learning objective.
• Engagement is integrated into course content and assessment.
• Students articulate the connection between engagement and academic learning through reflections, assignments, or discussions.

Students must demonstrate measurable growth in at least two of the following areas:

• Ethical reasoning
• Social justice awareness
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Teamwork
• Community-based research
• Initiative and responsibility
• Change-making
• Innovation and entrepreneurship

These competencies reflect UTEP Edge transferable skill categories and career readiness outcomes.

• Students complete a minimum of 20 approved hours of sustained community engagement.
• Community engagement comprises 20% to 80% of the final course grade.
• Students are expected to demonstrate professionalism, reliability, and active participation.

• Reflection is structured and ongoing throughout the semester.
• A final evaluation component is required and may include:
• A project or presentation
• Community partner feedback
• A final reflective analysis

• A clearly identified community partner or project.
• Evidence of mutual benefit and reciprocity.
• Clearly documented expectations (formal agreements recommended).

• Explicit discussion of reciprocity and positionality
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Feedback loops with community partners
• Sustainable, long-term partnerships

CEL Approval Process

To ensure consistency and academic integrity across colleges, UTEP utilizes a centralized review model supported by the CCE Advisory Panel.

Faculty review the CEL Core Elements and Best Practices Guide.

Revise the syllabus to align learning outcomes, engagement components, grading, and reflection.

• Coming Soon

CCE conducts an initial review for completeness and alignment.

• A faculty representative from the applicant’s college
• One reviewer from outside the college

The Advisory Panel meets twice per academic year (Fall and Spring cycles).

Upon approval, the course is flagged as “CEL” in the course catalog.

CEL Review Cycles & Important Dates

CEL designation operates on two annual review cycles aligned with the university course schedule publication calendar.

Faculty are strongly encouraged to apply early to ensure CEL designation appears at initial schedule rollout.

(Spring schedule posts October 1)

Target to Appear at Initial Rollout

• Internal Application Deadline: Mid-September
• Advisory review and approvals completed by late September
• CEL designation visible when schedule opens on October 1

Policy Compliance – Final Submission Window

• Mid-October
• Approximately 8–9 weeks before January start
• CEL tag may appear after initial October 1 rollout

(Fall schedule posts March 1)

Target to Appear at Initial Rollout

• Internal Application Deadline: February 1
• Advisory review and approvals completed by late February
• CEL designation visible when schedule opens on March 1

Policy Compliance – Final Submission Window

• Late June
• Approximately 8–9 weeks before late-August start
• CEL tag may post after initial March 1 rollout

Faculty follow a structured 10-week review process to move from preparation to final course designation.

• Weeks 1–3 (Beginning August 1 / January 1): Faculty preparation and consultation
• Week 4 (Beginning September 1 / February 1): Application submission deadline
• Week 5 (Second week of September / February): CCE pre-review
• Weeks 6–7 (Third week of September / February): Advisory Panel review
• Week 8 (Fourth week of September / February): CEL designated confirmation
• Weeks 8–9 (Late September / Fourth week of February): Registrar flags approved CEL courses
• Week 10 (October 1 / March 1): Course schedule publishes with CEL designations visible to students

Faculty are encouraged to begin preparation at least one semester before the intended offering of the course.

Early consultation with CCE is recommended to ensure timely review and schedule visibility.

Designing a CEL Course

This section provides guidance for designing community-engaged courses. It includes recommendations for aligning engagement activities with course learning outcomes, supported by rubrics and examples. The guide also provides templates and timelines to help faculty establish clear expectations and onboarding processes with community partners.

• Mapping community engagement to learning objectives
• Structuring engagement as 20–80% of course grade
• Designing structured reflection (weekly, midterm, final)
• Embedding UTEP Edge language in syllabus

Faculty may choose among several models:

• Required engagement model (minimum 20 hours)
• Project-based service
• Community-based action research
• Hybrid hour-based and grade-based models

• Partnership agreement template
• Reflection prompts packet
• Assessment examples
• Student professionalism checklist
• Community partner matching through the CUE portal

• CEL consultation appointments
• Office hours (January & June cycles)
• Workshops and department presentations

Contact: cce@utep.edu

About the CEL Advisory Panel

The CEL Advisory Panel ensures fair, transparent, and consistent review of CEL applications across colleges. The panel supports the integrity, academic rigor, and institutional alignment of community-engaged teaching at UTEP.

• One tenured and one tenure-track faculty member from each college
• Cross-college review model for balanced evaluation

• Two meetings per academic year
• Review of assigned applications in advance
• Two-year renewable term
• Orientation provided by CCE

• Influence campus-wide standards for community-engaged teaching
• Advance high-impact pedagogy
• Strengthen campus–community partnerships
• Receive institutional recognition for service