Community Engagement in Social Work Education: Building Pedagogical Pathways

Abstract

Momentum is growing steadily around community engagement, both locally and abroad, as an equal partner to the initial two missions in higher education: teaching and research. As attention grows towards community engagement, academics will have to consider how to advance this mission within their teaching and research functions. It is within this context that it becomes crucial to provide clarity on the terms “engagement” and “co-production of knowledge”, more especially, how social work education can enable community engagement. This article provides a conceptual review of these terms and builds a rationale for engagement. It also reflects the natural synergy social work education has with engagement and highlights three important pedagogical pathways, namely community-based teaching, research, and outreach as a means to advancing engagement in social work education.