In this landscape review, drawing on studies from the past few decades, the authors focus on how researchers and practitioners define civic engagement, the nature of the relationship between higher education and civic behaviors and attitudes, the differential impact of civic education on different groups, and the effectiveness of different types of civic engagement programming.

Key findings:

• There is no one clear definition of civic engagement. The literature is split between those who use civic and community engagement interchangeably and those who argue that the two are similar but distinct concepts.
• The existing literature is overwhelmingly focused on voting outcomes. Voter turnout or intent to vote are the two most commonly used outcome measures in the literature, particularly in the context of federal elections.
• Most research focuses on self-reported data through attitudinal surveys that capture civic attitudes, with few able to capture civic behaviors.
• STEM departments in particular could benefit from integrating civic engagement into the curriculum.