Community Engaged Learning and Research Dr Catherine Bates TU - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Community Engaged Learning and Research

Dr Catherine Bates TU Dublin

Content of presentation

►Introduction, definition, framework –

Responsible Research + Innovation

►Student benefits ►Discussion ►Community and staff benefits ►Projects, and supports, in TU Dublin ►Things to think about when getting started ►Discussion ►Resources

What is community-engaged learning and research?

► Also known as service-learning, Science Shop,

Responsible Research and Innovation.

► Staff/students collaborate with underserved

community partners (local groups, not-for-profit

• rganisations, etc) to develop real-life course-

based projects/research for mutual benefit.

► University of Zagreb vision and mission:

►Professional work ►Development of regional and local communities ►Development of personality

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) – a new framework for engaged research

In a nutshell:

►Solving real-world problems collaboratively ►Research and innovation (including applied

research) addressing research questions from society

►Collaborations between researchers, civil

society organisations (CSOs), policymakers, statutory bodies and/or industry at all stages of the research process

Why RRI? UN Sustainable Development Goals EU Grand Societal Challenges

http:/

www.un.org/sustainable development

RRI Tools: RRI Process

requirements

https://www.rri- tools.eu/documents/10184/107098/D 1.3_QualityCriteriaGoodPracticeStand ards.pdf/ca4efe26-6fb2-4990-8dde- fe3b4aed1676

Sustainability Social Justice

Pink Additions: https://publications.europa.eu/en/pu blication-detail/- /publication/306a7ab4-f3cb-46cb- b675-9697caf5df19/language-en

Students and community engagement

Volunteering Community-engaged learning/research Industrial placement Community benefit Mutual benefit Student benefit

From Andy Furco

►Manufacturing design engineering

students developed designs for modified water pumps

►Computing students worked on

computing solutions in Malawi, e.g. school records

►Digital marketing students

developed e-zine + website

Example: Wells For Zoe

►Students worked on projects suggested by

the Irish-run charity based in Malawi, which supports communities with wells for water, early education, farming and employment.

How do students benefit?

► Learning comes alive ► Work with real-world partners ► Apply developing subject skills ► Receive course credits ► Develop essential transferrable

skills – CV

► Learn from and with

communities

► Increase social awareness, SDGs ► High impact activity (Kuh) –

graduate attributes

Enhancing Responsible Research and Innovation through Curricula in Higher education (EnRRICH)

Fostering RRI in higher education curricula is about equipping learners to care for the future by means of responsive stewardship of scientific and innovation practices that address the grand challenges of our time in a collaborative, ethical and sustainable way

Enhancing Responsible Research and Innovation through Curricula in Higher Education (EnRRICH) project. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 665759.

www.enrrich.eu

The EnRRICH Tool – a framework for community engagement in the curriculum

http://www.livingknowledge.org/fileadmin/Dateien-Living- Knowledge/Dokumente_Dateien/EnRRICH/D2.3_The_EnRRICH_Tool_for_Educators.pdf

The EnRRICH Tool.

Framework for RRI in Higher Education: Design Principles for RRI for learners

• Principle of ‘Education for Society’
• Principle of ‘Education with Society’
• Principle of ‘Whole Person Education’

http://www.livingknowledge.org/fileadmin/Dateien-Living- Knowledge/Dokumente_Dateien/EnRRICH/D2.3_The_EnRRICH_Tool_for_Educators.pdf

EnRRICH RRI competence framework

http://www.livingknowledge.org/fileadmin/Dateien-Living- Knowledge/Dokumente_Dateien/EnRRICH/D2.3_The_EnRRICH_Tool_for_Educators.pdf

Learning Outcomes

http://www.livingknowledge.org/fileadmin/Dateien-Living- Knowledge/Dokumente_Dateien/EnRRICH/D2.3_The_EnRRICH_Tool_for_Educators.pdf

Over to you - exchange ideas

►What resonates with you? ►Do you notice any resistance? ►What questions does this provoke?

How do communities benefit?

►Collaborative learning with staff/students

– energising and builds networks

►Project has usable end-product

(eg research report, designs)

►Students as role models for HE ►Opportunity to educate future

professionals about community, and influence curriculum

►Influence research agenda,

address local/societal issues/SDGs

How do staff benefit?

►Makes teaching more

interesting, meaningful, relevant and engaging

►Deepens staff-student

connections and understanding of student learning styles

►Greater sense of

connection to other staff and the institution, and to communities

How does the HEI benefit?

►Increased retention rates ►Marketing - enhances

attractiveness of programmes – development of professional skills, CV

►Increased relevance and responsiveness:

input, ideas and expertise from NGOs, communities, society

►Third mission - engagement (‘development

• f regional and local communities’) + SDGs

►EU research funding

• Knowledge exchange and co-creation
• Collaboration for mutual learning
• Combined energy to work for social change

Mutual benefits:

Activity in TU Dublin 2018/19

►>1100 students (average 1,000+ a year) ►>60 community partners ►>50 academic staff ►>40 modules and programmes ►Undergrad. and postgrad. ►1 in 3 full-time undergrad programmes

• Final year electronic engineering

student developed a system to monitor the distance between cars when stopped (tailgating)

Multi-disciplinary project: College Awareness of Road Safety

►Students from across colleges and years

collaborating on College Awareness of Road Safety (CARS) project. Presentation evening and competition every year

Local community project: Grangegorman Lifeline and Community Garden(ing) Project

► Urban regeneration: how to maximise

the potential of urban green areas, including community gardening around a disused railway line – for health, recreation, transport, biodiversity, education, tourism etc

► Chemistry students working on creating

soap from waste food carrier oils

► Architectural technology students

worked on designs for structures

Individual CERL projects

► Product Design students work with Enable

Ireland to produce concept designs for assistive technology – including a PhD project

► Electrical Engineering students work with

children to teach them lego robotics programming, then host Robosumo competition

► Business students work with Recycle IT, who

recycle waste electrical goods, to create a simulation of the recycling process to see how they can increase efficiencies

► Maths students analyse datasets

provided by partners

CERL projects in TU Dublin

► Computing: students co-design apps/assistive

technology with end-users in St John of God community services – eg app to manage logins.

► Electrical Engineering: Final year student worked

with Camphill Community to develop a quiet motorised roller blind for colour therapy room

► Manufacturing and design engineering students

designed variations on bicycles with Bridge Project that could be used for micro-enterprises – eg mobile barber

► Culinary arts students developed a

template to assess the sustainability of products, with a local Food Cooperative

Where did we come from?

► Aug 2008, end of 3 year pilot - Community

Learning Project under the faculty of Tourism and Food (funded by Department

• f Community, Rural and Gaeltacht

Affairs).

► Sept 2008, start of second 3 year pilot -

Students Learning With Communities, under Community Links, operating across all faculties (funded by SIF II).

Based in Access and Civic Engagement Office

► Working in partnership - with underserved

communities and individuals; with colleagues; with students.

► Enhancing teaching and learning: supporting

diversity in the classroom; building community engagement into modules

► Supporting research: co-creation and exchange

• f knowledge in collaboration with partners, and

lobbying for change

What do we do?

►Meet, support and bring together

lecturers/students/communities

►Provide training for lecturers (eg PG Diploma) ►Develop new and existing relationships with

community groups

►Collaborate with other universities ►Develop resources (e.g. website) ►Raise awareness of project within TU Dublin

and externally

►Collaborate internationally on

research (H2020), publish on work

CERL and EU research

► EU Framework 7/H2020 Science with and for

Society funding to enhance CERL across EU.

► Public Engagement with Research and Research

Engagement with Society (PERARES) project 2010- 14, coordinated by Groningen University, NL.

► Enhancing RRI in Curricula in Higher Education

(EnRRICH) Project 2015-18, coordinated by Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.

► Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership funding: ► Curriculum Innovation through Research with

Communities: Learning Circles of Educators and Technology (CIRCLET) project 2019-22, coordinated by Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

Postgraduate CER Module

► Module is designed for use across all

programmes

► 5/10 ECTS module resulting in a small CER

project

► Gives students who want to take this approach

for their major project a grounding in the method

► Details available on PERARES project pages on

Living Knowledge website.

Support and networking in TU Dublin

► Networking events: over lunch,

to explore and energise; half day workshops

► Annual summerschool – 2010

inaugural event – in early years.

► Annual showcase(s) of

projects, and annual awards, including President’s Community Fellowships

Getting started – for the university

►Need to map existing activity across

college – collect quantitative and qualitative data – use to lobby for policy

►Support at high level is crucial -

encourages lecturers to get involved

►Time allowance/seed funding/recognition

to encourage lecturers

►Central coordinating person

(part time initially)

Making the policy case – a practical guide

https://www.livingknowledge.org/fileadmin/Dateien-Living-Knowledge/Library/Project_reports/PERARES_Practical_guide_to_developing_policy_and_strategy_D7.1_Nov_2013.pdf

Principle approved by Senior Leadership Team of allocating additional time on timetable where lecturers are enhancing delivery of learning outcomes by incorporating community engagement projects in modules. And see what else you can use to make the case – internally and with external funders!

Getting started - for academics designing CERL projects:

►

What are your module learning outcomes?

►

Who could be a suitable community partner; what might they want to achieve?

►

How will the students actually do the CERL work – to develop the competencies?

►

What additional skills will they need – eg group work, reflective writing, wiki training?

►

How will you assess it?

►

How will you evaluate it?

Over to you – think quickly and exchange ideas

►What practical next step could you take to

progress CERL?

►Who could you talk to? ►What might you suggest? ►How can you best make your case – why

would/should they support you in this?

Some useful resources

►http://www.dit.ie/ace/slwc/imalecturerwher

edoistart/

►http://www.dit.ie/ace/slwc/imalecturerwher

edoistart/usefulresources/

►https://www.dit.ie/ace/studentslearningwith

communities/wherecanireadmoreaboutstude ntslearningwithcommunities/

Further resources

►Report on the first 3 years’ activities of

Students Learning With Communities: https://arrow.dit.ie/comlinkrep/1

►Living Knowledge Network – toolkits, science

shop contacts: www.livingknowledge.org

►EnRRICH policy briefs + tool:

www.enrrich.eu

►Campus Engage ‘how to’ guides, policy brief

etc: www.campusengage.ie

Here we are!

Students Learning With Communities Access and Civic Engagement Office TU Dublin Grangegorman Lower, Dublin 7 Tel: + 353 1 402 7616 Email: slwc@tudublin.ie www.dit.ie/ace/slwc Twitter: @slwctudublin