Abstract
This study investigated the insights and current debates on community engagement in higher education institutions with specific reference to the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa. The article argues that although community engagement seems to present some challenges, it has become an integral part of higher education in South Africa and beyond. The article examines community engagement in higher education institutions and evaluates its contributions based on the research question. The article evaluates community engagement from the perspective of the UWC, community, and students. Data were collected through semi-structured with key informants. In total, 12 participants participated in the interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The results of the study show that community engagement is dependent on institutions’ relationships built between particular communities, which are easily lost if the people involved change. The results also show that community engagement has become a requisite for promotion and policy development. However, it reveals that issues of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) often take time affecting students and researchers. Moreover, the findings indicate that there is no standard procedure for community engagement as departments, individual lecturers, and students have unique and different interests.
Highlights
IntroductionCommunity engagement is viewed as a vehicle to bring about behavioral and environmental change
Current Debates on Community Engagement in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)In the context of higher education (HE), community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated to the university either by geographical proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people
This benefits the university as well as the learning outcomes of students, which are enhanced through curricula that are relevant to community issues and priorities—for example, staff and students who provide voluntary services such as supporting the elderly in the community or being part of a project that contributes to the well-being of people in the area
Summary
Community engagement is viewed as a vehicle to bring about behavioral and environmental change This benefits the university as well as the learning outcomes of students, which are enhanced through curricula that are relevant to community issues and priorities—for example, staff and students who provide voluntary services such as supporting the elderly in the community or being part of a project that contributes to the well-being of people in the area. According to Lazarus (2008), the purpose of this initiative was to assist South African HEIs to theorize and implement community engagement as a core function of academia. Based on this understanding, the concept encompasses addressing a particular need of HEIs rather than tangible issues pertaining to communities outside the university
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