community engagement dr dolina - day 1 - session2

2nd ConferenceNational Authority

for Qualifications & Quality Assurance

of Education & Training

FEB 2013

© The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speaker’s, and not the NAQQAET

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: THE NEGLECTED PILLAR IN HIGHER EDUCATION?

Dolina Dowling

AGENDA




FEB 2013


1. Higher education and its role in society

2. Community engagement and 1st cycle audits/reviews in three countries

3. Key issues – conceptual clarity, institutionalization

4. What is community engagement?5. Elements of effective

institutionalization6. Benefits to stakeholders7. Conclusion

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HIGHER EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

‘…higher education has the social responsibility to advance our understanding of multifaceted issues, which involve social, economic, scientific and cultural dimensions and our ability to respond to them.’

‘ Higher education institutions, through their core functions (research, teaching and service to the community) …, should increase their interdisciplinary focus and promote critical thinking and active citizenship.

2009 World Conference on Higher Education: The New Dynamics of Higher Education and Research For Societal Change and Development (UNESCO, Paris, 5 – 8 July 2009)

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Higher education can encourage an active citizenry through effective implementation of the

third pillar: community engagement

‘There is little hope for education reform unless a strong synergy emerges between education providers

and local communities’ (UNDP, 2002).

‘…need to harness university education and research to specific economic and social objectives’(OECD,

2000)

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Encouraging active citizens through lens of findings of institutional quality reviews (audits) in three developing countries

All have high youth population and concerned with socio-economic development

Bahrain, Oman, South Africa

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1ST CYCLE OF INSTITUTIONAL AUDITS/REVIEWS 2008+ IN THREE COUNTRIES

HEIs responsible for quality assurance themselvesFormative rather than summative judgmentsTwo purposes: public accountability; developmental All three QA agencies have community engagement as a topic/criterion/theme

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN 3 COUNTRIES

External quality assurance

frameworks

Institutional review/audit

findings

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: OMANIndustry and Community Engagement

‘all types of communities external to HEI and with which it has, or ought to have, a relationship’

Industry and community engagement planning and managementRelations with industry and employersRelationships with professionsRelationships with other education providersRelationships with alumniRelations with the community at large

Oman Academic Accreditation Authority (OAAA): Quality Audit Manual – Institutional Accreditation: Stage 1 (2008) pp.25-26

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: SOUTH AFRICA

Criteria for Institutional Audits 2004 (Pretoria: CHE)www.che.ac.za/documents/d000061/(Accessed 17.January.2013)

CRITERION 18Quality-related arrangements for community engagement are formalised and integrated with those for teaching and learning, where appropriate, and are adequately resourced and monitored.In order to meet this criterion, the following are examples of what would be expected:

(I)Policies and

procedures for the quality

management of community

engagement.

(ii) Integration of policies and

procedures for community

engagement with those for teaching and learning and research, where

appropriate.

(iii) Adequate resources

allocated to facilitate quality

delivery in community

engagement.

(iv)Regular review of the effectiveness of quality-related arrangements for

community engagement.

http://www.che.ac.za/documents/d000061/

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: BAHRAIN

(Indicator 25) ‘The institution has defined the way in which it will serve and engage with local national and regional communities.’

The institution has a statement or policies on community engagement, outreach and/or service.

Community service and engagement is taken into account in academic promotion criteria and reflected in other institutional policies.

The institution has identified staff with specific responsibilities for interaction with relevant external groups and communities.

The institution records examples of community engagement, outreach or service.

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FINDINGS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: OMAN - FIRST CYCLE INSTITUTIONAL AUDITS 2008-2011

24% - commendations – efforts to engage

community at large

60% - recommendations

- planning and management

Ad hoc activities undertaken (as

found in reports of other agencies)

31 Institutions audited and reports were published.25 audited between 2008-2011.

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FINDINGS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: SOUTH AFRICA FIRST CYCLE INSTITUTIONAL AUDITS 2004-2011

http://www.che.ac.za/instaudited/reports(Accessed 14 January 2013)

34 audits:

23 public HEIs with 22 reports published

10 private HEIs

one international

audit

41% - recommendations - need to develop a conceptual framework

32% - commendations – mainly for institutionalized community engagement activities

http://www.che.ac.za/instaudited/reports

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FINDINGS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: BAHRAIN

Typical recommendation

HERU recommends that XXX develop a conceptual framework, policies and implementation mechanisms that enables the coordination, management and monitoring of its community engagement activities.http//www.qaa.edu.bh Accessed 28 December 2012)

14 institutions reviewed and reports published

14 institutions (ALL) received recommendations with respect to

community engagement (17 in total)

4 Commendations between 2 institutions

http://www.qaa.edu.bh/

http://www.qaa.edu.bh/

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BAHRAIN: INSTITUTIONAL FOLLOW-UP REVIEWS 2011-2013

Verify the progress institutions have made in meeting the recommendations given in the original review report11 of 12 follow-ups reviews undertaken with 10 reports published*

50% of institutions had made adequate progress on community engagement

* Two private higher education institutions closing down and in teach-out phase

Preparation for review

Site visit

Report published

Improvement Plan

Follow-up review

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KEY CHALLENGES

Conceptual clarity

Institutionalization

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WHAT DOES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEAN?

Amorphous term - means different things to different people/institutions

Does not help to break term into its constituent parts - each word is open to multiple meanings and is context dependent

Hall (Kagisano No.6 2010: 2)

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AS A RESULT

Simple conjoining of the two words will not be of use in determining the notion of ‘community engagement’ in general, and in higher education context in particular.

Rather

needs to be treated as a formal and unique concept when referred to as one of core functions of a university

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ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

Deliberate in many quality assurance frameworks not to define the term – as NAQQAET did - but to keep it open to allow for differentiation and diversity in the higher education sector

Institutions need to contextualize for themselves what community engagement means for them in the light of their vision and mission, program qualification mix, research, and resources. Furthermore, they need to assure an organizational fit.

(Longxa 2010, Singh 2007, Lange, 2008)

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WORKING USE OF ‘COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT’

Broad interrelated

set of practices and philosophies

– that includes but is not limited

to:

service-learning

civic engagement

experiential education

public scholarship

participatory action research

community–based researchⁱ

All of which leads to the ‘public good’ⁱThe Engaged Campus (eds. Dan W. Butin & Scott Seider (2012) Palgrave MacMillan: New York) (p1)

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MULTIPLE AND DIVERSE WAYS IN WHICH AN INSTITUTION CAN CONCEPTUALIZE, OPERATIONALIZE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTImportant to integrate into other core functions

Teaching and Learning

Community

Engagement

Research

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ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONALIZATION

Integrate into mission and vision, strategic objectives, operational plan

• Mission• Strategic objectives• Goals• Operational plan• Implementation• Monitoring• Review

Integrate into teaching and learning, research and administrative structures

Identify champions to ensure support across institution

Provide professional development opportunities

Integrate into faculty promotion

Provide student orientation

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SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS

Formalized egalitarian partnerships with identified communitiesJoint planningClear definitions of roles and responsibilitiesRegular reporting and evaluation Mutually beneficial

Sustainability

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BENEFITS TO STAKEHOLDERS

Students• Enriched learning experience• Opportunities for interdisciplinary learning• Problem solving• Critical thinking• Expanded understanding of societal challenges and rewards of working in a community• Understand link between learning, scholarship ,and educated active citizenry

Faculty• Application of knowledge to community problems creates greater understanding of societal

challenges• Lead to production of new knowledge, innovation• Opportunity to see your discipline in new way• See public relevance of their discipline• Involvement in inter-disciplinary projects

Community

• Two-way flow of knowledge and expertise facilitates problem solving• Provision of knowledge and resources to address local needs

Institutions

• Enhanced reputation within community, and higher education sector

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CONCLUSION

A clear conceptualization, development and implementation of community engagement that has its basis in mutual respect and trust between all stakeholders will contribute to a flourishing and prosperous citizenry.