Assessing the Outcomes of Community-University Engagement Networks in a Canadian Context

Crystal Tremblay,Robyn Spilker,Rhianna Nagel,Leslie Brown,Jennifer Claire Robinson

doi:10.15402/esj.v3i2.328

Abstract

Inter-organizational networks are proliferating as a tool for community-university engagement (CUE). Focusing on three Canadian inter-organizational networks that bring communities and universities together, Community Based Research Canada (CBRC), the Pacific Housing Research Network (PHRN) and the Indigenous Child Well-being Research Network, this paper identifies key criteria for assessing these networks’ outcomes and highlights factors that contribute to these networks’ challenges and successes. This work is part of a growing body of scholarship seeking to better understand the role and contribution of networks in society and more specifically how the outcomes of these engagements might benefit and enhance collaborative research partnerships between civil society and higher education institutions. The results illuminate lessons learned from each of these three networks and their members. These findings inform broader research into community-university engagement networks and illustrate how these types of engagements can help build a stronger knowledge democracy in Canada and elsewhere.

Highlights

Inter-organizational networks are proliferating as a tool for communityuniversity engagement (CUE)
This paper focuses on three inter-organizational networks that bring different communities and universities together to assess the outcomes of these networks, focusing on the overarching research question “how and in which ways do CUE networks enable equitable and accessible knowledge co-creation between higher education and civil society?” The three participating networks are Community Based Research Canada (CBRC), the Pacific Housing Research Network (PHRN), and the Indigenous Child Well-being Research Network
As this research was designed to be exploratory, these interviews were semi-structured in form to allow interviewer and interviewee to have more of a collaborative conversation with both parties learning more about CUE networks, their functioning, and their key outcomes

Summary

Introduction

Inter-organizational networks are proliferating as a tool for communityuniversity engagement (CUE). This paper focuses on three inter-organizational networks that bring different communities and universities together to assess the outcomes of these networks, focusing on the overarching research question “how and in which ways do CUE networks enable equitable and accessible knowledge co-creation between higher education and civil society?” The three participating networks are Community Based Research Canada (CBRC), the Pacific Housing Research Network (PHRN), and the Indigenous Child Well-being Research Network. What a network can achieve depends in part on their members’ skills, Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning knowledge, access to resources, and influence in their community or organization (Head, 2008) Membership in these networks can be small or large, heterogeneous or homogenous, comprised of individuals or organizations, from any sector or field, and are localized, national or international in scope (Head, 2008; Malinsky & Lubelsky, 2014). The array of possible outputs includes producing goods and services, influencing policy, promoting promising practices, mobilizing citizens, and developing innovative solutions to social and economic issues (Plastrik & Taylor, 2006)

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