Applying accredited community-based learning and research into your curriculum: A step by step guide

Editor's Notes

• #2: Slides 1-5: 11.45-11.55 noon (10 mins) Jamie: Welcome to the Campus Engage Participate Programme, bringing capacity and support to all higher education staff to address real world problems by implementing community-based learning and research into the curriculum. This Programme is developed and driven by a team with expertise in community-based learning and research practice and policy from across Irish Higher Education Institutions.
• #3: Jamie: The programme offers capacity building to educational staff to incorporate community based research and community based learning process and methods into their curricula and work plans. The ultimate aim is to nurture generations of social innovators, with work ready skills, and encourage students to action accredited projects to address social issues and challenges. More information on the participate programme is available on the Campus Engage Website www.campusengage.ie.
• #4: Jamie:
• #5: Jamie: This is the first of this workshop you will learn about the main cornerstones of implementing Community Based Research and Community Based Learning into the curriculum; Initially we will focus on core principles and rationale for community engagement;
• #6: Slides 5-7: 11.55-12.00 (5 mins) Kate: Here in Ireland the social responsibility of Higher education institutions’ is enshrined in the Irish State legislation on higher education, The Universities Act 1997 requires our universities ‘to promote the cultural and social life of society’, The Institutes of Technology Act 2006 calls for a contribution ‘to the promotion of the economic, cultural and social development of the State’. In Section 5 of the National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, the engagement mission of higher education is presented alongside the teaching and research missions as ‘the third of the three interconnected core roles of higher education. More recently HEIs are now reporting on their activity in the area of Enhanced Engagement with industry and community and embedded Knowledge Exchange, as part of the Performance Compact agreement with the Higher Education Authority.
• #7: Kate: On June 16th 2014, leaders of higher education institutions across Ireland came together in Dublin Castle to sign the Campus Engage Charter for Civic and Community Engagement. The signing of the Charter indicated a willingness to enhance further the links between higher education and society. Subsequently, the institutions have worked collaboratively to agree a set of indicative actions which articulate and elaborate the ambitions of the Charter. These are available in the resources section of the campus engage website under Participate Tools.
• #8: Kate : On the resources section of the Campus Engage website you will have access to 8 introductory “how to guides” covering Civic and Community Engagement practice and key terms, community-based learning, community-based research, Campus-community partnerships, Ethics of Community-campus engagement, Policy drivers for community – higher education engagement, Volunteering, and a student’s guide to community – engagement. We highly recommend that you refer to these guides throughout. You can also find a copy of the Campus Engage Charter, a sample learning contract, an implementation plan, which is a step by step process plan, and module descriptors on the website resources page.
• #9: Slides 8- 11: 12.00-12.05 (5 mins) Siobhan So lets begin, and consider the core principles of community and civic engagement
• #10: Siobhan The Campus Engage Working Group on Community-based learning and research define engagement as… “A mutually beneficial knowledge-based collaboration between the higher education institution with the wider community, through community-campus partnerships including the activities of community based learning, community engaged research, volunteering, community/economic regeneration, capacity-building and access/widening participation”.
• #11: Siobhan: The challenge is of course to transform this definition into action, in a process that is defined by respect for all parties involved, reciprocity, partnership, and transparency. It is important to note that the relationship with the community based partner is key. It takes time to build up the relationship between community partners and HEI staff, but once established there are lots of opportunities for HEIs to develop and nurture links. The community partner, is just that, a partner and equal, and their need is paramount.
• #12: Siobhan: So, apart from the important benefits for the community, why do we encourage you to transform your curriculum? Well the benefits of community and civic engagement for students and staff in higher education are impressive and have been documented in the literature: For students this is about the application of academic knowledge and skills to the complexity of a real world situation; It gives them the chance to investigate their future role as a professional, and how they can contribute to better community outcomes; It encourages critical thinking, team work, effective communication skills, and self-confidence. For staff it offers a chance to increase awareness of community issues relating to their discipline, it can create opportunities for scholarship and publication, to share knowledge, and identify new research areas and gives a new perspective on how learning can take place. Please refer to the How to Guide on Civic and Community engagement for further details. Lets move on now to look at key terms and definitions, and ways to adapt your curriculum to incorporate community based learning and community engaged research
• #13: Slides 12-17: 12.05-12.10pm (5 mins) Jamie: Next we will introduce you to some of the key terms and definitions used in the field.
• #14: Jamie: Lets focus on Community based learning for a moment. So what is community-based learning?....read definition.
• #15: Jamie: There are however a range of definitions for community based learning available. It tends to be easier to recognise it in terms of the characteristics is has though. The key characteristics of community based learning are that it is a form of experiential learning, that focuses on issues in a real world context. Here reflection is a main component, lending to student’s professional and personal development. It also must meet the need of the civil, civic society organisation, or community group. The community partner is a valued partner with equal say with ample room for knowledge exchange, to inform the process and application of skills, and tacit information. Finally CBL is academically accredited. That is students earn credits for their work towards a final degree or masters programme. Keep in mind for now, that the experience must also be aligned and tied to student learning outcome and assessments methods, which we will discuss later
• #16: Jamie: Engaged learning or research can be considered as part of a continuum of opportunities for students. This approach helps to avoid confusion when comparisons are being made to other forms of experiential learning such as work placements or internships and volunteering This diagram illustrates the continuum of engagement activity with external stakeholders. Here we can see that in general a placement involves the student as the main beneficiary; it is accredited, and the goal is student learning, but reflection is not always essential. During community based learning and research, both the student and the community partner are mutual beneficiaries, the student receives academic credit, while the process meets a community need, the relationship is an equal partnership, and reflection is core to the process. In terms of volunteering, in many cases, the CSO is the main beneficiary, it is not always accredited, and reflection is not essentially a core element.
• #17: Jamie: As you can see from this wheel diagram the introduction of community-based learning into the curriculum can be described as a process. The process wheel shown here is a general guide and applies to many implementations of CBL but there may be variations. The process generally begins with the community partner identifying their need or issue in cooperation with lecturers. Sometimes, the community partner will approach the Higher Education institution but, on other occasions, a lecturer may make the initial contact. Honest and open communication is important to establish. It is important to manage expectations throughout the process. Often tangible benefits will not result the first time an activity is implemented and it can be more realistic to expect to see useful outputs the second time it runs. Students may sometimes have an existing contact and be able to suggest a community organisation that could be contacted. As the student’s guide, you need to look at your role in the curriculum and what influence you have to support the CBL process, and adapt or develop your curriculum accordingly. It is at this point that the students are briefed and provided with inputs such as the opportunity to hear from students who have been involved in similar activities previously. The group then work together to design a plan for the activity while ensuring that consultation and knowledge exchange are applied to inform the project. When you have your plan in place, you need to agree the way forward with your community partner. It is at this point that a learning agreement should be developed and signed. Do note that the learning agreement can change as projects develop over time. We have sample learning agreements available on our website campusengage.ie It is at this point that the project work can begin, in partnership with the students and the organisation. Assessment and reflection is covered later
• #18: Slides 17-21: 12.10- 12.20pm (10 mins) Jamie Now to turn your attention to a case study, to bring the information to life.
• #19: Siobhan
• #20: Siobhan
• #24: Slides 23-25 12.20-12.25 (5 mins) Kate: Now lets consider community based research in action. Let us draw your attention again to the introductory guide on community-based research available on the campus engage website. The definition Campus Engage uses is …. ….this is extracted from the community health scholars programme The student often conducts the research as part of their academic requirement, e.g. final year project or postgraduate research, thus ensuring its embedment in the curriculum. An important difference between CBR and traditional academic research is that it is undertaken with instead of on the community. Remember that Community-based learning (CBL), in contrast, is a course or discipline-based collaboration between students, lecturers and civil society partners for mutual benefit through shared learning (Martin and O’Mahony, 2013). While a distinction is made between CBR and CBL, there is a great deal of cross-over as regards organisation of projects, interaction with community partners and pedagogical supports provided by academic staff. Also, a CBL activity will often develop over time to incorporate CBR projects. The emphasis here is that the research is undertaken with and for, instead of on the community.
• #25: Kate: Community based research starts with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action to achieve better outcomes for those stakeholders involved. This slides illustrates Bigg’s Typology of Participative research to help us understand the core principals. Contractual: One social actor has sole decision-making power over most of the decisions taken in an innovation process, and can be considered the ‘owner’ of this process. Researcher uses the facilities or resources of the CSO/stakeholders to carry out his or her research. Consultative: Most of the key decisions are kept with one stakeholder group, but emphasis is put on consultation and gathering information from others, especially for the identification of constraints and opportunities, priority-setting and/or evaluation. Collaborative: researcher and the CSO/stakeholders collaborate - exchange of knowledge and share decision-making power during the process. Collegiate: Partners in the process. Ownership’ and responsibility are equally distributed among the partners, and decisions are made by agreement or consensus among all actors. Once a proposal is received from a community partner it is translated into a research project to be carried out by students and/or staff in collaboration with the community group. Projects carried out through higher education structures are seen as being scientifically impartial and thus can provide organisations with increased legitimacy in political debates or enhance their lobbying activities. CBR projects also enable the community to benefit from the application of specialised methodological approaches and technology located in their local Higher Education Institution (HEI). Note that while the partnership, collegiate approach is the preferred one, it may sometimes be that circumstances are such that a community partner requests that a particular piece of research be done and do not anticipate a significant amount of interaction to take place. Once the work fulfils a need they have and develops the students skills and knowledge, it would usually be considered to be worth undertaking.
• #26: Jamie has a number of case studies available in the pack. Kate: This wheel diagram illustrates the process, During phase one the community partner identifies the research question, this maybe advertised on the HEI database of opportunities or a student may approach the CSO. Once a student has committed to the project, if necessary approval should be sought from the HEI ethic committee. During pre planning, phase two, partners should seek to clarify the research question, evaluate the feasibility and map concrete needs with the student. During phase three, the project plan is developed and a research agreement should be signed. Sample research agreements area available at www.campusengage.ie It is only after this process that the research project should kickoff, and CSO participation is encouraged, alongside academic supervision, through out the project, adapting plans according to the needs of all parties. During the final phase the report is submitted. If success the CSO can continue to advise the student on how to implement findings from the research report, of think about the next steps to advance research and disseminate. Students, if appropriate are encouraged to consider presenting at conferences, publishing in newspapers, journals and conference papers.
• #27: Slides 28-29 - 12.25-12.35 (10 mins) Siobhan
• #28: Siobhan: This slide highlights EU Horizon2020 grand social challenges. These might assist you while deliberating on an issue.
• #29: Slides 30-36 12.35- 13.45 (10 mins) Jamie: Now we will look at curriculum design - an essential process to consider when implementing CBR CBL to your curriculum.
• #30: Jamie: How best to ‘fit’ a community engaged learning experience within the curriculum is one of the many practical issues which exercise aspiring and experienced embedders of civic engagement: This first slides looks at adapting an existing module. This is what most people are recommended to try at first – to take something and tweak it, something that you feel already would be appropriate for an activity that could involve working with the community.
• #31: Jamie: Another option Is to offer students an elective module - that is an entire module as a segment dedicated to a CBR CBL activity.
• #32: Jamie: The other option is to introduce a new mandatory Module that students must complete. The development of explicitly identified community engaged modules – as either elective or mandatory – have become more common in Irish higher education in recent years. Whether participation in community engaged learning is optional or mandatory for students is a key decision.
• #33: Jamie: The generic standalone (elective/core) module- A range of programmes are offered. It is trickier to do, but more people can get involved. The development of a standalone generic module, available to students across the institution is another design option (4), where it can feature as a credit bearing component on a range of different programmes. Standalone generic modules are often closely associated with fostering students’ personal and professional development and promoting generic skills such as leadership, planning and communication skills associated with employability as well as citizenship.
• #34: Jamie: With a growing emphasis on multi-disciplinary learning and calls for courses that encourage co-operative learning, CBL offers unparalleled opportunities, such as integrating community-based research and learning across two or more modules. Here opportunities can be designed in partnership with community, to combine the knowledge and skills of students (and staff) from more than one discipline with local community knowledge. While inevitably this approach is more challenging to organise, the rewards can be substantial for all concerned.
• #35: Jamie: The final option is to infuse the practice and theory of cbr and cbl across the entire curriculum.
• #36: Slides 35- 38 - 13.45-12.55 (10 mins) Jamie: Experiential learning is the essence of CBR CBL and is the greatest value in the student learning experience. Lets now look at what these learning may incorporate
• #37: Jamie: Learning outcomes should be achievable, observable…..
• #38: Jamie: Some of you may already be familiar with Bloom’s taxonomy wheel and various learning outcomes … This diagram is available on our resources page and links verbs with learning and teaching activities / assessments and graduate attributes. It will be useful to you in deciding what are the main learning outcomes you want to achieve. Considering the listed learning outcomes on the slide projected – take a moment to think about which are most relevant and need to be included into your module?
• #39: Jamie:
• #40: Siobhan – slides on CSO perspective
• #41: Slides 40; 12.55-13.05
• #42: Slides 41-42 – 13.05- 13.15 Jamie: we will now introduce you to designing a method for student assessment.
• #43: Jamie: There are a number of decisions you need to think about. What type of strategy will you apply? What techniques will you use? How many? How should elements be weighted For each assessment technique its important to consider the criteria you will use, will this element be graded or not, what are the criteria for community engagement? Name who should be involved in assessment. Can you bring in the CSO to support this process, peers?Should the work be individually assessed or as a group? How will you get the student to reflect on the experience?
• #44: Kate: Congratulations you have completed the workshop. Special thanks to Jamie and Siobhan We encourage you to use the campus engage website to access al the materials referenced through out
• #45: Kate If you’re interested in taking part in a future one day Campus Engage Kickstart workshop please Email: info@campusengage.ie