Realities of Implementing Community-Based Learning during Lockdown

At King’s College, Nepal, the “Integrated Course” is an experimental project-based learning program, which aims to integrate learning and action in the community with classroom-based education. Connecting classroom learning with the world beyond academia can increase motivation for students, provide familiar examples for study, open the classroom to a trove of resources, promote integration across subject areas, and facilitate transfer of learning. However, it is often challenging to make those connections, and the challenges became more acute during the COVID-19 lockdown. We discuss here the design and implementation of the course, including both positive outcomes and difficulties as well as the experiences of participants. In particular, we use both successes and failures of the course as a guide for understanding how this kind of educational reform can be accomplished.