Awareness and outcomes in undergraduate community engagement learning

Engaging community in stakeholder processes is important to the future viability and benefit of society. Research suggests that situational awareness factors of problem‐solving and transferable skills are key processes needed for successful community engagement. This study examined undergraduate student situational awareness using problem‐solving capacity and level of transferable skills in combination with student academic performance outcomes to determine overall capacity for community engagement. The purpose of this research was to discern if there was a predictive effect between student situational awareness and the instructional outcomes of a community engagement course. A pre‐ and post‐test research design using an event‐contingent survey sampling approach was used to determine potential for community engagement. Results indicated that students that had cognitive components of situational awareness including perception, comprehension, and projection were also likely to have transferable skills including reflection (pre‐course M = 3.88 to post‐course M = 4.02) and communication skills (pre‐course M = 4.19 to post‐course M = 4.24). Results of this research provide key takeaways to enhance student learning in the context of problem‐solving within a community engagement context. Helping students develop capacities and to see themselves as engaged problem solvers can provide an important set of skills to future community engagement professionals.