Introduction to
Community-Engaged Research (CEnR)
Amanda F. Hall, PhD
Special Projects Manager, Offices of Service Learning and Community Engaged Research, Division of Community Engagement
hallaf2@vcu.edu
Warm-up: �Where does Community-Engaged Scholarship “fit” within your field?
2. More specifically, think about your course of study at VCU…do the departments and faculty within your school incorporate community engaged scholarship? Provide examples of if yes, how and if no, why?
Fitzgerald, H. E., Bruns, K., Sonka, S., Furco, A., & Swanson, L. (2012). The centrality of engagement in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, 16(3), 7-28.
1. It must be scholarly. A scholarship-based model of engagement embraces both the act of engaging (bringing universities and communities together) and the product of engagement (the spread of scholarship focused, evidence-based practices in communities). 2. It must cut across the missions of teaching, research, and service; rather than being a separate activity, engaged scholarship is a particular approach to campus-community collaboration. 3. It must be reciprocal and mutually beneficial; university and community partners engage in mutual planning, implementation, and assessment of programs and activities. 4. It must embrace the processes and values of a civil democracy (Bringle & Hatcher, 2011).
Association of Public & Land Grant Universities
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
With a membership of 237 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. The association's work is furthered by an active and effective advocacy arm that works with Congress and the administration as well as the media to advance federal policies that strengthen public universities and benefit the students they serve.
State Council for Higher Education Virginia (SCHEV)
Mission: Higher education in Virginia will advance postsecondary learning, research and public service that enhance the civic and financial health of the Commonwealth and the well-being of all its people.��Vision: Higher education will transform the lives of Virginians, our communities and our Commonwealth.��Objective: Be the Best-educated State by 2030
The main objective of The Virginia Plan is to be the best-educated state by 2030. Becoming the best-educated state supports the future prosperity of Virginia, its citizens and its regions. An educated population and well-trained workforce increase economic competitiveness, improve the lives of individuals and support greater community engagement. The best-educated state means that Virginia supports higher education at all levels. This spectrum includes workforce credentials such as industry certifications, state licensures, apprenticeships and certificates, as well as traditional degrees.
Virginia Commonwealth University
“A Public Institution for the Public Good….as a social ladder, a social lab, and a social lever”
–VCU President, Mike Rao (2018 State of the University Address)
VCU Division of Community Engagement
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” Zora Neale Hurston 1903-1960
What is Research?
What is Community-Engaged Research?
Collaborative Curiosity
Community-Engaged Research (CEnR)
Community engaged research (CEnR) is a collaborative process between the researcher and community partner that creates and disseminates knowledge and creative expression with the goal of contributing to the discipline and strengthening the well-being of the community. CEnR identifies the assets of all stakeholders and incorporates them in the design and conduct of the different phases of the research process.
Philosophy: research with, not merely research on or for.
| Traditional Research | Community Research |
Goal of research | Advance knowledge | Betterment of community |
Source of research question | Theoretical work | Community-identified problem |
Designer of research | Trained researcher | Trained researcher & community |
Role of researcher | Outside expert | Collaborator, learner |
Role of community | Subject of study | Collaborator, learner |
Relationship of researcher to participants | Short-term, task-oriented, detached | Long-term, multifaceted, connected |
Value of research | Acceptance by peers (e.g., publication) | Contribution to community change |
Ownership of data | Academic researcher | Community |
Means of dissemination | Academic conference, journal | Any and all forums, media, meetings, community |
(Strand K, et al. 2003)
Advocates assert that CEnR promotes better research and translation of findings. Other benefits of CEnR include development of research that is responsive to community need, increased capacity built through partnerships, expanded funding opportunities and greater opportunities to translate findings into practice. (Adapted from Carnegie and CDC, 2015)
Community Involvement in Research
What does community-engaged research look like?
What community-engaged research is NOT
Community-engaged Researchers at VCU speak to the power of CEnR.
Click image for video.
VCU Office of Community Engaged Research
Break-out & Brainstorm
Reflection: What is the democratic purpose of your discipline? Thinking of this purpose, how might you incorporate community-engaged research into your current and/or future research agenda to further this purpose?