Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen
Onderwijs en Training
Community Engaged Learning semester37200/3489/2526/1/79
Study guide

Community Engaged Learning semester

37200/3489/2526/1/79
Academic year 2025-26
Is found in:
  • International programme Community Engaged Learning
This is a single course unit.
Study load: 30 credits
Teaching staff: Dirkx Bie, Hanssen Marloes, Hofman Bart, Jonckheere Emilie, Robert Nathan, Van himbeeck Hilde, Verbeek Mieke
Languages: English
Scheduled for: Semester 1
This course unit is marked out of 20 (rounded to an integer).
Re-sit exam: is possible.
Possibility of deliberation: You have to pass this course unit (will never be deliberated).
Total study time: 750,00 hours
Total cost price activities: € 25,00

Component code

IPCEL/IPEWMC/001

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Short description

Project Work

This subject provides an introduction to the basic elements of Project Management and guides you into putting that theory into practice in a real-life and community engaged (learning -) project were students (several projects of 8-10 students) can develop a project result from the beginning until the end in a concrete multi-disciplinary project organization.
This aim will be achieved through a series of lectures and group exercises and by preparing, planning, executing and evaluating the project in the project team.

Supportive Courses

Societal insights, intercultural interaction and supervision.



Educational organisation (text)

See course programme
  • Project Management = lectures and workshops
  • Project Work = working on your project in your project group with your coach
  • Project Time = working on your project in your project group without coaches

  • Boost camp = a two-week practical and theoretical orientation, base-line information gathering, and building of a personal base of fundamental knowledge, skills and attitudes.
  • Societal Insights = provides a background about the wider context in which the student is learning. Departing from urban planning and dynamics we hand the student frames (theoretical insights and from practice -through field visits) from which to approach a certain research question that is designed at the beginning of the course.
  • Intercultural Interaction = semi-personalized digital learning paths are offered, interspersed with individually prepared activating workshops in different group-sizes and in different settings, depending on the input gathered during the Boostcamp.
  • Supervision = groups of max 5 students, meeting max 6 times throughout the semester under the guidance of a supervisor - with preparation of and reflection on these meetings.

Prerequisite competencies (text)

  • A sufficient level of understanding and expression of the English language, in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
  • The will and ability to only communicate in English whenever at least one person is present (within hearing distance) that does not understand the language you’re using.
  • The will and ability to first examine one’s own behaviour before speaking about the other’s actions.
  • The will and ability to further develop one’s own personal growth.
  • The intrinsic motivation to work intensively in an international and interdisciplinary team on often complex project challenges provided by the professional field.
  • The ability to follow the APA-referencing guidelines when writing a paper.

Learning outcomes (list)

Knowledge
Students combine knowledge and resources to achieve valuable effects.
Students analyse a problem from the perspective of stakeholders (customers, end users...) and relevant contexts (literature, market, financial resources...).
Students analyse the theoretical and practical context of the project based on the client’s expectations, desktop research and research on end users.
Professionalisation
Students verify on a regular basis whether the project proceeds according to the predefined quality requirements (TMQIO factors: Time, Money, Quality, Organisation, Information).
Students compare (elements of) the professional practice in their home country and/or home institution with (elements of) the professional practice in other countries and/or other institutions for higher education.
Students standardize their thinking process in a concise project report in which they describe the project work done in close collaboration with their team.
Students offer in their project report the client a road map for further use and development of the product.
Students draw up an ambitious and realistic project plan for discussion with their client and coach.
Students collaborate and communicate inter-culturally and interdisciplinary with colleagues, external and internal contacts.
Students recognise the potential that an idea has for creating value for the client and identify suitable ways of making the most out of it.
Students explore and experiment with innovative approaches.
Students include, within the creating process, structured ways of testing ideas and prototypes from the early stages, to reduce risks of failing.
Students acquire and manage the material, non-material and digital resources needed to turn ideas into action.
Students acquire and manage the competences needed at any stage, including technical, legal and digital competences.
Students critically evaluate their own substantive contribution as a member of the project group.
Attitude
Students carry out the project's product according to the predetermined project plan.
Students believe in their ability to influence the course of events, despite uncertainty, setbacks and temporary failures.
Students reflect on where the project plan should be adjusted throughout the project process.
Students are resilient under pressure, adversity, and temporary failure.
Collaboration
Students cooperate constructively in a team culture to achieve collective results and take appropriate leadership.
In an intercultural context, students develop a working relationship with colleagues, clients and other stakeholders and actively contribute to an atmosphere of trust.
Communication
Students communicate interculturally sensitive with colleagues, external and internal contacts.
Students only communicate in English whenever one person is present that does not speak their language.
Students communicate, both orally and in writing, efficiently and effectively within the professional context.
Societal Insights
Students make historically/geographically/politically/socially/... grown assumptions about their world view or view of an individual explicit.
Students can analyse/make clear how a professional practice can create or contribute to an unequal or unjust situation. This on the individual (for the client/pupil), group (neighbourhood, classroom, target group...) and societal level.
Students incorporate the ways of professional practices in the world, within that/those of their home country.
Students actively take part in discussions and express personal ideas on different topics.
Students place local events and practices in an international context by indicating the international consequences of local events and the influence of the international or European contexts on these local situations.
Students make explicit how international professional and interest organizations have an influence on the professional practice in their home country.
Students acquire knowledge about other cultures and employ this knowledge in an appropriate manner with respect for the uniqueness of each individual human being.
Students can compare (elements of) the professional practice in their home country with (elements of) the professional practice in other countries.
Students show empathy, social responsibility and civic responsibility.
Intercultural Interaction
Students understand their own framework of reference/worldview and can link these to other viewpoints.
Students demonstrate they can adapt their behaviour and communication style in an intercultural context.
Students demonstrate a high level of self-awareness through taking responsibility for (the effect of) their own actions, words and thoughts.
Students are aware of their own conflict management style.
Students show respect for all universal values and human rights.
Students show an open mindset towards the vision and expertise of others and accept the relativity of their own vision and ideas.
Students make fundamental assumptions about the world view (or the view of an individual) within their field of study explicit and place these assumptions in a historical context.
Supervision
Students understand and approach a situation, an issue or a problem from multiple cultural perspectives.
Students see intercultural conflicts as learning opportunities.
Students communicate their increased sense of self-awareness during supervision and through their altered actions.
Students examine the specific features of their own communication style and actively explore the communication style of others.
Students change their actions using critical (self)-reflection, incorporating actual insights derived from scientific research and regional, European or international evolutions.
Students reflect on their professional development and practice and integrate the findings and feedback of others in their actions.

Course content

AP's CEL semester is a fully integrated semester with a total of 30 credits.

The focus in this international semester is on project-based work in international and multidisciplinary student teams that are intensively coached by experienced AP teachers. This project work is evaluated on the basis of a final report, a final presentation and a project implementation in the Antwerp neighborhood on which the projects respectively focused. Both the performance of the student teams as a whole and the individual performance of the students are part of the assessment matrix.

There are also a number of integrated courses that support students in their community-oriented project work (Societal Insights, Intercultural Interaction and Supervision). During the semester, students build up an individual portfolio that is tested orally during the examination period.

All of the above elements together lead to an integrated evaluation of the students. 

Project work
Students of Social Work, Social Educational Care Work and Teacher Training work together in an international and interdisciplinary team on a real-life project that matches their area of study and field of interest as close as possible.
The project will come from and be imbedded in a community-based context and therefor will be done in close cooperation with schools and (social) organizations in the field.
An introduction to project management will put you and your team on track. An experienced coach will closely support your interdisciplinary project. Supportive courses will further complete your understanding and skills, necessary for your specific project group.
In this project it is all about finding new pathways in interdisciplinary cooperation and developing new skills and a reflective attitude, working together towards a concrete project outcome.

Supportive part
4 intertwined course threads, meant to deepen, support and elaborate the students’ personal growth in different areas of our intercultural society:

  • Boost camp: here we lay foundations and provide an overview of what’s to come in the coming weeks.
  • Societal Insights: building on the in-and output of the boost camp, we offer insights in Human rights, (in)equality, urban planning/city dynamics, CBL, introduction in the different disciplines that work together in this project-based semester. We will take a look at ‘layers’, one of which will be the Flemish policies (and their outcomes). We will work with research questions, closely related to the projects.
  • Intercultural Interaction: using what we experienced during the Boost camp-work, students are offered tailor-made digital learning paths, and real-life group-exercises directed at integrating this knowledge in their current and future collaboration-efforts.
  • Supervision: whereas in Project Work students are coached specifically in their project-oriented collaboration, in (small group-) Supervision they are encouraged to take a frank look at their current behaviour, checking their evolution in integrating the academic, theoretical and practical input they gathered in the other parts of this project-based semester.

Study material (text): Mandatory

Digital Learning environment - Digitap.

Educational organisation (list)

Exam duration
Estimated time for testing18,00 hours
  • Remark: kick-off presentation
    midterm presentation
    Project days summit week
    individual evaluation portfolio
Learning Activities
Collaborative learning86,00 hours
  • Remark: field visits and workshops and supervision
    25 EUR to be paid for thematic day trip to Brussels: train + metro + museum visit
Lectures and / or tutorials107,00 hours
Practicum85,00 hours
  • Remark: project time
Work time outside of contact hours454,00 hours

Evaluation (list)

Evaluation(s) for first exam chance
MomentForm%Remark
1st examination periodPortfolio40,00first try
1st examination periodProject assignment60,00
Evaluation(s) for re-sit exam
MomentForm%Remark
2nd examination periodPortfolio40,00Second try
2nd examination periodReflection assignment during the examination series60,00

Evaluation (text)

The student develops an e-portfolio. In this portfolio assignments for the different parts of this course are added.

To be able to pass for this course, the following criteria are provided:

  • regular attendance during the colleges and workshops of Project Work is obligatory
  • presence and participation during Supervision is required
  • regular attendance during the colleges and workshops of Intercultural Interaction is required

When the student fails to fulfill all criteria, all considered consequences are communicated in the study guide.

The language of communication in the student teams and with the teachers is English. Students will give several oral presentations, write a final report and develop audio-visual material(s) linked to their project challenge. A good knowledge of English is therefore necessary: a level of B2 is strongly recommended.