You may have already noticed that CIS3750 is a little different from many courses. Rather than working on fictional case studies or hypothetical software problems, you will work with a community partner to explore a real challenge and design a thoughtful software solution.

This approach is called community-engaged learning.

For some students, this may feel exciting. For others, it may feel a little intimidating.

Both reactions are completely normal.

This chapter explains what community-engaged learning is, why it is used in CIS3750, and what you can expect throughout the semester.

What Is Community-Engaged Learning?

Community-engaged learning is an approach to education where students learn by working with organizations, communities, or groups outside the classroom to address real challenges.

Instead of learning only through lectures, readings, or hypothetical examples, students apply course concepts to authentic situations.

In community-engaged learning:

• students contribute their time, skills, and ideas,
• community organizations share expertise and lived experience,
• learning happens through collaboration,
• and everyone benefits from the exchange.

At its best, community-engaged learning is reciprocal. This means that students learn from community partners, and community partners benefit from student contributions.

In other words: Students are not simply “helping” communities – they are learning with communities.

This distinction matters.

Community-engaged learning works best when relationships are built on:

• respect,
• curiosity,
• humility,
• reciprocity,
• and a willingness to listen.

Why Does CIS3750 Use Community-Engaged Learning?

You might be wondering: Why not just use a fictional software project?

That is a fair question. There are several reasons.

Real Problems Feel Different

When projects involve real people and real organizations, the work often feels more meaningful.

Your recommendations may influence real decisions, improve a process, or help an organization think differently about a challenge.

This often changes how students approach the work.

Questions become more thoughtful.

Feedback matters more.

And teams tend to think more carefully about the people who may eventually use the system.

Real Clients Create Better Learning

Software design is not only about building systems.

It is also about:

• asking good questions,
• understanding uncertainty,
• communicating clearly,
• gathering feedback,
• and learning to work with people who think differently than you.

Working with a community partner helps you practice these skills in authentic situations.

You will quickly discover that real problems are often messy. Sometimes requirements are unclear. Sometimes priorities change. Sometimes people disagree.

This is not a sign something is going wrong.

This is what real-world software design often looks like.

Community Partners Are Domain Experts

One of the most important ideas in CIS3750 is this: Your community partner is the domain expert.

A domain expert is someone with deep knowledge of a particular challenge area.

For example:

• a public health organization understands health challenges,
• a food security organization understands barriers to food access,
• an accessibility organization understands challenges faced by people with disabilities.

While your team may bring software knowledge, community partners bring lived experience and deep contextual understanding.

Good software design happens when these different forms of expertise come together.

This is why asking thoughtful questions matters so much in CIS3750.

Working With Community Partners

Community partners play an important role in the course.

Throughout the semester, they may:

• introduce a challenge,
• answer questions,
• provide feedback,
• attend demonstrations,
• and help teams better understand the problem.

At times, this can feel unfamiliar. Unlike fictional classroom examples, community partners have:

• busy schedules,
• competing priorities,
• limited time,
• and changing needs.

Sometimes communication may take longer than expected. Sometimes new information may change your assumptions. Sometimes your original idea may need to change completely.

That is normal.

Learning to work through uncertainty and changing information is an important part of software design.

The most successful teams tend to approach community partnerships with:

• curiosity,
• professionalism,
• patience,
• flexibility,
• and respect.

What Makes Community-Engaged Learning Different?

In many courses, assignments are completed, graded, and forgotten. Community-engaged learning often feels different.

Because projects involve real challenges, students sometimes continue working on ideas after the semester ends. In some cases, projects evolve into independent studies, research opportunities, community partnerships, or future development work.

Even when projects end after one semester, many students describe the experience as one of the first times they truly felt like they were applying their knowledge in a meaningful way.

That does not mean the experience is always easy.

Community-engaged work can feel uncertain, messy, and occasionally frustrating.

But it can also be deeply rewarding.

Throughout the semester, try to stay open to the process. Ask questions. Be curious. Listen carefully. And remember:

Good software design starts by understanding people.

Working Through Uncertainty

One thing students often find surprising about CIS3750 is that things do not always feel perfectly clear.

Sometimes requirements feel vague. Sometimes new information changes your direction. Sometimes your team may not immediately know the “right” answer.

This is normal.

Real-world software design often involves working through uncertainty.

In many projects, problems are complex, information is incomplete, and priorities shift over time. You may begin the semester thinking your team understands the challenge only to realize later that you were missing important information.

That is not failure. That is learning.

Community-engaged learning can sometimes feel messy because real people and real organizations are involved. Needs evolve. Constraints change. Assumptions turn out to be incorrect.

This is part of the design process.

You may need to:

• revisit earlier ideas,
• ask more questions,
• revise requirements,
• rethink assumptions,
• or change direction based on feedback.

A helpful mindset is:

Progress over perfection.

The goal is not to get everything right immediately. The goal is to learn, revise, improve, and continue moving forward.

Often, some of the strongest learning happens when things do not go exactly as planned.

Respecting The Learning Environment

Students enter CIS3750 with different backgrounds, experiences, and levels of confidence.

Some students may have:

• previous software development experience,
• co-op or internship experience,
• experience working with clients,
• or familiarity with tools we discuss.

Others may be encountering many of these ideas for the first time.

Both perspectives are valuable.

You are encouraged to:

• ask questions,
• share ideas,
• challenge assumptions respectfully,
• and learn from one another.

At times, you may feel frustrated. You may disagree with a decision, struggle with uncertainty, or wish something in the project worked differently.

That is okay. Thoughtful disagreement and constructive discussion are important parts of learning.

At the same time, frustration or disagreement should not interfere with another student’s opportunity to learn or feel included.

CIS3750 works best when people approach challenges with:

• curiosity,
• patience,
• professionalism,
• respect,
• and a willingness to listen.

Or, as actor and writer Wil Wheaton famously put it:

“Don’t be a dick.”

Simple advice — but surprisingly effective.

A Final Thought

Community-engaged learning can feel different from other courses.

At times, it may feel exciting.

At other times, it may feel uncertain, messy, or even frustrating.

That is normal.

Real software design rarely unfolds in a perfectly straight line.

Good solutions take time, thoughtful questions, revision, and collaboration.

You are not expected to know everything immediately.

You are not expected to get everything right the first time.

Instead, you are encouraged to:

• stay curious,
• ask questions,
• listen carefully,
• be open to feedback,
• and trust the process.

Most importantly:

Good software design begins by understanding people, not just technology.