Advancing Community Engagement Scholarship as a Teaching and Learning Strategy in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter explores community engagement within the higher education sector as a teaching and learning strategy. This chapter argues that community engagement (CE) is key in generating knowledge that can be used for teaching and learning purposes. In this chapter, community engagement is viewed as a pedagogical strategy and the knowledge generated tool which can enrich teaching and learning. Universities are part of the higher education sector and are therefore mandated to develop human capital and creating critical environment upon which university community and communities can be partners in knowledge generation and dissemination. The chapter make use of community-based learning module offered by the Department of Built Environment and Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Ten registered students were interviewed together with the coordinator of the module.