Community-Based Educational Experiences for Community Colleges / James F. Gollattscheck.

The following descriptive characteristics form the groundwork for a working definition of the concept of community-based education: (1) access to all; (2) continuous service to the learner throughout his life; (3) values and priorities based on the needs of the people; (4) recognition of the market; (5) flexibility; and (6) performance orientation. Several prominent authorities' views of community-based education are noted; the idea of the college and the community as partners in the educational endeavor is the common emphasis of all their views. Extrapolating from other definitions, the author defines community-based education as an educational system which uses the community as its base--its organizational center, its creative source, its chief constituent, its underlying concept, and its supporting foundation. The community-based college must look outward toward the learner and the community as it develops goals and objectives, hence there must be room for innovation, flexibility in governance, and a faculty with a commitment to serving the community. Since the ability to analyze the community and its needs are central to this entire concept, several different approaches to needs assessment are noted. A checklist is provided to determine to what extent a particular college or program is community-based. (Author/AH)

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