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Projects with Promise

Vol. 30 No. 1 (2026)

Exploring University Student Experiences with Community Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • Michele Tyson
  • Bright Mleta
Submitted
January 22, 2024
Published
2026-04-08

Abstract

This study examined the experiences of undergraduate and graduate students who served as elementary school–level tutors through a grant-funded community-engaged partnership between a private institution of higher education and a public school district during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this work is to explore the impact of this single-case community-engaged experience on the tutors’ individual educational trajectories and their own learning. This study uses principles of narrative data collection to understand the collective experience as a singular case. Specific results include individual influence, personal fulfillment, a shared sense of community, and the importance of belonging to a group as outcomes of program participation in the community-engaged work. The findings also highlight the value of community-engaged work in understanding a sense of belonging in a time of crisis and provide insight on how future higher education and K-12 partnerships could address supplemental learning in the form of tutoring.