Frequently Asked Questions



What is higher education community engagement?

‘Higher education community/public engagement’ describes partnerships between universities and members of the public, schools and the wider community.

The community in question could be geographic (e.g. the community local to the university, a village in Kenya) or a community of interest (e.g. disabled people, refugees). This proactive ‘community/public engagement’ and ‘outreach’ work, which takes place locally, nationally and internationally, complements universities’ primary contribution to society – their teaching and research. Higher education community engagement embraces the following activities:

  • Educational projects such as sessions for schools and colleges, subject-specific road-shows, science festivals, public lectures, radio shows, museums and collections, online resources, and courses for adults.
  • Musical performances and theatre organised by a university for the public to enjoy.
  • Fundraising activities and donations to charity made by universities and their students or staff.
  • Goods and facilities lent to community organisations or opened to the community.
  • Student-run projects for members of the community particularly those facing social, cultural, economic and/or educational barriers, for example Student Action for Refugees.
  • Work experience and placements in the University for people of many ages and backgrounds, including those with learning difficulties.
  • Staff and students volunteering for a huge range of activities, from mentoring homeless people to giving talks in schools.

It is worth noting that there is no consensus on what this type of activity should be called, and what exactly terms such as ‘community engagement’, ‘public engagement’ or ‘outreach’ encompass.


Why do community engagement?

Community engagements should be mutually beneficial equal partnerships between communities and universities.

Universities have a vested interest in these community activities because they:

  • Lead to new opportunities for learning and research;
  • Communicate universities’ work to the public;
  • Develop and maintain good relationships with the communities in which they live and work;
  • Provide learning and personal development and enrichment opportunities for students and staff;
  • Encourage applications to university from under-represented groups;
  • Contribute to the local economy and increase social cohesion and active citizenship, with the practical benefits they bring to universities;
  • Improve recruitment, retention and diversification of students and staff.

Community engagement benefits individuals and organisations in the community in many ways, including by:

  • Facilitating the utilisation of University resources, skills, research and expertise by members of the public.
  • Encouraging members of the public to be aware and take advantage of the educational opportunities available to them.
  • Providing community organisations with a source of labour and expertise.

What is the Higher Education Community Engagement Model?

A set of tailored tools which enable Higher and Further (?) Education institutions to measure the costs and benefits of their community engagement activities.


Why was it developed?

Its origins

The Higher Education Community Engagement Model was developed by twelve Russell Group universities in conjunction with The Corporate Citizenship Company (TCCC). The Model aims to capture activities conducted in the community by universities, which are in addition to their core functions of teaching and research.

Piloted development

The participating universities recently piloted the Model and commissioned an evaluation to enable the institutions involved to reflect on their experiences in a detailed and structured manner and to identify areas for future development. The result was the User Guide and Information Pack (web ref), which offers institutions wishing to adopt/adapt the model a step by step introduction to its implementation.

How does it work?

Tools and support materials

The User Guide, Information Pack and associated spreadsheets for data collection and analysis are freely available to institutions wishing to apply the model to their community engagement activities

Cost/time commitment

There is no cost to access the User Guide, Information Pack and associated spreadsheets. The resource implications are related to the cost of staff time to scope and conduct the survey. Further costs may also be incurred when disseminating the findings from the survey, for example through the publication of a Community Engagement Annual report.

Outputs

Those taking part in the pilot of the model said that its strength was that it offered:

  • A tool for systematic monitoring, which in turn can be used to inform strategic planning.
  • Hard evidence for senior mangers to demonstrate the value of community.
  • Public relations and marketing opportunities.
Sharing Good practice and Benchmarking opportunities

The model has been designed to offer a framework for institutions to compare their findings and thus use it as a benchmarking tool. The model has not been used in this way through its piloting, as the emphasis was on developing a model and sharing lessons learnt from its implementation. It is worth noting that although the Model offers a framework for sharing data, it is also a flexible tool reliant on local application. Any benchmarking project would require extra scoping work conducted to ensure that comparisons are made ‘like for like’ - as it is commonly stated with benchmarking methodologies, comparing ‘apples with apples, not apples with pears’. Alternatively institutions could agree to share key headline findings and share good practice about how these points will influence service delivery in the future.


What next?

How to access the model?

The model and User Guide, Information Pack and associated spreadsheets can be accessed for free from this website.

What support is available?

Consultancy support can be offered for one to two days to help with the scoping of implementing the model, for more information contact:

Cathy Bonner
Bonner Associates
Mobile: 07980 008094
Email: cathy@shannon-weaver.co.uk