Content with Topics : Engaged Scholarship

Engaged-learning: Community engagement classifications at U.S. land-grant institutions

Land-grant institutions (LGI) are considered the “public’s universities”, and yet only a limited number of LGI have been recognized for community engagement by Carnegie Community-Engagement Classification (CCE). This study conducted a descriptive-exploratory census of 110 land grant institutions and their association to community engagement. Findings suggest “an engaged-association” mostly on programs in likely areas of community-based research, service-learning, or engaged scholarship. Recommendations propose that LGI focus on also on policies and incentives; adult learning and prior learning assessment (PLA); and applying for CCE in 2015. Scott, L. (2012). Engaged-learning: Community engagement classifications at U.S. land-grant institutions (doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from…

Doing and learning action research in the neo-liberal world of contemporary higher education

Understanding how action research can be practiced, taught, and learned in contemporary universities requires understanding the dominant structures that organize higher education in the 21st century. This article presents the neo-liberal and Taylorist structures affecting higher education and then places the practice and study of action research in this context to outline ways action research could contribute to an improved future for higher education. Greenwood, D. J. (2012). Doing and learning action research in the neo-liberal world of contemporary higher education. Action Research, 10(2), 115–132. Full Text.

Assessing the culture of engagement on a university campus

This article describes an assessment of the culture of engagement at Virginia Tech. A two-pronged approach to assessment was used: (1) focus groups were conducted with faculty, administrators, and graduate students to assess the pedagogy, implications, and practical issues related to engagement; (2) analysis of college strategic plans was also completed to assess language related to engagement and engaged scholarship. The assessment findings are presented, along with lessons learned to inform similar assessment efforts on other campuses. Franz, N., Childers, J., & Sanderlin, N. (2012). Assessing the culture of engagement on a university campus. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship,…

The world grant ideal and engagement scholarship

Michigan State University President Lou Anna Simon developed the concept of the “world grant ideal”, which represents an affirmation of the Morrill Act of 1862 in the context of a global society. The world grant ideal is grounded in three core values: quality, inclusiveness, and connectivity. In this essay, the authors describe the core features of a world grant ideal, provide examples of how Michigan State University has applied the three core values, and draw attention to critical organizational alignments that must occur in order to support fully engaged higher education institutions. Fitzgerald, H. E., & Simon, L. K. (2012)….

Evaluation Criteria for the Scholarship of Engagement

The National Review Board conceives of engaged scholarship as academically relevant work that simultaneously meets campus mission and goals as well as community needs. It should incorporate communities’ issues which can be within or integrative across teaching, research and service. The Review Board’s criteria are designed to be used by institutions to assess and evaluate engaged scholarship, especially in tenure and review processes. They have been adapted from Scholarship Assessed: A Special Report on Faculty Evaluation, (Glassick, Huber & Maeroff, 1997) to more closely reflect a unique fit with engaged scholarship. Specific evaluative criteria are offered related to goals and objectives;…

Engaged Scholarship and Promotion and Tenure at Michigan State University: What Do We Know?

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. 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.

What determines Faculty Engaged Scholarship?

This paper reports on a study of the role and impact of higher education institutions’ organizational and disciplinary culture on the inclination and ability of faculty members to undertake sustained, community-engaged scholarship.  The authors found that while disciplinary and organization culture shapes the ways in which faculty are socialized and influences their behavior, including their commitment to service and scholarship conducted in and with local communities, their findings also suggest that “faculty commitment to community can transcend a non-conducive reward structure.” (p. 467).  An extensive review of relevant literature is included. Vogelgesang, L.J., Denson, N. & Jayakumar, U.M. (2010). What…

Standards of Public Sociology: Guidelines for Use by Academic Departments in Personnel Reviews

The American Sociology Association encourages public sociology activities, public sociology research, and the education of future sociologists who will engage in such work. In this context, this Task Force developed and recommended standards of public sociology to insure continued rigorous research and professional development. The standards are intended for use by sociology departments as they review departmental academic personnel guidelines, and as they advise colleges and universities on elements of broader university tenure and promotion guidelines that relate to public scholarship. The standards do not reflect any official policy of the American Sociological Association, but should be treated as a…

Faculty for the Engaged Campus: Advancing Community Engaged Careers in the Academy

In response to faculty concerns about institutional barriers to engaged scholarship, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) launched national initiatives with two core strategies: support community engaged faculty members up for promotion and tenure in structures unlikely to benefit them and work for long-term system change. This article describes the challenges that exist for engaged scholarship and discusses both the lessons learned from the national initiatives and observations for the future of community-engaged scholarship. Seifer, S.D., Blanchard, L.W., Jordan, C., Gelmon, S., & McGinley, P. (2012). Faculty for the engaged campus: Advancing community engaged careers in the academy. Journal of Higher…

Scholarship Unbound: Assessing Service as Scholarship in Promotion and Tenure

This paper examines how four colleges and universities with exemplary programs for assessing service as scholarship implemented these policies within colleges of education. Case studies suggest that policies to assess service as scholarship can increase consistency among an institution’s service mission, faculty workload, and reward system; expand faculty’s views of scholarship; boost faculty satisfaction; and strengthen the quality of an institution’s service culture. O’Meara, K.A. (2001). Working Paper No. 25 Scholarship unbound: Assessing service as scholarship in promotion and tenure, New England Resource Center for Higher Education (NERCHE). Full Text.

Academic incentives for Faculty participation in Community Based Participatory Research

Recognizing the need to overcome the obstacles of traditional university- and discipline-oriented research approaches, a variety of incentives to promote community-based participatory research (CBPR) are presented. Experiences of existing CBPR researchers are used in outlining how this methodological approach can appeal to faculty: the common ground shared by faculty and community leaders in challenging the status quo; opportunities to have an impact on local, regional, and national policy; and opening doors for new research and funding opportunities. Strategies for promoting CBPR in universities are provided in getting CBPR started, changing institutional practices currently inhibiting CBPR, and institutionalizing CBPR. Among the…

Lessons learned by a faculty member working in an education doctorate program with students performing action research

This manuscript provides insight into a new education doctorate program where action research is taught in core courses and used as a signature pedagogy and capstone experience. Although this program is promising, integrating action research in this way also carries tensions and insights for faculty working in higher education. Conclusions are presented that have the potential to help faculty address potential roadblocks and understand how action research can be used to create school leaders and agents of change. Zambo, D., & Isai, S. (2012). Lessons learned by a faculty member working in an education doctorate program with students performing action…

The engaged university: providing a platform for research that transforms society

Despite a growing recognition that the solutions to current environmental problems will be developed through collaborations between scientists and stakeholders, substantial challenges stifle such cooperation and slow the transfer of knowledge. Challenges occur at several levels, including individual, disciplinary, and institutional. All of these have implications for scholars working at academic and research institutions. Fortunately, creative ideas and tested models exist that provide opportunities for conversation and serious consideration about how such institutions can facilitate the dialogue between scientists and society. (Witmer et al, 2010, p. 314) Witmer, A., Ogden, L., Lawton, J., Sturner, P., Groffman, P.M. …Killilea, M. (2010)….

A novel program trains community-academic teams to build research and partnership capacity

This paper describes the Community-Engaged Research Team Support (CERTS) program. Led by the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the goals of CERTS were: (1) to help community-academic teams build capacity for conducting rigorous community-engaged research and (2) to support teams as they prepared federal grant proposal drafts. Through the CERTS program, all teams clarified their research and acquired new knowledge about the preparation of NIH-style proposals. Trust, partnership collaboration, and a structured writing strategy were assets of the CERTS approach. CERTS also uncovered gaps in resources and preparedness for teams to be competitive for federally funded grants, and…

Community-engaged scholarship: Critical junctures in research, practice, and policy

In November 2010, the University of Guelph and Community-Campus Partnerships for Health brought together national and international leaders from diverse academic and organizational backgrounds to discuss community-engaged scholarship in higher education and its implications for future research, practice, and policy. Attendees identified con-ceptual challenges, values and tensions, opportunities for action, and resources to support community-engaged scholarship. This resource reports on the lessons learned and provides two articles developed from panel presentations at the conference. Wenger, L., Linda, H., & Seifer, S.D. (2012). Community-engaged scholarship: Critical junctures in research, practice, and policy. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16(1), 171-181….

Fostering inclusivity through teaching and learning action research

This resource synthesizes the existing literature on designing and implementing courses on alternative research paradigms to analyze the design and implementation of an undergraduate community based research course conducted in a local homeless shelter. The course incorporated students, staff members from the shelter, and individuals from the homeless community. The authors explore the difficulties and successes of this course model, and suggest practices for individuals involved in teaching courses in participatory action research. Walsh, C.A., Rutherford, G.E., & Sears, A.E. (2010). Fostering inclusivity through teaching and learning action research. Action Research, 8(2), 191-209. Full Text.

An integrated model for advancing the scholarship of engagement: Creating academic homes for the engaged scholar

An integrated model is offered for the preparation of future faculty that addresses the transformation of institutions of higher education into supportive environments for the next generation of engaged scholars. Drawing on the knowledge bases of the scholarship of engagement, institutional change, preparing future faculty, the role of disciplinary associations, and promising practice for institutional engagement, the model provides a framework for approaches that would prepare individuals (primarily doctoral students and early career faculty) as learners of engagement while instigating and catalyzing institutions as learning organizations (Sandmann, Saltmarsh & O’Meara, 47). This model has implications for determining how the scholarship…

A needs assessment informs development of a participatory research faculty development workshop

University-based researchers need new sets of skills to collaborate meaningfully with non-academic research partners and to obtain funding that requires community and end-user partnerships. This paper describes the design, implementation and findings of a needs assessment survey used to inform a participatory research faculty development workshop at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The design process of the faculty development workshop and the impact of the workshop on faculty capacity are discussed. Salsberg, J., Seller, R., Shea, L., & Macaulay, A.C. (2012). A needs assessment informs development of a participatory research faculty development workshop. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and…

Developing the next generation of community-based researchers: tips for undergraduate students

This study provides undergraduate students with information about how to get the most out of their community-based research experiences. Key topics addressed include finding community research opportunities, identifying what you should know and ask before engaging with a research team, how to obtain a breadth of research skills and experiences, researcher etiquette and demeanor in the community, budgeting, time management, and developing long-term, meaningful relationships with communities. Ryser, L., Markey, S., & Halseth, G. (2013). Developing the next generation of community-based researchers: tips for undergraduate students. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(1), 11-27. Full Text.

Lessons learned from a community-academic initiative: The development of a core competency-based training for community-academic initiative community health workers

This paper describes and evaluates a training program to prepare community health workers (CHWs) involved in community-academic initiatives. The training program, which was piloted by the New York University Prevention Research Center, demonstrates that a core competency-based framework coupled with community-academic initiative research skills sessions is effective in several respects; The training (1) provides skills that CHWs intend to use, (2) builds CHWs’ confidence, and (3) provides CHWs with a more contextualized view of client needs and CHW roles. Ruiz, Y., Matos, S., Kapadia, S., Islam, N., Cusack, A, Kwong, S., & Trinh-Shevrin, C. (2012). Lessons learned from a community-academic…