Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals is an eight-week course designed to offer new or existing community managers core frameworks and vocabulary to describe their community’s purpose, refine or create strategic programming to engage community members around their shared goals, and identify ways to lower barriers to member participation. While the content is designed for any level of learner, it should not be thought of as a “beginner” course. Rather, it is intended to create common ground so that scientific community managers can converse across disciplines, more efficiently learn from one another, and build successful engagement strategies that are grounded in theory.

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Each week, participants will meet virtually (using Zoom) for a 90 minute lesson and a 90 minute Co-Lab. While lessons will involve structured presentations and activities, Co-Lab time is for discussion, reporting out, and seeking feedback from instructors and fellow learners.

Each week will also include approximately 90 minutes of homework, for a total time commitment of 4.5 hours per week.

Our Fall offering of Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals (CEF26F) will run on Mondays and Thursdays beginning Thursday, 22 October until Thursday, 10 December 2026.

The key dates are: 

• Social hour: Thursday, 22 October at 10am – 11am EDT / 2pm – 3pm UTC
• Monday lessons: 26 October; 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 November; 7 December at 10am – 11:30pm ET / 2/3pm – 3/4:30pm UTC*
• Thursday Co-Labs: 29 October; 5, 12, 19 November**; 3 December at 10am – 11:30pm ET / 2/3pm – 3/4:30pm UTC*
• Graduation: Thursday, 10 December at 10am – 12pm EST / 3pm – 5pm UTC

*Daylight savings time adjustments in late October/early November may impact the precise timing of live sessions in your area.
**We will not hold a Co-Lab on Thursday, 26 November in observance of the US Thanksgiving holiday. 

Registration deadline: 1 October 2026