Documenting Engagement: Faculty Perspectives on Self-Representation for Promotion and Tenure
Documentation of community-engaged scholarship is critical to aligning faculty work with most institutions’ promotion and tenure guidelines and meeting institutional goals. At a research university where the dossier for promotion and tenure needs to show clear evidence of contribution in an area of research, presenting and documenting work in the community in a way that reflects teaching, research, and service may represent a challenge. This article presents findings from an analysis of documents and artifacts representing how faculty present their work to their institutional and disciplinary colleagues. Four approaches to documentation are identified: as part of traditional faculty roles for…
Evaluation of a Photovoice Pilot Project for School Safety in South Africa
This field report summarizes a process of evaluation of a Photovoice pilot project, targeting school safety in a public high school in an economically disadvantaged urban community in Cape Town, South Africa. To measure the success of the project, several outcomes from Catalani and Minkler’s Photovoice impact model were used. The evaluation revealed that Photovoice can engage students to think critically about their environments, and can raise awareness of school safety issues among teachers, parents, and police officers; However, the extent to which the Photovoice project will lead to concrete long-term changes in the school remains unclear. Zuch, M., Mathews,…
VisualV: A participatory method for engaging adolescents in research and knowledge transfer
This paper describes the use of the Visual Voices, an arts-based participatory research method. Visual Voices involves systematic creative writing, drawing, and painting activities to yield culturally relevant information which is generated by, and examined with, adolescents. The case presented is from translational research conducted with urban middle school age youth, and is used to illustrate how Visual Voices is a particularly fitting method for translational research with younger adolescents. The authors also discuss how Visual Voices complements an Integrated Knowledge Transfer Model (IKT) for action-oriented research. Yonas, M. A., Burke, J. G. & Miller, E. (2013). VisualV: A participatory…
Community health needs assessment: A platform for promoting community-university partnerships and research to improve community health and wellbeing
Community health needs assessment (CHNA) is a form of community-engaged health research in which universities, local governments, and their communities partner to investigate the health and wellbeing needs and priorities of populations. This paper describes a CHNA conducted by the Tasmanian University Department of Rural Health, five Tasmanian communities, and their local governments and health services. It provides insight into how universities can be partners in inclusive community engaged research and collaboration through CHNA, and outlines the key processes and methods that inform this process. Woodroffe, J., Spencer, J., & Auckland, S. (2011). Community health needs assessment: A platform for…
Developing a Faculty Outreach Portfolio
Suggestions for developing an outreach portfolio for peer review committees to evaluate the quality of an individual’s outreach efforts, especially for promotion and tenure.http://impactmeasure.org/files/Backgrounder_Info_on_Impact_Study.pdf This brief paper provides background for an impact study of community-university research alliances and partnerships that address social/health issues. Researchers from five community-university partnerships joined together to develop a reliable and valid survey measure of the community impacts of research partnerships between universities and community agencies that address social or health issues. The focus was to be on mid-term impacts—the influence of partnerships on individuals, partner agencies, and target communities or systems. The aim of this project…
‘You learn from going through the process’: The perceptions of South African school leaders about action research
This article presents the qualitative assessment of an action research project that aimed to develop the capacity of school leaders in South Africa, which engaged ten schools and 24 school leaders. The assessment found that engagement with a systematic process of critical reflection and action facilitated epistemological and ontological shifts within participating school leaders, contributing to changed perceptions and leadership practices. Wood, L., & Govender, B. (2013). ‘You learn from going through the process’: The perceptions of South African school leaders about action research. Action Research, 11(2), 176-193. Full Text.
Developing a community-based research network for interdisciplinary science: The Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network
This resource describes the Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network (AERN), a program that equips entrepreneurs from rural low-income areas with resources and support to develop projects to improve their communities. Sustained for over 10 years and now working with 15 partners, AERN has developed into a research network for interdisciplinary work, providing community members with materials, training, counseling, and business research services through the University of Alabama. By describing the many benefits of AERN on the University of Alabama team, the entrepreneurs, and the community, this paper demonstrates how the AERN program exemplifies a sustainable university-community partnership. Watters, A.J., Haninen, P.,…
Practical Tools for Overcoming the Challenges of Advancing Your Career as an Engaged Scholar
The community-engaged scholar often experiences challenges to career advancement (Commission on Community-Engaged Scholarship in the Health Professions, 2005). Fortunately, a variety of resources and tools are emerging to assist in overcoming these hurdles. This article reviews the challenges, in terms of developing skills, securing recognition for community-engaged scholarly work, and particularly in successfully navigating the promotion and tenure (P and T) system. This review is followed by presentation of several resources for addressing these challenges. Jordan, C. (2009). Practical tools for overcoming the challenges of advancing your career as an engaged scholar, Original Toolkit Essay. Full Text.
The engaged university: International perspectives on civic engagement
This book is a detailed account of a global movement of higher education institutions to increase their civic engagement and social responsibility. Based on self-assessments by and authors’ visits to 20 universities (members of the Talloires Network) around the world, which are committed to directly tackling community problems, the book examines their engaged scholarship objectives, management and achievements. It provides an historical overview of each university’s founding mission, which is demonstrated as having almost invariably incorporated context-specific elements of social purpose, together with a survey of how these intentions have fared in the different systems of higher education in which…
Development of a Mechanism for the Peer Review and Dissemination of Innovative Products of Community-Engaged Scholarship
Community-engaged research, teaching, and service can result in the development of innovative products intended for application by diverse stakeholders that include practitioners, policymakers, nonprofit organizations, community members, and academics. Such products may take the form of manuals, policy briefs, curricula, slide presentations, video presentations and websites, for examples. Until recently there was no accepted mechanism in place to peer review these products, and their dissemination was often limited to the community with which the engaged work was conducted. As a result, these products may not “count” in the promotion and tenure process, and opportunities for community impact may be lost….
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) with indigenous communities: Producing respectful and reciprocal research
In this paper the authors present a CBPR approach they have used when conducting health research with Anishinabe communities in northern Ontario. Using this case as an example, the authors demonstrate how a collaborative approach to respectful and reciprocal research can be achieved, and discuss some of the challenges they faced in adopting that approach.Tobias, J. K., Richmond, C. A., & Luginaah, I. (2013). Community-based participatory research (CBPR) with indigenous communities: Producing respectful and reciprocal research. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 8(2), 129-140. Full Text.
A funding initiative for community-based participatory research: Lessons from the Harvard Catalyst Seed Grants
In 2008 Harvard University was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The Harvard CTSA project (also known as the Harvard Catalyst) and its Community Advisory Board (CERAB) developed a seed grant initiative to enhance community-academic research projects by providing funding directly to community partners, thus aiming to address power differentials. This article describes the goals and design of the initiative, the methods used to award seed grants, and provides a list of funded projects. Although 28 projects were successfully funded, the initiative experienced three main challenges: differences in the research readiness of communities,…
Resilience, conviviality, and the engaged studio
This article reports on the case of the Pittsburgh Studio, an initiative that matches students and resident stakeholders in researching local issues and identifying place-based solutions to catalyze resilience and conviviality in low-income neighborhoods. The authors trace the cooperation of the Pittsburgh Studio and the Penn State Center, describe the conceptual basis of the Pittsburgh Studio, and conclude by outlining emerging best practices for neighborhood-based engaged scholarship in the post-industrial inner city. Tamminga, K., & De Ciantis, D. (2012). Resilience, conviviality, and the engaged studio. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16(3), 115-151. Full Text.
‘We are the ones asking the questions’: The experiences of young mental health service users conducting research into stigma
This paper describes a qualitative study of the experiences of young mental health service users who engaged in a Participatory Action Research (PAR) project about stigma in mental health. The PAR project was comprised of eight young people using a community-based mental health service, who undertook research training and controlled all stages of the research process. The author discusses findings regarding the positive changes that occurred for the young people as a result of engaging in the research. Taggart, D., Franks, W., Osborne, O., Collins, S. (2013). ‘We are the ones asking the questions’: The experiences of young mental health…
Narratives and activity theory as reflective tools in action research
Narratives and activity theory are useful as socially constructed data collection tools that allow a researcher to access the social, cultural and historical meanings that research participants place on events in their lives. This case study shows how these tools were used in a participatory action research project that engaged a diverse team of professionals in improving the delivery of social services for children. The narrative and activity theory tools are shown to aid insight, understanding, and action during the project. Stuart, K. (2012). Narratives and activity theory as reflective tools in action research. Educational Action Research, 20(3), 439-453. Full…
Sustainability and climate adaptation: Using Google Earth to engage stakeholders
This paper presents an action research project that developed and tested a participatory mapping methodology using Google Earth. The aim of the methodology was (1) to develop shared understandings among academics, the Rottnest Island Authority, and it’s stakeholders of the sustainability and climate change issues facing Rottnest Island, Australia; and (2) to enable these partners to collaboratively identify strategic pathways forward for the island. The strengths and challenges of the methodology are discussed. Stocker, L., Burke, G., Kennedy, D., & Wood, D. (2012). Sustainability and climate adaptation: Using Google Earth to engage stakeholders. Ecological Economics, 80, 15-24. Full Text.
Participatory video: toward a method, advocacy and voice (MAV) framework
This article presents a new conceptual framework of participatory visual media as method, advocacy and voice (MAV) by exploring an action research study, in which advocates from the disability community created and distributed a series of videos about love and sexuality as a critical human rights issue in the disability community. The author proposes that considering these three areas (i.e. method, advocacy, and voice) as overlapping, rather than being mutually exclusive, offers an integrated way of understanding collaborative media practices that are community-based and action-oriented. Methodological, practical and ethical considerations for collaborative research that involves public distribution are also addressed….
University-industry collaboration in IS research: An investigation of successful collaboration models
This paper presents the findings from an initial phase of a long-term research program to investigate successful modes of university-industry collaboration in information system (IS) research. This initial phase consisted of in-depth interviews with nine experienced IS researchers. Findings revealed that researchers have very differing individual preferences regarding the ideal set up of collaborative research projects, and these varying approaches are discussed here. Findings regarding the popularity among both researchers and industry partners of various research output formats are also presented. Schubert, P., & Bjorn-Anderson, N. (2012). University-industry collaboration in IS research: An investigation of successful collaboration models. BLED eConference…
Nonprofit and university strategic partnerships to strengthen the sector
This article presents a pilot program in which undergraduate students, faculty, and nonprofits conducted a joint research study to address management challenges of the non-profit partners. The program centered on an undergraduate course through which students implemented a research study in partnership with local nonprofit organizations, analyzed the results, and presented their findings at a professional development conference. This article discusses the formation of the course learning objectives, course implementation, and outcomes. Suggestions are made for practitioners and faculty who wish to develop a similar model. Schaffer, R. H. (2012). Nonprofit and university strategic partnerships to strengthen the sector. Nonprofit…
Urban youths go 3000 miles: Engaging and supporting young residents to conduct neighborhood asset mapping
In 2009 the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement at Yale University (CARE) implemented a multisectoral chronic disease prevention initiative called Community Interventions for Health, in which seven local high school students were hired to conduct asset mapping. This paper provides a detailed description of how youth mapped assets in their communities, personal quotes from youth about their participation, and an evaluation of youth-driven asset mapping as a method. Santilli, A., Caroll-Scott, A., Wong, F., & Ickovics, J. (2011). Urban youths go 3000 miles: Engaging and supporting young residents to conduct neighborhood asset mapping. American Journal of Public Health, 101(12),…
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