Students

Welcome, Mustangs! We are glad you're here. We need your talents, energy, and expertise to collaborate with South and West Dallas.

To get started with Engage Dallas, complete the three steps below to join the initiative. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Engage Dallas Student Director for your Residential Commons.

	Login to Canvas
	Canvas is SMU’s Learning Management System you use for classes. On your Canvas dashboard, you can get started with the Engage Dallas! As you know by now, Engage Dallas is a way to achieve the required Community Engagement Proficiency & Experience for graduation. To begin using Canvas, just click the Sign In button on the login page. Use your SMU ID and password as your login. Select the Engage Dallas Canvas Course on your dashboard. Don't see the course on your dashboard? Request the Engage Dallas Canvas course be added to your account.
	Watch The Basics video
	Mustangs that join Engage Dallas must understand the basics of the initiative and how we approach our work together. Complete the online session entitled The Basics within the Engage Dallas Canvas Course.
	Complete the Groundwork training
	The Groundwork training, offered in the Engage Dallas Canvas Course, is what leaders of the Engage Dallas initiative want you to know so all Mustangs are helpful and not harmful in your service to the West and South Dallas community. The time you spend on these trainings will count as general engagement hours toward your required 20 hours. Continue in the Canvas Course until you see the ready for direct service banner. Now you're ready to find opportunities to serve!

Since you completed all of your training and saw the direct service banner, you’re ready to serve! Look for the Engage Dallas service opportunities or events in your Residential Commons. 

Looking for group service? Each Residential Commons posts Engage Dallas opportunities and events on their SMU Connect webpage. A central Engage Dallas calendar is also maintained and posted on the Engage Dallas homepage. Students will be able to access the opportunities available exclusively to their Residential Commons. Check back often as the opportunities are added weekly during the academic year. 

Looking for annual service? Every fall we offer the #1Day4Dallas Fall Residential Commons Service Day. In the spring, we strive to offer alternative breaks too. Read more about these annual opportunities.

Looking for individual service? In addition to the monthly service opportunities and alternative break experience, the student director curates additional opportunities around their Commons’ social problem. This list of possibilities would be available for any student with that Commons affiliation to find connection to their social problem independently (outside of monthly service opportunities, the fall service day, and alternative break trip). Individual service opportunities include: Solo Service, Individual Pathways, and the Engage Dallas Internship Program.

Thanks for serving with Engage Dallas. We've developed an hour-checker tool where you can request the number of direct and general engagement hours you've accrued via Engage Dallas. This report will display the event title, date, and number of hours per event. Please keep in mind it may take up to 5 days following an event for our team to add hours to our database. This report does not reflect solo service, individual pathways, internship, or general engagement hours obtained via the Engage Dallas Canvas Course. Request your report today.

Proficiencies and experiences give students the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and the tools they need to work with increasingly diverse colleagues and audiences. All components push students beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom, encouraging them to apply their learning in the community and the wider world.

Through sustained involvement with Engage Dallas, SMU students can complete the requirements for the Community Engagement Proficiency and Experience. The Community Engagement proficiency expects "students will demonstrate the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation necessary to contribute to the civic life of communities."

Once a student enrolls within the Engage Dallas Canvas Course (see Getting started above), they can indicate their intention to complete the Community Engagement Proficiency and Experience. Students will submit their required reflections and track direct and in-direct service hours within the Engage Dallas: Community Engagement Proficiency. This additional Canvas course will appear in their Course offerings once a staff member processes their form submitted within the Engage Dallas Canvas Course. 

SMU students who have questions, need support, or would like to organize additional events for their Residential Commons should first connect with their Engage Dallas Student Director for their Residential Commons.

If you are having difficulty connecting with your Engage Dallas Student Director, please contact the Engage Dallas Student Director supervisor.