University Community Engagement Research Articles

The potential role of university community engagement in supporting transformative social innovation – experiences from Hungary

University community engagement (UCE) is the cooperation between academic actors and marginalized, resource-poor community stakeholders in ways that are mutually beneficial to both parties. The goal of such partnerships is to tackle social exclusion and injustice and to foster environmental sustainability. Such an approach shows remarkable similarities with social innovation (SI), which also denotes bottom-up processes, with CSO involvement aimed at responding to community needs. The present paper aims to analyse the relationship between these two concepts: the role UCE can play in transformative SI (TSI). We approach this topic by the empirical analysis of four initiatives in Hungary, in which universities or their specific units institutionalized UCE as a result of bottom-up processes. To reflect on these cases, we utilize the ‘TRANSIT model’ of SI, which is a relational framework developed to understand how SI processes contribute to transformative change. Our conclusion is that although the diverse practices of UCE contribute to emergence and diffusion of SI in multiple ways, a number of structural and contextual limitations can be identified with regard to UCE’s contributions to TSI. Despite the recognition of these limitations, promoting the expansion of UCE may still play a role in the fostering of TSI processes.

The Role of University Community Engagement Programs in Influencing Higher Education Outcomes and Community Development: An Insight from Uganda

A specialised approach to academic research, teaching, and learning known as community engagement entails actively involving communities in cooperative initiatives that improve university teaching, learning, and research objectives while also addressing the needs and opportunities of the community. In this paper, we investigate how university community involvement positively impacts higher education results and community development, primarily using one Ugandan public university and one Ugandan private university as examples. The concept of university community engagement, as well as its advantages and drawbacks for the institution, students, and community at large, were addressed in the present study. Communities gain from university community engagement as members and organisations from the community share and integrate their knowledge with that of faculty and students, resulting in an improved understanding of community issues and the development of collective capacity to address them, producing either or both short-term impacts and long-term transformational change. University community participation benefits students by enhancing learning possibilities that can result in new and improved outcomes in terms of academic learning, development of skills and competences, leadership, and good citizenship. Enhancing teaching and learning possibilities, growing student enrolment and retention, co-creating new information and ideas, providing opportunities for research, and improving the university's reputation are all advantages for the higher education institution. Despite the aforementioned advantages, community participation is associated with a reproach of being more difficult, expensive, and possibly problematic than conventional approaches of knowledge and instruction. Better methods for recording and communicating academic progress are required, and there’s need to expand our awareness of important community engagement outcomes outside of the academic sphere. To promote sustainable community development and improve higher education outcomes, established and future higher education institutions must completely embrace and strengthen their community participation to a global scale.

Women were created to serve differently, weren’t they? The gendered identities and challenges of female students in university-community engagement

Women were created to serve differently, weren’t they? The gendered identities and challenges of female students in university-community engagement

University–community engagement in the Netherlands: blurring the lines between personal values, societal expectations, and marketing

University–community engagement in the Netherlands: blurring the lines between personal values, societal expectations, and marketing

Environmental Service Learning as University-Community Partnership: Using Actor-Network Theory to Examine a New Model of Engagement

Service learning has many documented benefits for students. The benefits to the communities are less clear. This study examines the unfolding of an environmental service-learning partnership from the perspective of one participating community liaison. We examine a new model of university-community engagement, where undergraduate students are paired with a local community to address environmental issues in courses that focus on adaptation and mitigation. We use actor-network theory (ANT) to explore the experiences of one community liaison, focusing specifically on factors that helped build and maintain the partnership and produced benefits for the community. Findings highlight the community liaison’s agency in negotiating partnership goals and determining the definition and treatment of environmental concerns. We conclude by identifying the insights an ANT perspective holds for service-learning and community-engagement research and practice.

Developing and Validating Sustainability Indicators for Measuring Social Impact of University–Community Engagement Programs

Developing and Validating Sustainability Indicators for Measuring Social Impact of University–Community Engagement Programs

Public--Private Cooperation Funding Juxtaposed of University--Community Engagement in Europe: Systematic Review

This article explores the utilization of public–private funding models in European universities and its implications for community empowerment initiatives, particularly University–Community Engagement (UCE) projects. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using the Scopus database, screening 50 articles relating to public–private funding models in European universities. The study reveals that while public–private funding models have gained traction in the academic sphere, they primarily focus on supporting applied science research projects. In contrast, the funding of projects solely oriented toward community empowerment remains limited, with only one article addressing this potential. The findings highlight the challenges associated with employing public–private funding for UCE projects with a strong emphasis on community empowerment. Public–private funding, typically sourced from industry partners, tends to prioritize product innovations and productivity enhancements, posing a mismatch with the social justice-oriented nature of UCE. This discrepancy underscores a significant research gap in UCE and calls for innovative approaches to develop supportive funding frameworks that can effectively sustain UCE initiatives.
 Keywords: public–private funding, university–community engagement, European University

Experiential Extractivism in Service-Learning and Community Engagement

Extractivism is so often characterized as resource extractivism – the exploitation of a community’s natural resources for economic gain. However, when we think about the relationships between community and university, there are many ways in which the university can take out of the community or benefit to an extent that extracts human, capital, and natural resources. I contend that some of the university-community engagement work that has been done in the last 20 years replicates colonial structures in ways that have harmed communities under the well-intentioned guise of service-learning, community-based learning, or “development.” Drawing on Du Bois (1947) and on Riofrancos’ (2020) work on colonialism and extractivism, this paper will explore the role of the university as both a transformer and oppressor through global learning. I will explore the promise and pitfalls for these engaged pedagogies, and propose pathways to avoiding unjust, extractive practices in the pursuit of learning and student development. I will end with recommendations for just, equitable, and critical community-based global learning and some promising examples.

Assessing Community-University Engagement: Scale Development and Empirical Validation

Assessing Community-University Engagement: Scale Development and Empirical Validation

The Positive Impact of University-Community Engagement Projects: A Case Study in the Context of Universiti Malaya

Collaborative partnership or engagement between university and community are essential and have become a widespread practice adopted by many universities worldwide. While university-community-engagement projects which are undertaken in a variety of ways of multidiscipline are growing rapidly, questions about its impact on communities remain largely ignored. Little empirical evidence is available exploring the impact of such partnerships for either the community partners or the university. This study presents a case study of the Universiti Malaya’s experience of evaluating the impact of such engagements through several funded community projects. These university-community engagement funding are disbursed and managed by UM’s Community Engagement Centre (UMCares). The result chain model was applied to collect data on the input, activities, output, outcomes and impact of the funded projects. Differences in nine impact areas and indicators were also identified. The results show that the funding projects are able to create an impact in different areas of community engagement. However, the development and maintenance of a dedicated database, in combination with periodic, systematic impact assessments is crucial to increase impact in community engagement.

To what extent do universities’ formal and informal knowledge exchange activities interact: evidence from UK HE-BCI survey

Third Mission engagement has become a necessary vehicle to transfer science and knowledge from higher education institutions (HEIs) to society. An extensive body of research has mainly focused on the determinants of research commercialization, and the consequence of knowledge exchange activities largely carried out on an individual academic level. There is a lack of theoretical and empirical evidence on the link and interaction between formal (traditionally referred to as commercialization of university research, such as patent, licensing and spin-off) and informal knowledge exchange activities (usually denoted as university community engagement activities, such as collaborative research, consultancy, facilities and equipment, continuing professional development etc.). In this article we seek to fill this gap by viewing knowledge exchange activities as an enabler and supporter of commercial activities. Against this background, we intend to provide an analysis into the relationship between informal activities and formal activities using an unbalanced panel of UK universities for the period 2005–2020. Our results reveal that while provision of continuing professional development courses, facilities and equipment, and consultancy significantly impact commercial activities such as patenting and licensing, collaborative research appears to be a strong predictor for spin-offs generation. This study offers some general implications for HEIs’ policy and Technology Transfer Offices.

Enhancing student competencies through entrepreneurship and cultural collaboration: A community engagement approach

Entrepreneurship plays a crucial role in the global economy, Driving job creation, fostering innovation, and contributing to economic growth. However, Indonesia faces challenges in increasing the number of entrepreneurs and enhancing economic productivity. This article presents a case study on the Faculty of Economics and Business at Syiah Kuala University's community engagement activities aimed at developing students' entrepreneurial and cross-cultural competencies. The activities encompass experiential learning, mentorship, networking, and cultural collaboration, aligning with achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through experiential learning, students gain practical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and a global mindset, equipping them for entrepreneurship and business. Collaborative initiatives with international partners, such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and interactions with Indonesian diaspora entrepreneurs in Singapore enhance students' cross-cultural competence. They learn to respect diversity, adapt to different cultural norms, and collaborate effectively across cultures. The activities also facilitate networking and collaboration, enabling students to establish connections with diaspora entrepreneurs and international peers. These connections can lead to future partnerships and collaborative efforts. The community engagement activities empower students with the skills, knowledge, and global perspective necessary to excel as entrepreneurs and positively impact the achievement of SDGs. The emphasis on economically viable, culturally sensitive, environmentally sustainable, and socially responsible entrepreneurship aligns with the broader goals of sustainable development, contributing to the development of sustainable entrepreneurship in higher education.

Exploring an innovative method for objectively assessing the social value of university-community engagement and research

There is increasing recognition regarding the potential of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to be significant Anchor institutions capable of impacting the wellbeing of the local communities where they are situated. Subsequently, more universities are prioritising their social and civic responsibility by embedding a research ethos based on closer engagement with their locality, within their key institutional processes. However, demonstrating the social value of community engagement in a meaningful way is difficult, particularly the type of intangible benefits such as relationship building and co-production of knowledge that are forged through collaboration. We present results of a pilot study which applied a Socially Modified Economic Valuation (SMEV) approach to three very different case study projects within a University-Community partnership initiative situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to help evaluate how well the university’s civic and social obligations are being fulfilled. Two sets of potential social weights were derived. The first was based on the official Deprivation Index and the second on a combination of desirable ‘social’ and ‘strategy’ goals. Findings showed that the social valuation element of SMEV may potentially be crucially important in assisting with nuanced interpretation of social value across different communities in different places.

Co-learning in university-community engagement for sustainable local food systems in South Africa

The legacy of racial and spatial segregation in South Africa has left an epistemic chasm between knowledge-producing institutions and members of disadvantaged communities most in need of applying scientific knowledge to address their local societal challenges. The aim of this study is to examine how the co-learning approach can be used to bridge the knowledge asymmetry between university researchers and communities within which their institutions are embedded by building bonds of mutual trust and involving target knowledge users in the design and testing of technological solutions targeted to their needs. Using the outcome mapping (OM) analysis of project documents and key informant interviews of participants in the co-learning project between the University of Johannesburg and Soweto smallholder farmers, this study illustrates the contribution of the co-learning approach to shaping networks of successful innovation co-creation. Our findings indicate that co-learning leads to the optimisation of the capacity building speed when co-learning partners have a shared commitment to the outcomes and application of the co-created knowledge.

EXPLORING ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY PROJECTS

In this endemic phase, it is more common to have more online classes as students and advisors worldwide are more prone to choose several technology aids to teach and learn at Higher Education institutions. In this study, Entrepreneurially Minded Learning through university-community engagement in Engineering education worked as the base for students to prepare in an English course for completing their community projects. This study investigated the perceptions of 24 second-semester foundation students in applying engineering knowledge. Consultation with their advisors about their plans is crucial for students to execute their projects throughout the 12 weeks of the semester. In this study, a working methodology on community project execution involved Phase 1 (Planning and Design), Phase 2 (Analysis, Monitoring, and Delivery), and Phase 3 (Evaluation). Semi-structured interview sessions elicit responses from the students. The benefits of community projects are an increased sense of social responsibility, awareness of future avenues, more recent platforms fully utilised for documentation purposes, and increased engagement. The challenges include the limitation to conducting community projects online, lack of skills in working in online groups, and low community engagement. Students' engagement with the community via community projects will assist them in applying their academic knowledge to solving challenges from the actual world. Students needed support from the advisors to complete the task assigned successfully to nurture their skills to apply knowledge gained from their community projects at their future workplaces.

Enablers and impact of social innovation in higher education institutes: a futuristic perspective

Purpose Social innovation is a nascent field. Within research on social innovation, the context of higher education has largely been ignored. To better understand social innovation, it is important to explore factors that facilitate social innovation in universities’ context. There is little research on enablers of social innovation in universities and the impacts of social innovation. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the enablers of social innovation in the Saudi Arabian context. Moreover, the impacts of social innovation projects are also explored. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was used to carry out this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, and content analysis was performed. Findings Data revealed that institutional commitment, mission, active collaborations, curriculum, support, training, community university engagement offices, university social impact offices and reward and evaluation were among critical enablers. The impact of social innovation in terms of social, institutional, economic and community specific was also reported. Originality/value Research on the enablers and outcomes of social innovation in the higher education context is limited. This study adds to the innovation literature by investigating what processes and factors (enablers) can help universities to engage in social innovation initiatives and what are the outcomes (impact) of engaging in social innovation. Findings of the study have important policy implications.

Using a customized board game to improve English learning’s experience and effectiveness

English language learning is an integral part of basic education in Indonesia today. However, not all students have equal opportunities to learn English. Elementary school children in Kucur village, in particular, are among those who lack sufficient access to learning English outside the classroom due to their family circumstances. Fortunately, there is a Learning Center called Cakrawangsa managed by the local youth organization (Karang Taruna) in Krajan hamlet, Kucur village. This center provides educational assistance to students. However, the center lacks permanent human resources to support students in learning English. In 2021, the community engagement team from Ma Chung University conducted once-a-week fun English learning sessions. Based on the evaluation results of the program, the participants greatly enjoyed the fun learning approach delivered by the Ma Chung University community engagement team. However, some students still struggled to memorize English vocabulary and pronounce it accurately. Therefore, the proposing team suggests a supplementary English learning program using an enjoyable method that has the potential to enhance vocabulary mastery. Based on conducted studies, the proposing team has developed a relevant board game tailored to the students' environment as an engaging and effective tool to support English language teaching.

Higher education and social responsibility: a proposal for internationalization of university—community engagements; perspectives from Uganda

One of the traditional missions for universities was community service which was updated to entail community engagement. Community engagement is a component of the internationalization of higher education which aspires to improve service delivery within society. Though universities in Uganda have always engaged with communities, they have always done so disregarding the international dimension of higher education. Simultaneously, contemporary approaches to internationalization are primarily concerned with scholarly debate and discussion of societal challenges. However, merging internationalization with community engagement would better serve local and global communities. This is now more relevant considering global challenges such as COVID-19, terrorism, and climate change. Universities should now work more closely with communities to enrich scholarship, contribute to public good aims, and address the current critical social issues. Therefore, university–community engagement should go beyond institutional and disciplinary boundaries that restrict possibilities for fruitful engagement with local and global communities in today’s rapidly changing world. This paper explores the international dimension of community engagement in Uganda’s universities. Using a narrative literature review, the paper highlights how to merge internationalization with community engagement without reproducing inequalities but emphasizing fairness and social justice. The paper holds that community engagement should be integrated into the broader internationalization agenda of universities for better service delivery.

Asset-based Approach Community Service for Developing Digital Textbook in Secondary Language (L2) Teacher Education

ABSTRACT
 Service learning embedded in the course plays a vital role in transforming theoretical knowledge into practical one. It provides students with the concept and brings them in contextualizing their concept that they have already learned in the classroom. This study explores the process of enacting service learning using asset-based approach to university-community engagement. This study employed multiple data sets from observation, semi-structured interviews with teachers and principles, focused group discussion with students, and students’ products of digital textbooks. The findings revealed that service learning using the asset-based approach empowered all the stakeholders and contributed to emergence of the equitable partnership between university and community. The students’ product of a digital textbook represents collaboration between English teachers, the teacher educator, and the university students who successfully designed learning resources that meet the academic level and interests of students of the school partners. 
 Keywords: Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), Service Learning, Digital learning resources, Digital literacy

Toward a social justice model of inclusion for university–community engagement

ABSTRACT University-community engagement often professes to center the shifting needs and issues that communities face but these are often pushed to the periphery in knowledge creation. The methods of engagement, research agenda, outcomes, as well as the measures of success are typically grounded in the academe and universities can almost always pinpoint immediate benefits for the co-creation of this knowledge. Universities are usually able to secure funding and gain prestige to undertake these engagements and projects are put forth as testaments of universities commitments to social change. Communities often struggle to do the same and many are often not equipped with the resources to translate the new knowledge into practice-based initiatives such as programming, funding applications for staffing, services and service delivery. While there are unquestionable merits in the longstanding histories of university-community engagements, more needs to be done for research to be mutually beneficial for both parties. This article outlines five key principles of social justice and inclusion as a preliminary stage of a conceptualized first step necessary to frame university-community engagement. It reiterates consultations with communities through research as a requirement to develop an actual model of university-community engagement to embody social justice and inclusion for true social change.