Public engagement at Oregon State University is collaboration between OSU and its larger community for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership and reciprocity. This process of co-creation has the potential for broader impacts, benefitting society or advancing desired societal outcomes.
According to the Carnegie Foundation, “Engagement is the partnership of college and university knowledge and resources with those of the public and private sectors to enrich scholarship, research, and creative activity; enhance curriculum, teaching and learning; prepare educated, engaged citizens; strengthen democratic values and civic responsibility; address critical societal issues; and contribute to the public good.”
Community encompasses stakeholders internal and external to academia, including students, the general public, private industry, government, and non-profit organizations.
Scholarship of public engagement
The scholarship of public engagement refers to:
- A host of evidence-based practices cutting across disciplinary boundaries and teaching, research, and public engagement functions.
- Intentional efforts to connect knowledge generated through faculty activity directly to the public in ways that collaboratively address social issues and community needs.
- Concerns and sharing of impacts on multiple platforms to diverse audiences.
It is a process by which scholars communicate to and work both for and with communities. It is reciprocal and mutually beneficial.
As an R1 land-grant university and primary anchor institution for the state, Oregon State University is committed to its tripartite mission of research, teaching, and public engagement. Although public engagement at land-grant universities was once viewed as limited to, or the sole responsibility of, the cooperative extension system, the most recent OSU strategic plan:
- Highlight the importance of broadening “our distinction in collaborative, team-based and solutions-oriented work” (p.3).
- This is evident in the updated goals to be a university “focused on big discoveries that drive big solutions” and “that fuels a thriving world” (p.4).
Framework
The original collective impact framework (Kania & Kramer, 2011) is criticized as being transactional and top-down (Wolff, 2016), notably oversimplified and lacking a true collaborative approach. In response, Cabaj and Weaver (2016) proposed a reframing of the five conditions of collective impact, whereby community engagement is central.
To that end, Oregon State University has adopted a framework for the scholarship of public engagement that incorporates the updated conditions of collective impact, integrated across four key constructs – Partnerships, Pedagogy, Practice, Publishing -- guiding the work of faculty, staff, and students.
This framework is not intended to be a comprehensive explanation of community-engaged scholarship, but rather a guide for individuals and teams seeking to incorporate best practices, identify common metrics, and contribute to a shared narrative of broader impacts.
Framework for the scholarship of public engagement description
The framework starts with community aspirations, which are developing outcomes based on community values that charge collaborators to find common ground. This influences the outer circle of the framework:
- Creating environments for change: Creating support systems that promote diversity, challenging conversations and innovation.
- High-leverage activities: Stretching beyond collaboration to strategies focused on high leverage opportunities for change.
- Authentic community engagement: Mobilizing stakeholders, building trust, and structuring meaningful meetings and work.
- Strategic learning and shared metrics: Incorporating intentional design inclusive instruction and shared measurements.
These in turn influence the core public engagement constructs:
- Partnerships (for the public good)
- Pedagogy (that is creative and adaptable)
- Practice (that is collaborative and participatory)
- Publishing (diverse products, including nontraditional paths)
In the end, the framework influences broader impacts, incorporating the potential to advance knowledge and contribute to societal outcomes.
Public engagement constructs
Partnerships
Public engagement should be conducted for the good of the public, in a way that leverages the knowledge and experience while respecting the needs and concerns of all parties involved. Partnerships take time and intentionality, with the ultimate goal of trust, shared aspirations, and mutual benefit.
Pedagogy
Public engagement should be adaptable to many different programs and projects, providing faculty with more room to creatively explore nontraditional scholarship in a traditional academic environment.
Practice
Public engagement should be a democratic practice because it is often collaborative, participatory, and characterized by knowledge sharing between academic and community partners.
Publishing
Public engagement should result in diverse products (including reports, exhibits, installations, clinical service procedures, programs, events, court briefings, and legislation) and embrace multiple career paths because publicly engaged scholars should be encouraged to have their own agency and the flexibility to explore nontraditional paths to community engagement.
This framework is intended to complement the Continuum of Engagement Matrix, which offers examples of teaching, research, and outreach along a range of interventions. This is not a comprehensive list of activities and methods by which to engage. It is expected that faculty, teams, departments and colleges will identify additional, relevant examples and operationalize engagement to complement their existing strategic goals.
(Adapted from the International Association for Public Participation IAP2 and Colorado State University.)
Teaching
- Guest speaker
- Conference/workshop presentation
- Media interview
- Translational publication for a lay audience
Research/creative activity
- Stakeholder analyses
- Secondary data research
- Contributing expertise to a community research project
Outreach
- Expert testimony
- Responding to citizen inquiries
- Media posts
- Transactional sharing of information
Value to the University
- Dissemination of work to a broader audience
Value to the Community
- Access to new information that can be applied to a need problem, or opportunity
Teaching
- Field experiences (including experiential learning)
- Workshop addressing a community need
- Connecting students with stakeholders
Research/creative activity
- Case studies
- Community needs assessment / asset inventory
- Utilizing community feedback
Outreach
- Consulting
- Diagnostic / clinical service
- Advisory boards
- Technical assistance
Value to the University
- Work takes on new meaning as resolution of community issues / needs becomes priority
Value to the Community
- Access to new information that can be applied to a need problem, or opportunity
- Improved knowledge, recommendations, and outcomes
- Mutual respect, demonstrated and sustained
- Enhanced resources from sharing
- Discovery of new funding opportunities
Teaching
- Service learning
- Applied internships
- Field experiences
- Managed learning environments (e.g., museums, libraries)
Research/creative activity
- Citizen science
- Convening stakeholders on a research issue
- Demonstration projects
Outreach
- Serving as information professional
- Relationships with industry/company boards
- Including community partners in university committees
Value to the University
- Work is more practical, applicable, impactful
- New tools learned/developed
- Community relationship strengthened
Value to the Community
- Access to new information that can be applied to a need problem, or opportunity
- Improved knowledge, recommendations, and outcomes
- Mutual respect, demonstrated and sustained
- Enhanced resources from sharing
- Discovery of new funding opportunities
Teaching
- Industry challenge-focused course
- Real-world class projects
- Co-teaching with community partners
Research/creative activity
- Cooperation with community partners to identify research priorities
- Joint problem-solving initiatives
- Partnership for program evaluations
Outreach
- Influencing policy/legislation
- Hosting national associations/societies
- Long-term commitment to working with an organization
Value to the University
- Community-based knowledge/skills complement work
- New solutions discovered
- Students gain practical experience
Value to the Community
- New perspectives
- Capacity-building
- Empowered communities
- Enhanced trust for university
Teaching
- Co-development of programs/courses with community partners, students
- Coordination of community-led teaching
Research/creative activity
- Community science
- Community-based participatory research
- Community partners as co-authors/co-presenters
- Co-founding a venture with community partners
Outreach
- Partnerships with national associations
- Higher ed consortia
- Co-hosted seminars, events for community partners
Value to the University
- New methods of knowledge generation
- New/unexpected opportunities and resources
- University has a role within the larger ecosystem
Value to the Community
- New perspectives
- Capacity-building
- Empowered communities
- Enhanced trust for university