Community Development 101

no certificate
with CEU Certificate*
-
15Lessons
-
16Exams &
Assignments -
635Students
have taken this course -
8Hours
average time -
0.8CEUs
Course Description
There is almost a natural desire that people have towards improvement. They want to make themselves better, they want their lives to be better, and they want their communities to be better. Whatever ideal they have for any facet of their lives is going to influence the actions that they take to try and make it a reality. However, there are significant factors involved that can cause them to succeed or fail in equal measure. In many cases, they simply do not know how to make things better for themselves and others in a way that will actually work.
For many who want to make improvements to their surroundings, for whatever reason, the best way to do it is through community development. Primarily used as a means of reducing poverty in society for decades, community development is a process where problems that are impeding the lives of community members can be addressed and solutions found. It's used across the world in communities of all shapes and sizes to treat problems of equal variety. There are virtually no limits to its usage, and community leaders can implement and guide the process on their own with the assistance of community members.
This course is designed to address the community development process in full and to act as a resource for those who want to use it to better themselves. Some of the topics up for discussion will include the history and future of community development, the strategies that communities can use, and what factors impact the process. All of the information in this course can be applied in more ways than one to improve your community. Take the initiative today!
- Completely Online
- Self-Paced
- 6 Months to Complete
- 24/7 Availability
- Start Anytime
- PC & Mac Compatible
- Android & iOS Friendly
- Accredited CEUs

Course Lessons
Lesson One - What is Community Development?
Review Video: What is COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT? What does COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT mean?
Take Survey: Reasons for Taking this Course
Complete: Quiz 1
Lesson Two - America's History of Community Development
Review Article: The Past, Present, and Future of Community Development in the United States
Review Video: Community Development Story
Complete: Quiz 2
Lesson Three - The Key Principles of Community Development
Review Article: Values and Principles of Community Development
Review Video: Empowering Lives through Community Development
Complete: Quiz 3
Lesson Four - The Role of Community-Based Organizations
Review 2 Articles: CBO Organizations; Organization Types and Subtypes
Complete: Quiz 4
Lesson Five - The Value for Community Members
Review 2 Articles: Transformative Community Planning: Empowerment Through Community Development; Sound Community Planning Process Based on Six Steps
Complete: Quiz 5
Lesson Six - The Community Development Process
Review Video: Session 7 Community Development Process
Complete: Quiz 6
Lesson Seven - Strategic Factors of Community Development
Review 2 Articles: Strategic Factors for Building Community: The Five Cs Article; In Print: Strategic Factors for Building Community
Complete: Quiz 7
Lesson Eight - Community Development and Crime
Review 2 Articles: Crime and Community Development; The Role of Government: Promoting Development or Getting Out of the Way
Complete: Quiz 8
Lesson Nine - Government and Community Development
Review 2 Articles: HUD.GOV; The Importance of Public Administration in Community Development Scholarship and Practice
Complete: Quiz 9
Lesson Ten - Community Development Approaches
Review 3 Articles: Community Development Approaches; Community Development Evaluation Research; Resources of Community Development
Complete: Quiz 10
Lesson Eleven - Disasters and Community Development
Review 3 Articles: Community Development after Disaster Strikes; How to step up in the face of disaster; Why Community Engagement Matters
Complete: Quiz 11
Lesson Twelve - Engagement and Community Development
Review 2 Articles: What is community engagement, exactly?; Types of community engagement
Complete: Quiz 12
Lesson Thirteen - Sustainability and Community Development
Review 2 Articles: What is Sustainable Community Development?; American Public Garden Association: Sustainable Community Development
Review 2 Videos: Sustainable community development: from what's wrong to what's strong | Cormac Russell | TEDxExeter; Sustainable community development in the digital age:
Complete: Quiz 13
Lesson Fourteen - Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
Review Article: Why Start a Community Development Corporation
Complete: Quiz 14
Lesson Fifteen - The Future of Community Development
Take Poll: End of Course Poll
Take Survey: Course Comments
Take Survey: Program Evaluation Follow-up Survey (End of Course)
Complete: Quiz 15
Complete: The Final Exam
Learning Outcomes
- Describe what community development is and why it's important.
- Describe america's history of community development.
- Define the key principles of community development.
- Describe the role of community-based organizations.
- Determine the community development process.
- Summarize the strategic factors of community development.
- Describe the government role and community development.
- Describe engagement and community development.
- Summarize sustainability and community development, and
- Demonstrate mastery of lesson content at levels of 70% or higher.
Additional Course Information

- Document Your Lifelong Learning Achievements
- Earn an Official Certificate Documenting Course Hours and CEUs
- Verify Your Certificate with a Unique Serial Number Online
- View and Share Your Certificate Online or Download/Print as PDF
- Display Your Certificate on Your Resume and Promote Your Achievements Using Social Media

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Time to complete | 6 months |
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Time to complete | 12 Months |
No. of courses | 500+ |
Certificates & CEUs
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Includes CEUs |
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Time to complete | Monthly |
No. of courses | 500+ |