Models of engaged scholarship: An interdisciplinary discussion

This article reports on discussions of an interdisciplinary group of scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) on various models of engaged scholarship in anthropology, public health, communications and other social and behavioral sciences, and the new ways of understanding engaged scholarship that are emerging at UNC and other research universities. The models examined are: community-based participatory research; public anthropology and sociology; critical race theory; public dialogues; “crisis disciplines”; and social entrepreneurship. The authors identify core themes and “problematics” across the models and offer suggestions for future research and practice. Holland, et al. (2010). Models of…

Understanding an emerging field of scholarship: Toward a research agenda for engaged, public scholarship

This article synthesizes contributions to two special issues of the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement (Volume 12) to develop a comprehensive view of this emerging field, ‘which as yet has many names and a number of different emphases, conceptualizations, and research questions.’ It argues that only an engaged process can ultimately clarify this emerging field and enable it to move forward with a research agenda. Such a process would include practitioner and community voices, be interactive, and be encouraged and supported by additional outlets for scholarly exploration. Giles, D.E., Jr., (2016). Understanding an emerging field of scholarship: Toward…

Coming to critical engagement: an autoethnographic exploration

This volume is an outgrowth of discussion generated through and by faculty members of the engaged learning community at Michigan State University. It uses a blend of scholarly and personal inquiry coupled with collegial discourse to examine the nature of scholarly engagement. Descriptions of personal journeys in navigating university and community systems, examination of the ethics and value of the work are combined with theory and critical reflection to provide authentic and meaningful views of engaged scholarship. Fear, F., Rosaen, C., Bawden, R., & Foster-Fishman, P. (2006). Coming to critical engagement: an autoethnographic exploration: Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

The promise of a scholarship of engagement

The author discusses the key elements of participatory action research and the importance of engaging with the community population rather than social service providers, and provides some principles of good practice. He describes a case study that involved him and his students. New England Resource Center for Higher Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston; Hirsch, Deborah; Couto, Richard A.; and Entin, David, “The Academic Workplace (Spring/Summer 2001): The Promise of a Scholarship of Engagement” (2001). The Academic Workplace. 11. https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nerche_academicworkplace/11

The university in national development: The role of use-inspired research

This essay by a University of Cape Town professor of sociology summarizes his community-engaged research concerns and activities, and proposes an investigation and theorization of how universities might become more deeply engaged with civil society, particularly with respect to research relations with local and regional government bodies, community and civic organizations, labor and other non-governmental organizations etc. Cooper, D. (2009). The university in national development: The role of use-inspired research. Proposed comparative case studies of community-engaged research. Original Toolkit essay: Full Text.

Linking scholarship and communities: Report of the Commission on Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions

This comprehensive report, focused on the health professions, reviews a conceptualization of engaged scholarship, identifies the significant gap that exists between the promise of health professional schools as engaged institutions and the reality of how faculty members are typically judged and rewarded, and makes recommendations on how to close this gap. It acknowledges that recognizing and rewarding community engaged scholarship in the health professions will require changes not only in the wording of institutional policies and procedures but in the culture of institutions and professions. Leadership is needed from academic institutions and the external stakeholders that influence their values and…

Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate

This seminal work on the four types of scholarship–discovery, integration, application, and teaching–led the way for Boyer’s subsequent naming of the scholarship of engagement in his 1996 Journal of Public Service and Outreach article. Boyer, E. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. Princeton, NJ: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Full text.

Dewey’s dream: Universities and democracies in an age of education reform

In this section of the book, the authors assert that by working toward solving the overall problems of the public school system, the University of Pennsylvania will be much better able to achieve its traditional mission to advance, preserve, and transmit knowledge. At the same time, the University will help produce well-educated citizens necessary for a genuine democratic society. Benson, L. Harkavy, I., & Puckett, J. (2007). Dewey’s dream: Universities and democracies in an age of education reform (especially pp. 77-113). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

Engaged scholarship and the creation of useful organizational knowledge

Engaged scholarship represents one way for making research relevant to organizational practitioners by bridging the gap between theory and practice. Engaged scholarship is viewed as a form of collaborative inquiry between academics and practitioners that leverages their different perspectives to generate useful organizational knowledge. This article explores the possibilities associated with engaged scholarship in three specific contexts: (1) theory-building and research, (2) pedagogy, teaching, and education, and (3) institutional opportunities and constraints as they relate to issues of tenure and promotion and creation of the engaged campus. Barge, J. & Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2008). Engaged Scholarship and the Creation of Useful…

Stepping forward as stewards of place: A guide for leading public engagement at state colleges and universities.

This is AASCU’s task force report on public engagement, a practical and strategic guide for state college and university leaders who want to more deeply embed public engagement in the fabric of their institution at the campus, college, and departmental levels. The report includes sections on challenges and importance of, and recommendations and guidelines for, quality engaged practice. American Association of State Colleges and Universities (2002). Stepping Forward as Stewards of Place: A Guide for Leading Public Engagement at State Colleges and Universities. Washington, DC: AASCU. Full text.

Demonstrating Quality and Impacts of Engaged Scholarship

Braun, K. L., Nguyen, T. T., Tanjasiri, S. P., Campbell, J., Heiney, S. P., Brandt, H., …Herbert, J. R. (2012). Operationalization of community-based participatory research principles: Assessment of the National Cancer Institute’s community network progams. American Journal of Public Health, 102(6), 1195-1203. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22095340 This study examined how National Cancer Institute-funded Community Network Programs (CNPs) operationalized principles of CBPR. The authors reviewed the literature and extant CBPR measurement tools. On the basis of that review, they developed a questionnaire for CNPs to self-assess their operationalization of 9 CBPR principles. Twenty-two CNPs completed the questionnaire. This study suggests that the CBPR processes…

Ethics in Community Engaged Research and Working with Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

Anderson, E. E. (2013). Participant protections and research integrity: A pilot focus group study. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 8(1), 20-31. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/jer.2013.8.1.20 This pilot focus group study explores the views of academic partners and community partners regarding challenges to the protection of research participants and research integrity in community-engaged research (CEnR). The findings presented have implications for the development of research ethics training materials for academic-community research partnerships and IRBs; best practices for CEnR; and future research on ethical issues in CEnR. Anderson, E. E., Solomon, S., Heitman, E., DuBois, J., Fisher, C. B., Kost, R. G.,…Ross,…

Journals that focus on Engaged Scholarship

Action Research http://arj.sagepub.com/ Australasian Journal of University Community Engagement http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/56869 Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning http://www.changemag.org/ Collaborative Anthropologies http://www.marshall.edu/coll-anth/ Community Development Journal (Oxford University Press) http://cdj.oxfordjournals.org/ Educational Action Research http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/reac20#.Ug09_lO9xgY eJournal of Public Affairs http://ejournal.missouristate.edu/ Gateways: International Journal of Community Research and Engagement http://www.luc.edu/curl2/uts/index.html Innovative Higher Education http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/higher+education/journal/10755 International Journal of Research on Service-learning and Community Engagement http://journals.sfu.ca/iarslce/index.php/journal International Journal of Public Participation http://www.iap2.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=177 Journal for Civic Commitment http://www.mesacc.edu/other/engagement/Journal/ Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education http://www.indstate.edu/jcehe/ Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship http://jces.ua.edu/ Journal of Community Practice http://www.acosa.org/jcpwhat.html Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement http://openjournals.libs.uga.edu/index.php/jheoe/index Journal of Public Scholarship…

Original Essays on Engaged Scholarship Written for this Toolkit

Cooper, D. (2009). The university in national development: The role of use-inspired research. Proposed comparative case studies of community-engaged research.dcooper-toolkitfeb09.pdf This essay, written by a University of Cape Town professor of sociology, summarizes his community-engaged research concerns and activities, and proposes an investigation and theorization of how universities might become more deeply engaged with civil society, particularly with respect to research relations with local and regional government bodies, community and civic organizations, labor and other non-governmental organizations etc. Cooper, T.L. (2009). Challenges of civic engagement research. Challenges-essay.pdf A brief practical essay addressing six critical areas for faculty consideration in undertaking community engaged research:…

Evaluation Criteria for Assessing Engaged Scholarship in RPT Processes

Casey, K. M. (2011) Engaged scholarship and promotion and tenure at Michigan State University: What do we know? PowerPoint presentation at The Research University Civic Engagement Network (TRUCEN) annual meeting. A summary of work undertaken at Michigan State by Church, R.L., Zimmerman, D.L., Doberneck, D.M. et al to define and distinguish engaged scholarship and integrate it with tenure and promotion processes and forms.  The types and extent of engaged scholarship reported by MSU faculty between 2001 and 2006 are reported. Clearinghouse and National Review Board for the Scholarship of Engagement, Evaluation criteria for the scholarship of engagement, http://schoe.coe.uga.edu/evaluation/evaluation_criteria.html The National Review Board…

Policies for Encouraging and Assessing Engaged Scholarship in RPT Processes

Campus Compact, Strategies for creating an engaged campus: Faculty development, an advanced service-learning toolkit./advancedtoolkit/faculty.html Creating faculty reward and evaluation systems that take faculty community based work into account is a critical step in moving a campus toward engagement. Here you will find a wealth of material, including handbooks, policies, and criteria, from colleges and universities that have grappled with this issue, some of which are research institutions. Cruz, L., Ellern, G. D., Ford, G., Moss, H., & White, B.J. (2012). Navigating the Boundaries of the Scholarship of Engagement at a Regional Comprehensive University. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement,…

Rationales for Giving Engaged Scholarship Standing in Research Universities RPT Processes

Doberneck, D.M., Glass, C.R., & Schweitzer, J.H. (2011). Convening constructive conversations about engaged scholarship in promotion and tenure. National Outreach Scholarship Conference 2011. Michigan State University, University Outreach and Engagement. 1-20. http://ncsue.msu.edu/files/Conveningconstructiveconversations,NOSC2011Final.pdf This PowerPoint presentation will help faculty convene constructive conversations about engaged scholarship and promotion and tenure. The slides focus on the following topics: challenges/criticisms of engaged scholarship and promotion and tenure, the importance of dialogue, language associated with engaged scholarship in particular disciplines, degree of collaboration, type of activity, type of product, faculty motivations, and career stage. Each slide contains questions to help faculty cultivate and advocate their…

How to do Community-Academic/University Partnerships Well

  login A community-university exchange project modeled after Europe’s science shope A community-university exchange projec... This article describes a pilot project of the Morgridge Center for Public Service at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which is based on the Europe… External Websites   login An integrated model for advancing the scholarship of engagement: Creating academic homes for the engaged scholar An integrated model for advancing the ... A integrated model is offered for the preparation of future faculty that addresses the transformation of institutions of higher education into support… Articles   login Bridging the academic-legislative divides: Models of policy relevant health research and Practice by the University of California Bridging the academic-legislative divi... This paper calls for the strengthening of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander CBPR models that integrate health policy through legis… External Websites   login Building a research-community collaborative to improve community care for infants and toddlers at-risk for autism spectrum disorders Building a research-community collabor... This...

How to Do Engaged Scholarship Well

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA (2011). Principles of community engagement, second edition. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/communityengagement/pce_execsummary.html This “primer” provides public health professionals, health care providers, researchers, and community-based leaders and organizations with both a science base and practical guidance for engaging partners in projects that may affect them. The principles of engagement can be used by people in a range of roles, from the program funder who needs to know how to support community engagement to the researcher or community leader who needs hands-on, practical information on how to mobilize the members of…

Why Do Engaged Scholarship?

Boyer, E. (1994). Creating the new American university. Chronicle of Higher Education, March 9, A. 48. In this last page proclamation in the Chronicle of Higher Education, Boyer admonishes colleges and universities to become “part of the solution” for the pressing social ills of our times, and introduces the concept of the new American university that would be devoted to solving society’s social problems. Boyte, H. & Hollander, E. (1999). Wingspread declaration on the civic responsibilities of research universities. /initiatives/research_universities/wingspread_declaration In this document university presidents, provosts, deans, and faculty members with extensive experience in higher education as well as representatives…