CEL facilitates multi-institutional research on engaged learning topics. Participants from institutions around the world collaborate over three years, producing scholarship that shapes research and practice globally.
CEL is home to two book series. In addition, CEL research seminars and other initiatives have produced 100+ publications (to date).
CEL’s concise guides offer research-informed practices for engaged learning.
CEL’s concise guides offer practical strategies for studying engaged learning.
CEL brings together international leaders in higher education to develop, synthesize, and share rigorous research on central questions about student learning.
The CEL Scholar role and CEL Student Scholars program enable Elon faculty and students to deepen their understanding of and professional development in scholarly activity on engaged learning.
As discussed in the initial post in this series, signature work consists of student-driven, integrative projects that address complex, real-world problems by synthesizing knowledge across disciplines. In this post, I examine types of engaged learning activities that could be categorized…
CEL research seminars facilitate multi-institutional research on engaged learning topics. Participants from higher education institutions around the world collaborate over three years, producing scholarship that shapes research and practice globally.
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As CEL Scholars, Elon faculty develop expertise in a specific aspect of engaged learning and produce resources and other scholarly activity on that topic.
CEL invites scholars to join our conversations about research-informed practices for engaged learning.
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CEL is home to two book series: the CEL Open Access Book Series and the CEL/Routledge Series on Engaged Learning and Teaching. View all CEL books.
CEL regularly produces videos featuring contemporary research and theories on engaged learning pedagogies and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Explore additional videos throughout our website, or browse the entire collection.
Given that mentoring relationships are learner-centered, mentees should have significant agency in developing their mentoring constellations. In this section, we explore strategies and resources mentees can use to identify and develop meaningful and mentoring relationships. Mentoring relationships “promote academic, social,…
Signature work represents one of higher education’s most innovative approaches to deep, integrative learning. As defined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U 2015), signature work consists of student-driven, integrative projects that address complex, real-world problems by synthesizing…
“No idea is fully formed until it can be communicated.” The Boyer Commission 1998 As we near the end of the academic year, many undergraduate research students and their mentors are planning to present research posters showcasing their accomplishments. In the…
Making College “Worth It” – Season 2, Episode 7 In this episode, Amanda Sturgill shares insights from her ongoing exploration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and engaged learning in higher education. Dr. Sturgill is the 2024-2026 Center for Engaged Learning…
Throughout this series, we have touched on the research behind undergraduate student leadership and its impact on students post-college, along with some critiques. Before we conclude, we would like to offer some additional benefits undergraduate student leadership offers. Undergraduate student…
The past few blog posts in this student leadership series have explained what leadership is and provided some insights into the research behind it so far, but what does leadership look like through the eyes of a student leader? A…
Educators aren’t the only ones thinking about the relationship between generative AI and critical thinking. A recent study by Lee et al. (2025) from Carnegie Mellon University and others from Microsoft Research surveyed 319 knowledge workers about their experiences using…
Leadership development in higher education is not a topic that has been extensively studied, but existing research highlights the impact of precollege leadership experiences and campus-based training programs on student leadership growth. Students who engage in leadership roles before entering…
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