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.
High-impact educational practices (HIPs) like capstone experiences, internships, study away, and undergraduate research are associated with substantial learning gains for post-secondary students. Nearly two decades of research demonstrates benefits for students’ college completion, deep learning, and engagement (Kuh 2008; Brownell and Swaner 2010; Kuh and O’Donnell…
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.
60-Second SoTL – Episode 72 What do employers actually think about higher education’s role in preparing students for an uncertain future? This episode features the latest employer report from the American Association of Colleges and Universities: Finley, Ashley. 2025. The Agility…
Generative AI offers both potential and limitations for minoritized and disabled students. Recent publications show a clear tension: these tools can expand—making access and participation a reality for some learners who might have been excluded. At the same time, generative tools have the potential to strengthen the very…
Making College “Worth it” – Season 3, Episode 5 In this episode, Jessie and Nolan talk with Kasey Wozniak about how vertically integrated project (VIP) courses support student project ownership, authentic undergraduate research, and career readiness. Drawing on her research…
60-Second SoTL – Episode 71 How can generative AI support student brainstorming without replacing thinking, voice, or agency? This episode highlights an open-access article about a GenAI-enabled brainstorming app used in an interdisciplinary writing course: Chia, Joanne, and Angela Frattarola. 2025….
The term “student success” seems to be everywhere in higher education, but what does it really mean? In 2024-2025, I had the privilege of serving on a six-person “expert group” reviewing the Irish National Framework for Student Success in Higher Education. In…
Last week, the Center for Engaged Learning released the topline results for our latest national survey of recent university graduates, exploring their experiences during college with the key practices for fostering engaged learning, high-impact practices (e.g., internships, undergraduate research, study away), and mentoring. In this post, I offer a closer…
60-Second SoTL – Episode 70 How can Vertically Integrated Projects—VIPs—be designed so students don’t just participate in research, but feel genuine ownership of it? This episode features an article that explores how a biology VIP courses supported undergraduates in developing project…
This fall (2025), Elon University announced the addition of Roberts Academy, set to open in the fall of 2026. The academy will serve as a school for students with dyslexia, offering tailored, individualized instruction beginning with third- and fourth-grade students, with plans to expand to…
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