Transcript Scholarship of Engagement - University of Western Sydney

Different Views of Civic
Engagement
 Regional and economic development
 Education’s role in a democratic society
 Response to accountability pressures
 Faculty response to vocational focus of students
and public
 Improving their own community and image
 Better learning, new forms of scholarship
 Challenges of an urbanized society and economy
The Engaged University
The engaged institution is committed to direct interaction
with external constituencies and communities through the
mutually-beneficial exchange, exploration, and application
of knowledge, expertise and information. These
interactions enrich and expand the learning and discovery
functions of the academic institution while also enhancing
community capacity. The work of the engaged institution
is responsive to community-identified needs, opportunities
and goals in ways that are appropriate to the university’s
mission and academic strengths. The interaction also
builds greater public understanding of the role of the
university as a knowledge asset and resource.
Engaged Campus Characteristics
 Articulates engagement in mission and strategy
 Involves community in continuous, purposeful and
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authentic ways
Links learning to engagement
Links engagement to every aspect of campus org
Develops and sustains necessary infrastructure
Demonstrates leadership at all levels of organization
Supports interdisciplinary work
Makes engagement visible internally and externally
Assesses engagement within the context of faculty,
students, and community
Civic Engagement as Scholarship
 Civic engagement is a specific conception of
faculty work that connects the intellectual assets
of the institution (i.e., faculty expertise) to public
issues such as community, social, cultural, human
and economic development. Faculty apply their
professional knowledge and academic expertise to
public purposes, as a way of contributing to
fulfillment of the mission of the institution.
The Scholarship of Engagement
 Engagement is a reflection of the institution’s high
interest in the community. The faculty member is
performing intellectual tasks that reflect a larger
commitment of the institution to link scholarship to
public issues.
Scholarship of Engagement
 Integrates teaching, research and service
 Is not an add-on or extra activity
 Recognizes diverse faculty interests
 Can be valued and rewarded
 Gives scholarly work a public purpose
 Is not just a new view of “service”
Forms of “Service”
 Service to the campus
 Service to the discipline
 Community service
First and third don’t use academic expertise
Second and third benefit individual more than
institution
Features of Engaged Scholarship
 Collaborative
 Participatory
 Shared Power
 Knowledge exchange
 Messy!
 Long term
Challenges to Measurement
 Diverse strategies and forms
 Multiple perspectives and expectations
 Involves complex issues
 Shared roles makes attribution difficult
 Impact of work is not immediate
 Different levels of interest across institutions and
among faculty
Faculty Motivation re: Engaged
Scholarship
 Personal Values
 Disciplinary Culture/Standards
 Incentives
 Evidence
 Rewards
 Reputation/Imitation
Another View of Faculty Interests
 Academic
 Link to discipline
 Opportunity for research, grants
 Combine theory and practice
 Civic/Personal
 Making a difference
 Link personal values to work
 Maintain a sense of balance
 Career
 More rewarding work
 Renewed interest in teaching/research
 Acquire new skills
Obstacles to Faculty Involvement
 Time
 Unclear Priorities
 Skill/Confidence/Expertise
 Infrastructure and resource
 Leader Involvement
 Mission Clarity
 Rewards – pressure for standardization
Tools for Change
 Mission clarification – roots
 Faculty development
 Hiring values and orientation of new faculty
 Peer interactions/disciplinary societies
 Incentives, rewards, recognition
 Infrastructure investments
 Curriculum reform
 Data – on students, community and faculty
 New Resources
Faculty Development Topics
 Definitions – The language of engagement
 Characteristics of effective partnerships
 Methods for needs analysis/asset mapping
 Methods of applied research and participatory
action research
 Evaluation methods
 Documentation strategies
 Best practices in their discipline
 Curricular re-design and syllabus development
Faculty Development Formats
 Incentives
 Mentors
 Thematic teams
 Partnership events
 Conferences and publications
 Readings, speakers, exchange visits
 Portfolio training
Time for a change
 The one size fits all model of scholarship does not fit
the actual demands or personal interests of many
faculty today (Diamond, 1999).
 Faculty discontent
 Standard reward guidelines for non-standard work
 Public concern about faculty productivity
Diamond’s Model for Assessing
Engaged Scholarship
 High quality Scholarly Activity:
 Requires a high level of disciplinary expertise
 Breaks new ground, is innovative
 Can be replicated or elaborated
 Can be documented and peer-reviewed
 Has demonstrable significance or impact
“Scholarship Assessed” – Boyer’s
Design
All scholarly work will have in common:
 Clear goals
 Adequate knowledge and preparation
 Appropriate methods
 Significant results
 Effective presentation
 Reflective critique
A Vision for a New Academic
Culture
 Distinctive but comprehensive institutional
missions
 Value given to integration of traditional scholarly
roles
 Variety and flexibility in faculty roles
 Multiple career pathways – recognize personal
goals and career stages
 Balance between intrinsic and extrinsic rewards
 Shared governance and shared leadership
The Growing Integration of
Scholarly Work
 Boyer (1996):
Teaching, Research and Service become Learning,
Discovery and Engagement
 Huber (2001):
“The scholarship of teaching like the scholarship of
engagement calls for viewing academic work as an
integrated whole instead of as a series of distinct
[and competing] parts”
Validating the Role of Engagement
 Incorporation of CE into regional accreditation
processes
 Federal investment in grant programs
 State investment in public service roles
 Exploration of CE (and learning) as element of
Carnegie classifications
 START slides on govt programs here
 International info goes here
Departmental Questions
 What engagement activities fit our discipline?
 Which of these are consistent with the mission
of our university?
 Which might enhance our dept’s undergraduate
and graduate programs?
 Which would involve students?
 Which would enhance basic and applied
research?
 How would the work be documented &
evaluated?