Community engaged learning: Creative partnerships bloom

Students, including those studying occupational therapy, crave interaction with clients to practice skills they have learned. Community engaged learning (CEL) provides an opportunity for students to apply previous coursework to a population and build a positive relationship with the community (Veyvoda & Van Cleave, 2020). The Community Partner Project highlighted here was born in spring 2023 as part of the Aging Adults and Community course in the Drake University OTD program with the idea for students pursuing a Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree (OTD) and community partners to collaborate. This project allowed students to engage with an older adult population while creating a product beneficial to the community partner: an adult day program.