Community engagement is defined by relationships between those in
the university and those outside the university that are grounded in the qualities
of reciprocity, mutual respect, shared authority, and co-creation of goals and
outcomes. Such relationships are by their very nature trans-disciplinary
(knowledge transcending the disciplines and the college or university) and asset-based
(where the strengths, skills, and knowledge of those in the community are
validated and legitimized). -Ernest. A. Lynton, Brown University Swearer
Center, 2018.
Community Engaged Research and Creative Activities
Engaged research and creative activities are associated with the discovery of new knowledge, the development of new insights, and the creation of new artistic or literary performances and expressions—in collaboration with community partners.
Examples of Community Engaged Research:
- Community-based, participatory research
- Applied research
- Contractual research (funded by government, non-governmental organizations, or businesses)
- Demonstration projects
- Needs and assets assessments
- Program evaluations
- Collaboratively created, produced, or performed
- Film
- Theater
- Music
- Performance
- Sculpture
- Writing
- Spoken words
- Multi-media
- Exhibitions
Community Engaged Teaching and Learning
Engaged teaching/learning is organized around sharing knowledge with various audiences through either formal or informal arrangements. Types of engaged teaching vary by relationship among the teacher, the learner, and the learning context. Engaged teaching may be for-credit or not-for-credit, guided by a teacher, or self-directed.
Examples of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning:
- For Credit:
- Service-learning
- Community engaged research as part of university classes
- Study abroad programs with community engagement components
- Online and off-campus education
Learn more about Service Learning at WVU.
- Not For Credit:
- Pre-college programs for youth in K-12
- Occupational short course, certificate, and licensure programs
- Conferences, seminars, not-for-credit classes, and workshops
- Educational enrichment programs for the public and alumni
- Media interviews or "translational" writing for general public audiences
- Materials to enhance public understanding
- Self-directed, managed learning environments, such as museums, libraries, or gardens
Community Engaged Service and Practice
Engaged service is associated with the use of university expertise to address specific issues (ad hoc or long-term) identified by individuals, organizations, or communities. This type of engagement is not primarily driven by a research question, though a research question may be of secondary interest in the activity.
Examples:
- Technical assistance
- Consulting
- Policy analysis
- Expert testimony
- Legal advice
- Clinical practice
- Diagnostic services
- Human and animal patient care
- Advisory boards and other disciplinary-related service to community organizations
Community Engaged Commercialized Activities
Commercialized activities are associated with a variety of projects in which university-generated knowledge is translated into practical or commercial applications for the benefit of individuals, organizations, or communities.
Examples:
- Copyrights
- Patents
- Licenses for commercial use
- Innovation and entrepreneurship activities
- University-managed or supported business ventures, such as business parks or incubators
- New business ventures and start-ups
- Inventions
- Social entrepreneurship
Principles of High Quality Engaged Scholarship
- Academic learning and community experience are interwoven and seamless
- Faculty-Community partnerships are robust
- Faculty & community partners collaborate as co-educators/co-researchers in every stage of the process
- Students are well prepared for community engagement
- Dialogue about culture, identity, and power among all the partners is welcome and prevalent
- Strategies to balance inequitable power are generated
- Reflection is integrated before, during, and after community engagement
- Student learning and the quality of the partnership are continually assessed and evaluated
- Faculty and community partners agree on how students will be supervised and coached
- Engaged Scholarship partners document and share their work
- Partners celebrate their work and thoughtfully bring closure