Assessment 1: Presentation

Introduce peers to a selected topic, theory or approach to community development (see schedule for topics). The presentation will support your peers to learn about an approach to community development. You aren’t just telling about something you learned. Rather, your goal is to enable capacity development in others. So, you should have clear learning objectives, a presentation plan/format/approach that supports achievement of that learning, and a way of getting feedback - checking the reaction of your learners (were they satisfied with your presentation? What did they like most/least? What could be improved to help them learn better?) and learning outcomes (what did they learn about your approach?).

The following question should guide the development of your learning session.

• What is this approach to community development? Or rather, How does this approach, framework, theory, or way of thinking help us to engage more effectively in community development?
• What disciplinary knowledge(s) inform this approach? What are its conceptual underpinnings?
• How has this approach been employed in community development (by others)? What does it/might it look like in practice? – offer example(s)
• How does this approach align with the International Association of Community Development (IACD) themes? (Integrate this with your example(s) and/or consider how does it differ from IACD themes?)
• How can community development practitioners use this approach to achieve disability inclusive and sustainable community development?
• What are the helpful things about this approach? Why are they helpful?
• Are there aspects that might be challenging for practitioners (especially novice practitioners)? What are they? Discuss how to overcome them.

Assessment 2: Annotated Bibliography

Having learned about one approach to community development, what resources do you recommend for further learning about this approach? Create an annotated bibliography to direct further learning by your peers/instructors.

Annotated Bibliography – work with your group to identify 5 key resources for your peers so that the collective list of key sources includes a diversity of sources with at least 2 peer reviewed papers. Consider also other high-quality resources that will support learning: (e.g., websites; podcasts; textbooks/chapters; technical reports/white papers).

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations of key/most helpful resources. It consists of (a) a title, (b) annotation (4 – 5 sentences/approx 150 words per resource), and citation (fully referenced in APA format). The annotation gives a summary of each resource. The citation ensures that the resource can be easily retrieved from the original source. The purpose of annotations is to provide the reader with a summary and YOUR evaluation of each resource. A good annotation informs the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the source cited. Resources are selected because they are high-quality and informative resources that can be used to develop further understanding about a topic. Used together with the group presentation on that topic (see Assessment 1) – it can be used to develop  a comprehensive understanding of a new topic.

Assessment 3: Community Development Case Study  

Produce an original case study that provides a descriptive overview of an actual/recent/contemporary community development project/program. To do this, students will: choose an individual/ organisation, learn about their community development program/actions, and complete the case study using the International Association of Community Development (IACD) template (adapted for this unit)

• See IACD template provided in Canvas – use it to support your preparation and interview
• Make sure that your case study explicitly identifies the IACD themes addressed and explain how
• Examples of case studies on the IACD website may provide inspiration. Do not replicate any case study already available on IACD website or similar source.
• References should be brief and directly relevant to the case study (suggest 1 – 3 references total)
• Adaptation: a question  added to the IACD template asks students to reflect on opportunities for disability inclusion in this program to be included/increased/expanded.

A case study describes a real-world instance of a phenomenon so that others can get better insight into the experience. In this assessment, the phenomenon is community development. In this assessment the case study will be used to describe the phenomenon through the voice of an individual/ organisational representative who engaged in the community development practice. It can include information gathered through other sources (e.g., documents, videos, website, etc). Other sources can strengthen case studies because they give multiple perspective input about a phenomenon. Case studies can take many forms. For this assessment, a template is provided.

Assessment 4: Expository Writing

The main objective of this essay is to demonstrate your ability to draw on your learning throughout this unit of study to make effective connections between a chosen topic and disability inclusive and sustainable community development.

Write an essay on (your chosen topic from the list provided in Canvas) and disability inclusive and sustainable community development.

You can choose how you will focus your essay. You might choose to focus on disability inclusive and sustainable community development as a process, outcome, or both – it’s up to you.

Audience: Assume you are writing for the Community Development Journal

• That means: your audience of readers is very familiar with the concepts, approaches, philosophy, and practices of community development.
• What’s new for your reader? The topical approach chosen and the focus on disability inclusion in sustainable community development. Your reader will be interested in the linkages and extensions (new ideas) made with your chosen topic.

Start by providing brief background information on the topic to situate the topic for your reader. Make effective attribution of background ideas by citing the key authors appropriately and effectively. This will help to situate the philosophical or conceptual approach you are taking in your essay. Clarify the question you will answer in your essay and/or the argument you will make. Apply one or more community development theories, models, frameworks or approaches to support your argument/answer your question. Focus on critical appraisal by applying research information, facts, and examples to illustrate your point/support your argument/answer your question. Use a minimum of 6 sources to support your argument. Reference using APA format within text and provide a reference list also in APA format. Format the whole essay using APA guidelines.

Expository writing presents readers wtih important research ane information about a topic. It gives facts and information about a topic and references that information. Good expository writing introduces the main idea and developes it with research evidence, facts, examples, and supporting details.