Community Experiential Learning Center

The Community Experiential Learning Center (CELC) is the Program in Occupational Therapy’s education center.

CELC five pillarsThe CELC allows faculty, students, community members and researchers to share real situations, real experiences, and new space to actively engage in the health and well-being of community residents in St. Louis. Classes and learning take place through active engagement with the community, moving beyond four walls and orchestrated opportunities. Engagement in the CELC by students, faculty and community members fosters collaborative innovation to solve the community’s pressing needs.

Our mission is to use state-of-the-art technology and community partnerships to provide innovative active-learning opportunities that maximize student clinical competency, advance educator growth and promote community health. Five core pillars guide the development of our community engagement including trauma-informed care; justice, diversity, equity and inclusion; promotion of civic responsibility; climate justice and evidence-based practice.

The CELC space features a 1,587-square-foot great room with modular furniture that can be rearranged as needed to accommodate a variety of curricular activities and a 247-square-foot conference room for meetings, collaborations, training and presentations. Seven breakout rooms of varying sizes surround the great room to support small group work, participant assessments and case-based learning. The highlight of the design is the fully accessible kitchen that includes ADA-compliant countertops and appliances. The kitchen supports educational, clinical and research activities related to activity, participation and function.

Jennifer Bell, Duana Russell-Thomas and Steph Mack

Duana Russell-Thomas, OTD, OTR/L (middle),  is the CELC's director. In this role, she provides leadership, community outreach, clinical service, program development and instruction. Steph Mack, BBA (right), education technology and media specialist, is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience through advanced instructional technologies within the CELC. Jennifer Bell, BSW (right), administrative coordinator, assists the director with administrative oversight of the CELC and supports her in multiple capacities including polices, procedures, event coordination and building community partner relationships.

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YouTube video still of CELC Tour

Take a virtual tour of the CELC! It's a space where technology meets hands-on learning as students practice clinical skills and engage with diverse communities and transform lives. The standout feature is our our accessible, fully operational kitchen designed for honing daily living skills and enriching our client and community partnerships.

Tour the CELC

 


Duana Russell-Thomas shakes hands with Nick Speed

Occupational therapy lends itself to outreach with community partners to develop sustainable programs designed to meet the needs of all members of a community. In our current environment, the needs of our community are varied and many. We value the relationships we have with our community partners and work together to develop ways to improve people's health.

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Student conducts assessment with client

The CELC provides innovative, active learning opportunities to maximize student clinical competency. Our curriculum bridges biomedical, public health and sociocultural perspectives to provide an inclusive OT education. Several courses allow students to interact with specific populations in the community and provide information and services.

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Duana Russell-Thomas uses VALT system

Embedded throughout the contemporary design is the state-of-the-art Video Audio Learning Tool (VALT) system, which leverages the power of video to improve education, training and research with enterprise-class streaming technology. VALT was designed to improve clinical skills training and the assessment process by integrating audio-video capture and observation technology.

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Students with young client

The CELC hosts special events in collaboration with our WashU campus and community partners. Our students are actively involved in these events, whether they are leading the project, participating in the activity, volunteering or attending. These events provide opportunities for professional development, community engagement, experiential learning and social networking for students. The CELC also hosts events just for our WashU campus or community partners.

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Peggy Barco speaks to students

Speaking series for faculty, students and staff are periodically held during lunch in the CELC to spark conversation, enhance learning, share experiences and foster understanding among the WashU OT community. All are welcome to attend and participation is encouraged.

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