University-community Collaboration Research Articles

Student Service Learning in Community-University Partnership Program to Learn Local Product in Renu Shop, Hatyai-Thailand

The role of MSMEs in Thailand's economic development tends to be significant because they are able to contribute to productivity, innovation and overall economic growth. MSMEs contribute 60%–80% of total employment and play an important role in driving the country's economy. So in this Community-University Partnership Program activity, researchers were assigned to study local products produced by MSMEs in Thailand, specifically the Renu Shop which is located in Hatyai, Thailand. Researchers applied qualitative and participatory methods, by holding hands-on practical activities at Renu Shop Thailand. The results of the research show that this program is successful in underscoring the importance of university-community collaboration in supporting local businesses and encouraging social change. Through their involvement, students gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by small businesses in Thailand, especially related to product development, marketing, and preserving the culture of their products. Additionally, Renu Shop also benefit from the fresh insights and practical assistance provided by the students, which contributes to improved business practices, increased product visibility and expanded customer engagement.

Equitable outreach: leveraging a university–community partnership for fall prevention training with older adults in rural Texas

ABSTRACT Older Texans living in rural areas may face challenges in accessing resources and services not felt by their urban counterparts, especially related to fall risk reduction. In a state the size of Texas, entities wishing to serve these individuals encounter barriers due to the vast geography that must be covered to reach rural communities. This paper explores a novel partnership between a university and a community organization to work toward rural equity in fall risk reduction education in Texas. We apply the Interactive and Contextual Model of Community–University Collaboration to describe efforts to gain entry into rural communities, develop and sustain the partnership, recognize outcomes, and resolve threats. Through shared decision-making and co-creation, we show how university–community partnerships can be a powerful tool for promoting rural equity and ensuring older, rural Texans have access to fall risk reduction education.

Group-based exercise for Parkinson’s: a qualitative study of participants and partners’ perceptions of an exercise class delivered through a community-university collaboration

BackgroundCommunity-based exercise programmes (CBEPs) offer a practical and viable approach to providing people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) the opportunity to exercise as an ancillary therapeutic benefit to pharmacological management. This study explores the perceptions of exercising participants (PwP) and non-participating partners involved in an exercise class delivered through a community-university partnership.MethodsTwo separate focus group discussions were conducted: one with class participants (PwP: n = 7, H&Y scale I to III), and the other with non-participating partners of PwP (n = 4).ResultsThematic analysis of the data identified that a range of physical, psychological and social factors were perceived to influence engagement: (1) actively taking control, (2) exercise is medicine for the mind and body, and (3) a community working together to promote exercise for parkinson’s. Participants and partners felt that the support from the group, including the instructors and student volunteers, empowered and supported PwP to proactively self-manage their health, enjoy exercise in an inclusive group setting, and develop strong social connections with others in the local Parkinson’s community. Support to exercise from healthcare professionals was identified as both an enabler and barrier to participation.ConclusionsThis study underscores the significance of a community-university partnership as a complementary therapeutic approach for PwP. It also provides critical reflections on its sustainability, including implications for how exercise is considered as medicine for PwP. Additionally, it offers practical recommendations to galvanise community participation and provide inclusive and viable exercise opportunities for PwP.

Evaluation Capacity Building: Experiential Learning Through Community–University Collaboratives

There is a growing need for evaluation capacity building (ECB) in community organizations; however, learning opportunities for both organizations and post-secondary students are limited, particularly opportunities to apply evaluation concepts in practice. This practice note describes four initiatives and highlights the ways in which experiential learning can be leveraged through community-university collaborations to provide responsive, hands-on ECB for both students and community organizations. The authors discuss the unique contributions of these initiatives and considerations for designing and implementing similar initiatives.

Enhancing the Capacity of Certified SMEs Facilitators for the Internationalization of Aceh's Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises

This community services aims to enhance the capabilities of certified SMEs facilitators from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Syiah Kuala University to internationalizing Aceh's Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through participation in the 19th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2023. That is not merely a journey to MIHAS; it is a strategic investment in building the competencies of facilitators who, in turn, become ambassadors of knowledge, aiding local SMEs enterprises in embracing internationalization with confidence and competence. Results showcase strengthened international networks and market reach, emphasizing the impactful role of university-community collaborations.

A Community-driven Research Framework: Integrating Promotores as Co-Researchers

Abstract: Background: Integration of community health workers/promotores in community-based participatory research is an efficient strategy to advance research and health initiatives. We build on the principles of the interactive and contextual model of community–university collaboration for research and action, the public health critical race framework, and the situated learning theory to propose the community-driven research framework for the development of culturally appropriate research methods training and integration of promotores as co-researchers. Objectives: To present the community-driven research framework as a model that trains and integrates promotores in research methodologies. Application of the Community-Driven Research Framework: By showcasing three case studies (March 2019 to December 2021) we describe the promotores' levels of involvement through the various research stages highlighting the effectiveness of the community-driven research framework. Conclusions: The community-driven research framework fills a gap in the literature by providing a process through which researchers can engage in a culturally relevant learning process that allows entry to the community, fostering trust, and initiating a mutual collaboration that is embedded within the local context and needs of the community. The implementation of the community-driven research framework has implications for the development of culturally sensitive community partnerships as well as for designing research that is centered around the cultural and social context of the community.

‘The people, the spaces, the talking!’ Igniting community-based higher education

In the context of rapid economic, social, and demographic change, fostering equity and inclusion in third level education is a prerequisite for adaptability, social cohesion, and human development. Community-university collaborations demonstrate significant potential to widen participation in Higher Education (HE). In the following article, we examine community-based HE through the lens of a single case study. An Cosán is a community education centre, working in the heart of the communities of Tallaght in West Dublin, Ireland. An Cosán is a Linked Provider of the South East Technological University (SETU). Initiated in 2008, Linked Provision has enabled over 1,000 non-traditional students to achieve a third level award to date. They comprise of those ‘priority groups’ most under-represented in traditional university settings. The present mixed-method research draws on learner voices and practitioner reporting to analyse what works and why. We present new findings from An Cosán’s recent Certificate in Personal and Professional Development programme. Drawing on feminist and Freirean theory, the article highlights the important enabling role of flexibility, wraparound support, and transformative education. Community-based HE supports adult learners’ capacity to meet the level of critical challenge presented by tertiary education while enhancing self-esteem, empathy, and intercultural understanding.

Stanford Vax Crew: A Model for Agile, Community-Centered Vaccination Campaigns.

Stanford Vax Crew, one of the largest medical-student-led vaccination programs in the United States, serves as a case study of a successful community-university partnership that adapted its existing operations to enable COVID-19 vaccine distribution. It offers a model for agile, community-centered vaccination campaigns that harness diverse stakeholder strengths to promote vaccine access and uptake in underserved communities. This case study aims to outline the history and structure of the community-university partnership model developed through Stanford Vax Crew, describe key observations of factors that contributed to the scalability of the model, and provide experience-based recommendations for future community-university collaborations.

Remote learning during COVID-19 and transformative learning theory: tendency towards Quadruple Helix model for future post-secondary education in Indigenous contexts

AbstractThis paper aims to examine UCN (University College of the North) students’ remote learning experience during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a reference for future remote education in Indigenous contexts. Survey data are used for empirical analysis of the five themes: socio-demographic contexts; social activities, stress, and well-being; academic performance; course delivery; and student support services. Transformative learning theory and Quadruple Helix Model are used as a framework to explore the breadth and depth of such five themes. As the descriptive study shows, the majority of UCN students are over 25 years old and study in their first and second year with major challenges such as Internet connectivity, private space, and interruption. Mean values reveal that the remote learning performance is determined by concerns about COVID-19 infection, mental and physical health, isolation and lack of socio-cultural activities, students’ self-preparedness and motivation, and support services. The regression analysis shows that students’ concerns about COVID-19 infection interference with course completion are directly affected by their worries about themselves or someone in their families who could be exposed to COVID-19, their mental health, and blended course delivery. Therefore, students’ remote learning performance and their well-being will be enhanced if we take into consideration improving social distancing, educational technology, and course delivery with community–university culturally responsive collaboration. The research findings and the reviewed literature attest that transformative learning theory fits UCN’s remote learning practices to meet educational goals through the university–community collaboration, which is supported by the Quadruple Helix model. As a result, such remote learning practices engage students, particularly Indigenous students, and the practices will help upgrade universities with similar attributes globally into Mode 3 universities, contributing to community economic development.

Community-Engaged Research for Economic Justice: Reflections on Concepts and Practices

The growing practice of community-engaged research (CER) creates new opportunities for practitioners, both to affirm the importance of critical approaches to CER and to strengthen our work by reflecting on the concepts and practices of our research. We offer reflections on the meanings of “community,” “engagement,” and “research” in the context of on-the-ground community–university collaborations conducted by the Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance, a campus-based research center at the University of California, Santa Cruz. This account is provided in the spirit of sharing observations, insights, and lessons learned about CER, generated through its practice in a range of community-based research projects.

University-Community Collaboration for Sustainable Education During Covid-19 School-Based Community Work

SOYAÇ Modeli, sosyal adaletin ve eşitliğin sağlanması, eğitime erişim fırsatlarının yaratılması, ayrımcılık ve sosyal dışlanmanın önlenmesi gibi sürdürülebilir gelişim ve eğitimin vazgeçilmez ilkelerini temel almaktadır. Okul terk oranının yüksek ve Roman çocukların çoğunlukta olduğu okullarda okul terkinin önlenmesi, çocukların eğitim hakkının korunması ve aileleri ile birlikte tüm okul yaklaşımıyla desteklenmeleri için SOYAÇ tarafından travma bilgisine dayalı okul temelli toplum çalışmaları gerçekleştirilmektedir. Bu araştırmanın konusu, İstanbul’da dezavantajlı bölgede bulunan bir ortaokulda 2019-2021 yılları arasında ilçe kaymakamlığı işbirliğiyle önce yüz yüze başlayıp Mart 2020’de Covid-19 küresel salgını nedeniyle çevrimiçi olarak sürdürülen SOYAÇ çalışmalarının çevrimiçi sürecinin öğretmenler tarafından değerlendirilmesidir. Covid-19 salgın döneminde uzaktan eğitimde öğretmenlerin ve öğrencilerin yaşadıkları güçlükler, öğrencilerin eğitimden kopma riskleri ve kurumlararası koordinasyon eksiklikleri bu araştırmanın temel problemlerini oluşturmaktadır. Bu araştırmada Covid-19 salgınında dezavantajlı çocukların olduğu bir okulda sürdürülebilir eğitim için uygulanan SOYAÇ Modeli çalışmalarına katılan öğretmenlerin bu süreçteki deneyimlerinin ve bakış açılarının anlaşılması amaçlanmıştır. Nitel araştırma modeline göre yapılan bu araştırmanın deseni, fenomenolojik yaklaşıma dayanmaktadır. Araştırmanın katılımcıları uygulamalı çalışmalara katılan 9 sınıf öğretmenidir. Araştırmanın verileri odak grup görüşmesi ile toplanmıştır. Araştırmada elde edilen bulgular sonucunda SOYAÇ Modeli ile deneyimlenen travma bilgisine dayalı eğitim uygulamalarıyla öğretmenlerin kişisel, mesleki ve kişiler arası ilişkilerde kazanımlar elde ettikleri görülmüştür. Proje süresince farklı disiplinlerden gönüllü insanlarla bir ekip halinde çalışan öğretmenlerin kendilerini güvenli ve destekleyici ilişkiler içinde görmelerinin iyi oluşlarını olumlu yönde etkilediği ve öğrencileriyle ilişkilerinde daha kapsayıcı olabildikleri sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Bununla birlikte öğretmenlerin ve çocukların ders dışında üniversite öğrencileriyle bir araya geldikleri etkinliklerin hem öğretmen öğrenci ilişkilerini güçlendirdiği hem de öğrencileri ve öğretmenleri de bireysel düzeyde destekleyici olduğu ifade edilmiştir. Ekolojik sistem anlayışına, uluslararası, kurumlararası, disiplinlerarası işbirliği ve mevcut kurumlardaki insan gücüne dayanan, fon desteği almadan yürütülen SOYAÇ çalışmaları okul terkinin önlenmesinde sürdürülebilir eğitim ve gelişim hedefleri için uygun bir model olarak önerilmektedir.

Toward a Research and Practice Agenda for Evaluation in Community-Campus Partnerships

The challenge: Evaluation of community-campus partnerships is a contested topic and, in many ways, still at an early stage of development. With growing momentum behind community-university collaboration and increased pressure to document the positive impact of universities, there is a pressing need for research and innovation in this area. Potential consequences: Many community engagement professionals are looking for new and creative approaches to evaluating partnership work — approaches that capture the depth, complexity, and values of the work, and that can be used to foster learning, community accountability, collaboration, and systems change. Description/analysis/methods: This article proposes six promising directions for research and practice related to evaluating campus-community partnerships: They emerged as themes from an interactive session of CUMU’s Community Engagement Evaluation Huddle at the annual CUMU conference. Rationale/reflection/replication: Drawing on the collective knowledge of Huddle participants, we identified the following directions: 1) evaluating systemic racism, 2) community-driven evaluation, 3) community impact and benefit, 4) evaluating relationships, 5) alignment of stakeholders, and 6) blended approaches. We offer these directions, along with key questions and examples from the field, as a first step toward a field-wide agenda for advancing evaluation in a critical, participatory, community-based spirit.

Say Yes to Education—Buffalo: A Human Capabilities Approach to College Access and Local Economic Development

In December 2012, researchers from the University at Buffalo partnered with Buffalo Public Schools and Say Yes to Education—Buffalo to assist students and families with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The community had just announced a last-dollar tuition guarantee for all public and charter high school graduates. Students had to apply for federal and state financial aid to be eligible. We use the human capabilities framework described by St. John to examine the contributions of this specific intervention and the broader collective impact strategy. In this study, we employ difference-in-difference regression analysis to examine the effects of a FAFSA completion intervention and find that providing support to students and families to complete the financial aid process increased FAFSA completion rates by more than 60%, year over year. In addition to considering the outcomes of this intervention, we report lessons learned in the process of establishing a university-community collaboration to improve postsecondary opportunity and economic development. We find that effective collaboration takes time and a shared commitment to understanding and addressing problems of practice in schools.

More Is Required of Us: Complicating an Ontology of Experience at the Heart of Community-Based Research

More Is Required of Us: Complicating an Ontology of Experience at the Heart of Community-Based Research

‘Let’s do it together’: fostering social innovation through a university-community collaboration. The ‘Grandangolo’ project in the Aurora neighbourhood in Turin

ABSTRACT Using the case of the ‘Grandangolo’ project in Turin, funded by the European Union (EU) through the 4th call on urban security of the Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) programme, the paper discusses the role of the university and the relationship between the latter and local actors in enabling social innovation ecosystems through public funds. In a complex system where greater engagement of neighbourhoods is increasingly required in order to find solutions to local issues, university action-research laboratories can help achieve this task.

University-Community Collaborations: A Vehicle for Capacity Building and Mutual Learning within an Immigrant Mental Health Coalition

University-community collaborations represent a valuable opportunity for colleges and universities to leverage expertise, research, and skills to enhance the work of community organizations dedicated to social justice and equity for marginalized and oppressed groups. Successful university-community collaborations require mutually negotiated goals, significant investment of monetary and non-monetary resources and mutual benefits for all stakeholders. Yet, important gaps remain in the university-community collaborations literature and specifically around better understanding partner involvement, capacity building, and mutual learning. This case study describes how university assets can be mobilized to expand coalition resources. The process between the stakeholders of negotiating scopes of work, defining roles, accommodating challenges encountered and suggested best practices are discussed.

Defining in the doing: listening and reflecting in a community–university collaboration

Defining in the doing is an approach developed by the Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP) at the University of Brighton, UK. It prioritises action and recognises the importance of practice in developing partnerships, drawing from both academic and practitioner principles in community development, community-based research and theories of social learning. This article will draw on this approach to reflect on a community–university collaboration, sustained during the Covid-19 global pandemic, between a community music organisation, a sound archive project and a doctoral researcher. Between 2019 and 2022, these practitioners brought together their expertise in sound heritage, music making, listening and sound methods, and community engagement to deliver three interlinked projects: Sounds to Keep, Sound Mosaics and Remix the Archive (RiTA). This partnership created mutual benefits by bringing together practitioner and academic knowledge and experiences. Through shared reflections, we draw out in this article the ways that the pandemic generated difficult working conditions, while also opening up space for creativity, flexibility and curiosity. But we also highlight how a defining in the doing approach is not commonly supported by the funding and administrative conditions within which we work.

Building on Community Research Partnerships and Training Students in a Multi-Phase Community-Based Participatory Research Study With Young Women of Cambodian Heritage in Massachusetts.

Refugees bring significant economic and cultural benefits to communities and yet face elevated risk of chronic disease and barriers to good health in the U.S. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) can benefit refugee communities and provide training/mentoring opportunities for students. The Cambodian Women's Health Study was a four-phase, multi-year CBPR university-community collaboration with the Massachusetts Cambodian community that focused on health, nutrition, pregnancy, and food security among primarily young women of Cambodian heritage ages 15-30 years old. Phase 1 was a focus group discussion (FGD, n = 4) and cross-sectional survey (n = 56) with pregnant women. Phase 2 was a cross-sectional survey (n = 107) with nonpregnant women. Phase 3 was a series of FGD (seven FGD, n = 38) with women. Phase 4 was a student-led translational nutrition intervention (three classes) with women (n = 11) and men (n = 10). The study design included compensation and support for the community partner and included structured mentoring of students (six graduates, eight undergraduates) in CBPR methods, adult learning, and cultural humility. Benefits to the community agency included enhanced research capacity, including supervising student research assistants, and robust compensation. Benefits to students included intensive mentoring and training. Successes included cost-effectiveness and strong recruitment and experiences with participants. Challenges included issues with student-led recruitment and organization that required additional mentoring and reflection. To work toward socially just and equitable research and interventions, CBPR collaborative efforts should include intentional meaningful compensation and community capacity-building as well as structured mentoring and training for student researchers and should build on existing work and relationships within communities.

From Access to Refusal: Remaking University-Community Collaboration

From Access to Refusal: Remaking University-Community Collaboration

Counseling psychology and participatory justice: “sharing the university”

ABSTRACT What is a participatory justice approach to counseling psychology, and what actions would express its inclusive intentions? We propose that a participatory justice framework for counseling psychology practice and training would complement social justice perspectives by emphasizing university-community collaborations and resource-sharing; it also privileges public, community-based knowledge creation as exemplified by participatory action research. In this way, a participatory justice approach offers a counterbalance to current political trends toward private ownership of social assets and resources. This article 1) expands upon these theoretical foundations, and then 2) presents three current practice-related project examples to show how these foundations can tangibly translate to academic and professional activities. Finally, the article 3) relates these activities to the training of students by concluding with suggested curricula by which to prepare graduate students and others for participatory undertakings.