Learning on Location

Much of the research on effective teaching focuses on what should be taught and how, while far less attention goes to where learning happens. This book argues that location deserves closer study, and it offers a framework and a set of teaching pathways for helping college students learn more deeply by engaging critically with place. Its material comes from interviews and case studies with educators at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, showing how location-based teaching works in practice.

The book examines these approaches in action and presents program models for building location-based learning into individual courses, full majors, broader curricula, and campus-wide efforts. Its chapters combine conceptual grounding with practical application and are organized around three core practices: writing on location, walking on location, and engaging the civic on location.

Written for faculty, academic leaders, and others who support teaching in higher education, the book aims to enrich the student experience by bringing place into the learning process. It also addresses identity-conscious student success and explores how reflection and praxis can help create more inclusive and equitable learning.

Supplementary materials, including sample assignments and discussion questions for reading groups, are available through the Center for Engaged Learning's website.