1st Edition

Community Engaged Learning in Higher Education A Decolonial Approach to Experiential Learning

Edited By Andy Pitchford, Pooja Thomas, Sonal Purohit Copyright 2026
166 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

166 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

166 Pages 12 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This accessible resource provides comparative insights on experiential and exploratory learning in community-based settings in Higher Education. Eight cutting-edge case studies of novel pedagogic approaches in India and the UK show how learners have stepped out of the shadows of the institution to engage with stakeholders beyond the campus as part of their formal studies. The case studies... Read more

An Introduction to Community-Engaged Learning in the UK and India
Andy Pitchford and Pooja Thomas

Chapter 1: MICA’s Unique Rural Immersion Program: Combining Experiential Learning and Community-Engaged Learning Synergistically
Kallol Das and Yogesh Mungra

Chapter 2: Engaging Students, Transforming Communities: The Empowering London Module
Sophie Clutterbuck and Vanessa Airth

Chapter 3: Decolonising Community-Engaged Learning in the Built Environment: Lessons from Theory and Practice
Marie Xypaki, Gemma Moore, Elena Besussi, and David Owen

Chapter 4: The Urban Fellows Programme: Pedagogical Approaches to Urban Practice at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Bangalore
Shriya Anand, Gautam Bhan, Sudeshna Mitra, and Neha Sami

Chapter 5: Immersion and Transformative Research in Higher Education
Anup Dhar and Shyam Menon

Chapter 6: Engaging Students and Communities through Research: The Science Shop at Queen’s University Belfast
Emma McKenna and David Owen

Chapter 7: Of Goats and Garbage: Teaching the Subaltern City
Gauri Bharat

Chapter 8: Community Organising in the UK Higher Education Sector: How Membership of Civic Alliances Enables Universities to Strengthen Democracy
Tim Hall

Conclusion: Reimagining Higher Education through a Decolonial Lens
Rahul Bishnoi and Sonal Purohit

 

Biography

Andy Pitchford is Head of the Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation (CETI) at the University of Westminster, UK.

Pooja Thomas is Associate Professor and Chair of the Centre for Learning and Innovative Pedagogy at MICA, Ahmedabad, India.

Sonal Purohit is Associate Professor at the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management-Nagpur, Symbiosis International University, India.

"The Third UNESCO Conference on Higher Education in 2022 made a strong plea for community engagement as part of both teaching/learning and research/knowledge missions of higher education. The New Education Policy (2020) in India also emphasised community engagement and social responsibility in post-secondary education. While practice of community engagement in India is not new, mutual learning with community knowledge is certainly somewhat new. This book brings a comparative perspective between such learning stories from India and UK. The decolonial lens, though somewhat different in the two contexts, nevertheless provides useful pedagogical insights. The challenge of decolonial community engagement in India is to navigate diversity of languages and cultures, where local knowledge resides. This book furthers this discourse in India, contributing to further models of innovative pedagogies."

Rajesh Tandon, Co-Chair, UNESCO Chair on Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education.