Understanding Perceptions of University of Delaware’s ......PUBLICATION T20-014 JULY 2020...

PUBLICATION T20-014 JULY 2020

Understanding Perceptions of University of Delaware’s Community Engagement: Feedback from Students

Authors: Allison Karpyn, PhD

Kathleen McCallops, MS Henry Wolgast Tara Tracy, BS

Iyanna McCoy, BS Nicole Miller

Center for Research in Education and Social Policy/ of 35

CRESP is committed to addressing education and social policy challenges with rigorous, relevant research. The Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) within the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware conducts rigorous research, program evaluation, and policy analysis to help policymakers and practitioners in education, community health and human services determine which policies and programs are most promising to improve outcomes for children, youth, adults and families.

Founded in 2013, CRESP recognizes that poverty, educational achievement, and chronic disease prevention are intertwined in a complex social web that challenges communities and policymakers alike. CRESP’s mission, values, and scientific priorities seek to inform program and policy development across local, state, and federal levels. We work alongside program professionals, academic leaders, and students to foster engagement in high-quality, practice-driven research and evaluation. CRESP researchers are trained in evaluation methodology, randomized field experiments, natural experiments, qualitative methods, statistical analysis, mixed-method evaluation and survey research.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions about us or our research. Center for Research in Education and Social Policy University of Delaware Pearson Hall, Suite 107 125 Academy Street Newark, DE 19716 [email protected] (302) 831-2928

cresp.udel.edu Twitter: @udcresp

CRESP Leadership Team Henry May, Director ([email protected]) Allison Karpyn, Senior Associate Director ([email protected]) Sue Giancola, Senior Associate Director ([email protected]) Jeff Klein, Associate Director ([email protected])

Suggested Citation Karpyn, A., McCallops, K., Wolgast, H., Tracy, T., McCoy, I., & Miller, N. (July 2020). Understanding

Perceptions of University of Delaware’s Community Engagement: Feedback from Students (T20-014). Newark, DE: Center for Research in Education and Social Policy.


UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTIONS OF UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE’S COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: FEEDBACK FROM STUDENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Inresponsetocurrenteffortstomeasureandunderstandcommunityengagement,the

CommunityEngagementInitiative(CEI)attheUniversityofDelaware(UD)developedopen-source,communityengagementsurveytoolstocollectdataregardingcommunityengagementacrossthreekeystakeholdergroups:(1)students,(2)facultyandstaff,and(3)communitypartners.Developmentofthesurveytoolswasdrivenbycreationofalogicmodel,incorporationofothermodelsandsurveys,andconsiderationofoverarchinggoals(e.g.,creatingmutuallybeneficialtiesbetweeninstitutionsandcommunities).Thisreportpresentsdata,collectedintheFallof2019,fromthefacultyandstaffsurvey,whichincludedbothquantitativeandqualitativequestions.

Thefollowingarethemajorquantitativefindingsofthestudentsurvey:

• 86%reportedthatequitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestotheircommunitywork.

• 87%statedthatUDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.

• 89%agreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.

• 86%reportedthatUDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinthestate.

• 86%statedthatcommunity-mindedstudentsaresupportedbyUDfaculty.

Thefollowingarethemajorqualitativefindingsofthestudentsurvey:

• StudentsoftenreportedonthestrengthsofUD’scommunityengagementefforts,suchasexamplesofhowUDactivelyengageswiththesurroundingcommunity.

• Inaddition,studentsidentifiedweaknessesofandbarrierstocommunityengagementatUD,suchaslackoftransportation,livingoff-campus/farawayfromcampus,andlackofadvertisingcommunityengagementopportunities.

• Furthermore,respondentsprovidedrecommendationstoimprovecommunityengagementatUDbyincreasingawarenessofcurrentinitiativesandincreasingparticipationbyengagingtheentirecampus.

Basedonthesefindings,weproviderecommendationsandreflectionstostrengthenUD’scommunityengagementeffortsaspartofUD’scommitmenttoitsCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachingdesignation:

1. Clarifyandexpandawarenessofwhatcommunityengagementis,whyitisvalued,andhowitcanlookacrosscollegesanddepartments,aswellasstudentgroups,perhapsincludingRegisteredStudentOrganization(RSO)leaderorientation.

2. ConsideracommunityengagementregularfeatureinTheReviewandUDaily.


3. Identifyonecentralweb-basedlocationwherecommunityengagementactivitiesandopportunitiesacrosstheUniversitycanbelocated.

4. Clarifyhowstudentscanworkincoordinationwithandsupportestablishedpartnerships.

5. Re-visitterminologyrelatedtocivicengagement,partnerships,andcommunityengagementtoensureconsistencyinmessagingacrosstheUniversity.

6. Increasetransportationandadditionalaccessibilityresourcestofacilitatestudents’abilitytoparticipateincommunityengagementactivities.

7. Createprofessionaldevelopmentlearningopportunitiesforstudents(i.e.,materialsatorientation),perhapsincoordinationwithRSOleaders,toadvancestudents'understandingofcommunityengagementatUD,suchaswhatthepartnershipsareandhowtobecomeinvolved.


STUDENT – COMMUNITY ENGAGMENT REPORT

INTRODUCTION Measuringthebreadthanddepthofaninstitution’scommunityengagementandthe

efficacyofitscollaborativeeffortsisanessentialtaskforthefutureofcommunityengagement,alsoknownascivicengagement.TheCommunityEngagementInitiative(CEI)attheUniversityofDelaware(UD)hasdevelopedasetoftoolsformeasuringaUniversity’sinstitutionalcommunityengagementacrossthreekeystakeholdergroups:(1)students,(2)facultyandstaff,and(3)communitypartners.Thetoolkitismadeupofalogicmodelandthreedistinctsurveys,oneforeachidentifiedstakeholdergroup.Surveyquestionsaredistinctlymappedfromthelogicmodel’sshort-andlong-termobjectivesforimprovinginstitutionalcapacityforcommunityengagement.AnnualsurveysareelectronicallydistributedtoeachofthestakeholdergroupstoinformandimprovetheUniversity’scommunityengagementefforts.Thistoolkitisthefirstfreelyaccessibleongoingtooltoassessandimproveinstitutionalcommunityengagementandaimstoimprovereciprocallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweeninstitutionsandthecommunitiesinwhichtheyareengaged.

BACKGROUND AND BRIEF HISTORY

Universitiesgloballyareembracingcivicengagementasanimportantcomponentoftheirwork.TheCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachinghasdesignated359outof5,000highereducationinstitutionsintheU.S.ascivicallyengagedorganizations,anumberwhichcontinuestoincrease(AssociationofPublicandLand-grantUniversities,2020).UDwasformallyrecognizedbytheCarnegieFoundationforoutstandingcommunityengagementin2015,1of67publicinstitutionsnationallythatholdthisdesignation.UD’sclassificationwasgarneredbytheCEI,whichseekstoexpandtheUniversity’sroleincultivatingactivecitizensthroughpartnershipsthatimpactcivicneedsandfosteringreciprocallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweentheUniversityandthecommunitieswhereitisengaged.

Yetsucheffortsarenotsimpleundertakings,andtodowell,requiremorethanadefaultdocumentation.Awell-designedassessmentapproachmustclarifypurposeandaims,whileadvancingthequalityoftheeffortalongwithsupportingacommonunderstandingofgoalsandobjectives.Anintegratedapproachtoassessmentisonemechanismtohelpestablishacommondefinitionofsuccess,yetwithsuchoverarchingsubstantialeffortsbeingundertakenacrossstakeholdergroupsincludingstudents,facultyandstaff,andcommunitypartners,viaasimilarbreadthofinterwovenactivitieswhichoverlapacrosstheareasofresearch,teaching,andservice(includingfromacommunitymemberperspective)measuringsucheffortscanbedaunting.


Further,datacanbeutilizedtoservemultiplepurposes,informingnotonlytheCEI’sprogress,butalsosupportinglearningobjectives,researchneedsanddepartmentorcenter-basedevaluationneeds.

UD’scommunityengagementleadersidentifiedoneofthemajorchallengesintransitioningfromcommunityinvolvementtosustainedandvisiblecommunityengagementtobethedevelopmentofastrategicprocessfortheregular,systematicandstandardizedcollectionofinformationoncommunityengagementactivities.Sincethen,theevaluationteamhasdevelopedatoolkitaligningindicatorsandoutcomesfromacomprehensivelogicmodeltoformulatesurveyquestions,identifiedkeysourcesofdatafromwhichprogresscanbemonitoredandtracked,andcollectedsurveydatafromthreekeystakeholdergroupstoinformandimprovetheUniversity’scommunityengagementusingthesesystematicmeasurabletools.

Institutionalcivicengagementisimportantinestablishingmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsbetweenanorganizationandthecommunitywhereitislocated.Establishingmutuallybeneficialrelationshipsrequiresnotonlycontinuedengagementeffortsbutalsocommunitypartners’trustthatinstitutionalpartnershavetheirbestinterestsinmind.Highereducationhaslongbeeninvolvedincommunityengagementeffortsyettherehaslargelybeenalackofsystematic,quantitativeandqualitativeanalysisoftheeffectiveness,coordination,accessibility,andperceptionoftheseefforts.EvaluatinginstitutionalcivicengagementeffortscanimproveUD’scommunityengagementbyprovidingtheCEIandothercivicengagementleaderswithtrendsandanalysisofstakeholders’perceptionsontheeffectiveness,accessibility,andscopeofengagementefforts.

UDhasalongtraditionofcommitmenttocommunityengagedscholarshipthroughapplyingknowledgeandcreativitytochallengesfacingDelawarecommunities.In2013,UD’sCarnegieFoundationTaskForcedesignedandfieldedthefirst-everUDCommunityEngagementSurveytoallfacultyandstaff.Thesewerethefirstresultsleveragedtoimprovetheaccessibilityofcommunityengagementopportunitiesforfacultyandstaff.

In2015,theCarnegieFoundationhonoredUDforitsinstitutionalcommitmenttocommunityengagement.WithinthecontextoftheCarnegieFoundationdesignation,communityengagedresearchhaswidelydefinedthepurposeofcommunityengagementas“thepartnershipofcollegeanduniversityknowledgeandresourceswiththoseofpublicandprivatesectorstoenrichscholarship,research,andcreativeactivity;enhancecurriculum,teachingandlearning,prepareeducated,engagedcitizens;strengthendemocraticvaluesandcivicresponsibility;addresssocietalissues;andcontributetothepublicgood”(CivicEngagementBenchmarkingTaskForce,2005,p.2).

Thefollowingyear,UD’sCEIformedtostrengthencivicengagementacrosstheinstitutionanditspartners.TheinitiativewasformedtostrengthencollaborationbetweenUDanditslargercommunityandindoingsorecognizeandimpactcivicneeds.In2017,CEIheldquarterlyevaluation


meetingstodefinecommunityneedsandidentifycorrespondingdatasources.TheUniversity’sCivicActionPlan,publishedin2017,developedUD’sthreekeypartnershipgroups,thePartnershipforHealthyCommunities,thePartnershipforArtsandCulture,andthePartnershipforPublicEducation.

Inresponsetoacallforongoingmeasurementofinstitutionalengagement,theprocessofdevelopinganevaluationtoolbeganin2018.Thetooldevelopmentconsistedofaseven-stepprocess,furtherdetailedintheMethodssection,resultinginacomprehensivelogicmodel,aligningoutcomesandindicatorsofcommunityengagement,seeFigure1,aswellassurveysforthethreeidentifiedstakeholdergroups.SurveydatacollectedfromUDstudents,facultyandstaff,andcommunitypartnerswasutilizedtodirectlymeasuretheobjectivesidentifiedinthelogicmodel;thoughadditionaldatawasalsocollectedfromotherexistingsources(i.e.,researchandadministrativesources).

Figure1.CommunityEngagementLogicModel

Theauthorsofthisreportintendforthisdatatobeusedwithinthecontextofthelogicmodel,toinformandimprovethecommunityengagementworktomeetUD’sgoalsforitsCEI.Further,thesetoolsweredevelopedtosupportmutuallybeneficialcommunityengagementamongsimilarinstitutions.


METHOD

SURVEY DEVELOPMENT

Surveydevelopmentconsistedofaseven-stepprocesstoensurethatsurveyquestionswerecomprehensive,alignedwithformertools,allwhileremainingsuccincttoincreaseparticipants’responserates.Thefirststepbeganin2018byreviewingallavailablematerialsanddocumentswhichdescribedthepurposeandintentofthecivicengagementworkatUD.ThesetoolsincludedUD’s2017CivicActionPlanaswellasthemissionstatementsandongoingengagementeffortsofpartnershipgroups.Inordertobegingatheringdatathatwouldassessengagementefforts,aninventoryofcommunityengagementeffortsbyfaculty,staff,students,andcommunitypartnerswassimultaneouslyestablishedusingacademiccollegesaskeyinformationproviders.

Asthesecondstepinsurveydevelopment,theresearchteamconductedaliteraturereviewonstrategiesforevaluatinginstitutionalcommunityengagementandbyreviewingtheworkofothercommunity-engagedinstitutions.Whilealimitednumberoftoolswereidentified,thoseresourcesidentifiedwerenotequippedtoassesscommunitypartnerperceptionofinstitutionalengagement.

Thethirdstepinvolvedusingpriortoolsandpartnershipfeedbackasguidestodevelopshort-andlong-termobjectivesofcommunityengagement.Theprocessincludedacommitteeofindividuals,withinputfrompartnershipgroupsoftheCEI,resultinginclearlyarticulatedobjectivesfortheeffortsothattheappropriatedatacouldbeidentifiedandtrendscouldbetracked.Objectiveswerelargelydefinedbyamyriadofdatasourcesandpartnerevaluationsofcommunityneeds.Short-andlong-termobjectiveswereidentifiedthatwouldincreasethecapacityformembersoftheUDcommunitymemberstoparticipateincommunityengagementwithinandbeyondUD’scampus.Theseobjectiveswerethenmappedtolong-termgoalsthatfocusonthecontinualdevelopmentandmeasurementof:(1)high-qualitycommunityengagementactivities;(2)community-engagedscholarshipamongfaculty,staff,students,communitypartners;and(3)improvedwell-beingofUDandthecommunitieswhereitisengaged.Theseobjectivesandgoalswereutilizedtocreatealogicmodel,avisualguidetotheoutlineandtimelineoftheobjectivesandgoalsforcommunityengagement.

Objectivesweremappedtoindicatorsforeachsurveygroup,comprisingthefourthstepinthesurveydevelopmentprocess.WorkingevaluationmeetingsoccurredregularlywitheachofthethreeCEIpartnershipgroups(Education,ArtsandCulture,andCommunityHealth),toclarifyobjectivesandworktowardmeasurable,standardizedindicators.Datacollectionmechanismswereidentifiedtoassesstheseindicators,withthegoalofcapturingexistingdataaswellasunderstandingthebestmechanismsforaccessingexistingdataoncampusandinthecommunity.Surveyquestionsweredevelopedinthefifthstepofsurveydevelopmentthroughbothreviewing


existingtoolsanddevelopinguniquequestionstailoredtoUDandsurroundingcommunities.ThesixthstepinvolvedsurveyquestionreviewbyleadershipatUDacrossallpartnershipteams,andthefinalstepconsistedofquestionpilotingwithasubsetofstudents,faculty,staffandcommunitypartners.Confusingorpotentiallyredundantquestionswereeliminatedorrefined,andthesecondroundofpilotingtookplace.

Thestudentsurveyis28questionsandthreepageslongandcontainsbothqualitativeopen-endedquestionsandquantitativequestions(seeAppendixforentiresurvey).Thestudentsurveyhasthreeprimaryobjectives:(1)understandtheperceivedeasebywhichstudentscanbecomeinvolvedincommunityengagedresearchandscholarship,(2)measurethequantityofexistingopportunitiesforparticipationincommunityengagement,and(3)assessstudentawarenessofspecificactiveinstitutionalcommunityengagementprograms.

SurveydatacollectedfromUDstudentswillbeutilizedtodirectlymeasuretheobjectivesidentifiedinthelogicmodel;thoughadditionaldataisalsocollectedfromotherexistingsources(i.e.,researchandadministrativesources).Withinthecontextofthelogicmodel,thisdatainformsandimprovestheworktomeetUD’sgoalsforitsCEI.Further,wehavedevelopedthetoolswiththeintentionofdissemination,supportingmutuallybeneficialcommunityengagement.

PARTICIPANTS

RespondentswereidentifiedforthestudentsurveyusingUDinternallists.Studentsurveywassenttoallcurrentundergraduateandgraduatestudentsandincludedascreenerquestiontodetermineifparticipantswere18yearsold.Participantswhoindicatedtheywereyoungerthan18wereexcludedfromparticipatinginthesurvey.Sevenpercent(n=1,756)ofstudentsrespondedtothesurvey,though804submittedcompleteresponses.

DatacollectionforthestudentsurveyconsistedofemailcontactandremindersfromUD’sProvost,Dr.RobinMorgan,afterwhichthesurveyremainedopenforapproximatelytwomonths.AllstudentswerecontactedbyProvostMorganinSeptember2019andaskedtoparticipateintherespectivesurveysviaemail.SurveyswerecreatedandadministeredthroughQualtricsandremainedopenfromSeptemberthroughNovember,duringwhichProvostMorganemailedparticipationreminderstothestudentbody.

SURVEY QUESTIONS

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Studentswerenotallowedtocompletetherestofthesurveyiftheyansweredthattheywereunder18.Whilesurveyparticipantsremainedanonymous,studentsrespondedtoaseriesofdemographiccharacteristicquestionswhichprovideinsightintorespondent’sgender,collegeand


departmentalaffiliation,andyearofstudy.Thesequestionswereuniquetothestudentsurvey.Responsesgiveinsightintothegeneraldemographiclandscapeofstudentrespondents.

OVERALL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK

Acrossallthreesurveys,respondentswereaskedtogivearatingona10-pointLikertscalefrom1(poor)to10(excellent)ofUD’scommunityengagementwork,andtheywereaskedtoassesstheirattitudetowardsUD’sworkinthecommunity,whetherithasimproved,declined,orstayedthesame.

THINKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES

Studentswerealsoaskedtoratetheextenttowhichtheywouldagreewith17statementsregardingtheeffectiveness,scope,andcommunicationofcommunityengagementeffortsona4-pointLikertscalefrom1(stronglydisagree)to4(stronglyagree).Thesequestionsgagestudents’perceptionoftheUniversity’scivicengagementwork.Forexample,“Itiseasyformetocompletenecessarypaperworktobecomeapprovedtoparticipateincommunity-basedresearchexperienceswithchildren.(i.e.,criminalbackgroundchecks)”and“IhaveworkedwithacommunitygrouporpartnerwhileatUD”.Manyofthesequestionsarecommonacrossallthreesurveys,allowingforcomparisonbetweengroups.Forexample,“EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork”and“UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware”.

EXTENT OF ENGAGEMENT

Respondentswereaskedfivequestionsabouttheextentofstudents’communityengagementoverthepastyear,requiringrespondentstoquantifythefrequencyoftheircollaborativeefforts(e.g.,“Inthepast12months,howmanypresentationshaveyouattendedregardingcommunityengagedscholarship?”)andthenatureoftheircommunityengagedwork.Inaddition,respondentswereaskedtoquantifythenumberofengagedcoursestheyhavetaken,thenumberofcommunityengagedactivitiestheyhaveparticipatedin,andthenumberofpresentationstheyhavegivenregardingcommunityengagedscholarship.Studentswerealsopromptedtogiveayesornoanswertotheirinvolvementinawidevarietyofcommunityengagedactivitiesavailableonandoffcampus.

DATA ANALYSIS

QuantitativedatawereanalyzedusingSPSSv26.Descriptivestatisticswereusedtodescribethebasicfeaturesofthedataandprovidesummariesoftherangeofvariablesexamined.Initialcodesweredevelopedbyreadingasubsampleofresponsesandusingline-by-linecoding,andcodescontinuedtobedevelopedandrefinedthroughoutthecodingprocess.Inordertoimproveinter-raterreliabilityandensurecodingaccuracyamongallthreecoders,codesweregiven


anexplicitdefinition.Allcodingdiscrepancieswerediscussedamongallthreecodersandwereresolvedbyreachingaconsensus.SalientthemesareprovidedintheFindingssection.

FINDINGS

QUANTITATIVE

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS

Table1presentsthedemographiccharacteristicsofthesample.Undergraduatestudentshadthehighestresponserate(79%).Graduatestudentsrespondedatamuchlowerrate(19%).Theremaining2%ofstudentspickedthe“Other”choiceandgaveexplanationsoftheirstudentstatussuchasauditorortransferstudents.

Thesurveygaveeightcollegeaffiliationsforthestudentstochoosetoconnectthemselvesto.ThetopfourcollegeaffiliationsofstudentrespondentsweretheCollegeofArtsandSciences(31%),theCollegeofEngineering(17%),theAlfredLernerCollegeofBusinessandEconomics(14%),andtheCollegeofHealthSciences(11%).

Sixty-threepercentofthestudentrespondentsidentifiedasfemale.Ascreenerquestionidentifiedifstudentrespondentswereovereighteenanddisallowedthe2%ofrespondentswhowerenoteighteenfromparticipating.

OVERALL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK

Studentswereaskedtoratetheuniversity’scommunityengagementbygivinganumberonascalefrom1to10,a1signifiedpoorcommunityengagementwhile10recognizedexcellentcommunityengagementefforts.Overall,themeanwas7.28(Mode=8;SD=1.882),seeTable2andFigure2.


Figure2.StudentCommunityEngagementRating,2019

Additionally,studentswereaskedtoreflectupontheirattitudetowardstheuniversity’sworkinthecommunitywithinthepreviousyear,andsignifiedwhethertheyfeltitimproved,declined,orstayedthesame.Forty-eightpercentofstudentsfelttheuniversity’sworkimproved,whileonly3%saiditdeclined,seeTable3.

EXPERIENCES WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Studentswereaskedtoreflectonthepast12monthswhenrespondingtothefollowingstatements,seeTable4.Theythenwereaskedtoindicatewhetherornottheyagreedwiththestatementsbychoosingnumbersona4-pointLikertscalefrom1(stronglydisagree)to4(stronglyagree).

CommontrendsseenwithinthedatawerethestudentsfeltthatUDdidalotofworkwithinthecommunity,buttheydidnotknowhowtheythemselvescouldbecomeinvolvedinthoseefforts.Studentsalsothoughtitwasdifficulttogetinvolvedincommunityengagedworkwithintheirclasses.Studentswereaskediftheyfeltitwaseasyforthemtogetinvolvedwithresearchattheuniversity.Ofthestudentswhoresponded,80%saidthattheyfelttheywereabletogetinvolved.

Respondents’answersalsodetailedtheirinvolvementincommunityengagementactivitiesthroughouttheirtimeattheUniversity.About52%ofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyknewhowtofindcoursesthatare“communityengaged”,demonstratinganearlyevensplitbetweenstudentsawareandunawareofcommunityengagedcourseofferings.Similartrends


appearedacrossotheraspectsofstudents’communityengagementinvolved.About57%ofstudentshadworkedwithacommunitygrouporpartnerandabout56%ofstudentssaiditwasdifficulttogetinvolvedinoff-campuscommunityengagementopportunitiessupportedbytheUniversity.

Responsesalsogagedthedegreetowhichstudentsthoughtprofessorssupportcommunityengagementintheirclasses.Seventy-ninepercentofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatprofessorsatUDarecommunityminded.Anevenhigherportionofstudents,86%,agreedorstronglyagreedthatcommunity-mindedstudentsweresupportedbythefaculty.Fifty-fivepercentofstudentshowever,feltthatitwasdifficultforthemtogetinvolvedwithcommunity-engagedworkwithUDfaculty.

ThesurveyaskedstudentsiftheythoughtUDdidnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware.Intotal,61%ofthestudentseitherdisagreedorstronglydisagreed,meaningtheyfeltthattheUniversitydoesunderstandtheneedsofthecommunity.Furthermore,about86%ofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatequitymatterstoUD,seeFigure3.

Figure3.StudentResponsesRegardingEquity

Throughoutthesurvey,studentswereaskediftheywereawareofvariouspartnerships

thattheUniversityisinvolvedin.Only35%ofstudentswereawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducation.However,whenquestionedaboutthePartnershipforHealthyCommunities,aslightly


higherpercentageofstudents,43%,wereawareofthepartnership.Asimilarrateof39%ofstudentswereawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCulture.

Students’answersrecognizedabroadlyfavorableperceptionofUD’sinvolvementwiththecommunity.Responsesalsoshowedauniformityofgoodperceptionsacrossdifferentareasofinvolvement.About90%ofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheUniversitysupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.Similarly,about87%ofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportsK-12educationwithinthestateandabout86%ofstudentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatUDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinDelaware.Alesserportionofstudents,thoughstillthelargemajority,indicatedspecificawarenessofUD’sinvolvementacrossDelawarecommunities.About65%ofstudentrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthattheyhadagoodsenseoftheworkUDdoesinthecommunity.

EXTENT OF ENGAGEMENT

StudentswereaskedtoreflectontheirexperiencesatUDwithinthepastyear,seeTable5.Surveyquestionsdirectedstudentstoreportonthenumberofcoursestheyhadtakenthatincludedcommunityoutreachorengagementactivities.Resultsindicatedveryfewstudentshadenrolledincommunity-engagedcourses,M=.91,SD=1.782,Mode=0,Min/Max=0-15.Moststudentsreportedpublishingzeroarticlesorreportsthatwouldclassifyas“community-engagedscholarship”,M=.36,SD=1.728,Mode=0,Min/Max=0-29.Similarly,fewstudentsreportedgivinganypresentationsregardingcommunityengagedscholarship,M=.4,SD=1.598,Mode=0,Min/Max=0-30.Additionally,studentswereaskediftheyhadparticipatedincommunity-engagementactivitythroughUDwhichwaslocatedoffcampusandintendedtobenefitthecommunity.Fivepercentofthestudentssaidtheyhadbeeninvolvedincommunityengagementthroughastudyabroadprogram,8%haddoneacommunity-basedresearchproject,26%completedvolunteerworkorcommunityservice,and3%hadbeeninvolvedinsomeotherkindofcommunityengagementwork.Theremaining58%ofstudentrespondentshadnotparticipatedinacommunity-engagementactivitythroughUD.

OPEN-ENDED FEEDBACK

StudentsaregenerallyenthusiasticabouttheCommunityEngagementworkUDundertakesandseetheUniversityasactivelyengagedwiththesurroundingcommunity,whichforthem,isprimarilythroughstudentgroupsoncampusandtosomeextentthroughcoursesandresearchopportunities.However,theynoteconcernsforengagement,particularlyforthoseoffcampus,graduatestudents,withoutacar,orwithadisability.Theywantmoreaccesstoinformationabouthowtobeinvolved,andwanttoo,toknowmoreaboutthewaystheworkismakingadifference.

Studentswereaskedtoprovideadditionalthoughts,advice,orfeedbackaboutUD’scommunityengagement.ThesenarrativeresponseswerecarefullyreviewedusingDedooseTM,


resultingintwelvethemeswhichwerefurthergroupedintofivecategories(i.e.,Strengths,Weaknesses,Barriers,Recommendations,SurveyTool,seeTable6).

STRENGTHS OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD

StudentsoftenreportedonthestrengthsofUD’scommunityengagementefforts,suchascommunityengagementhappeningoncampusandthroughoutthestate:

“...ItseemsthatUDisveryinvolvedinthecommunity.IhadtheopportunitytoparticipateintheBlueHenDayofServicewhichwasanawesomeopportunitytoworkinthecommunity.Overall,Iwouldsaythattheseopportunitiesareavailable,andIplanonparticipatinginmoreinthefuture.”

“IknowthatUDisbroadlyinvolvedineducation,health,andtheartsinthesurroundingcommunity.”

“IthinkUDisdoingagreatjobwithcommunityengagement.”

Inaddition,respondentsprovidedexamplesofsuccessfulcommunityengagementinitiatives:

“UD'ssupportofOsherLifelongLearningInstituteisanexemplarofcommunityengagement.”

“Iamawareofcommunityengagementandoutreacheffortsthroughmydepartment.Specifically,volunteeringonDBI[DelawareBiotechnologyInstitute]campustoshowcasesciencetohighschoolstudentsfromDelaware.”

“TheUniversityofDelawareEmergencyCareUnitengageswiththeUDcommunityandtheNewarkcommunityeachandeveryday...IhavebeenapartofthisorganizationduringmyentiretimehereatUDandithasbeenveryrewardinginprovidingaservicetothecampusandsurroundingcommunity.”

STUDENTS WANT TO BECOME INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Respondentswereenthusiasticandstatedtheywantedtobecomeinvolvedwithcurrentandfutureinitiatives:


“Iwouldliketoknowmoreabouthowtoparticipateinfacultyresearchorcommunityinitiatives.”

“Neverheardofmostofthisstuffbefore.Interestedinparticipating[inCommunityEngagement]butunawareofresourcesorwheretobegin.Noideathatotherpeoplewereeventryingtodothingslikethis.”

“IwouldliketoknowmoreaboutUD'scommunityengagementeffortsandthebestwaystogetinvolved.”

WEAKNESSES OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD UD SHOULD MAKE A STRONGER COMMITMENT TO WORK MORE CLOSELY AND WITH GROUPS OUTSIDE OF NEWARK

Afewstudentswrotethatthereareareasthatcouldbenefitfromadditionalcommunityengagementopportunities:

“WhileIdothinkthatUDworkswithinthecommunity,theyarenotreachinggroupsoutsideofthecityofNewarkitself.”

“Fortheamountofmoneythatthisschoolhas,Ifeelliketheycandoatonmoreofoutreachwithinthesurroundingcommunity.”

STUDENTS WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE BREADTH OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Upperclassmanandgraduatestudentsexpressedconcernsaboutbeinguninformedaboutexistingcommunityengagementopportunities:

“Asagraduatestudent,Iamalmostcompletelyunawareofanycommunityeventsthatengagestudentsorfacultyasidefromtheyearlyeventsthedepartmentholds.IamunawareofthepartnersoftheUDcommunity.”

“IhavegonetoUDfor3yearsandhavenotheardaboutanycommunityoutreachorhowtogetinvolvedwiththeseprojects.”


BARRIERS TO COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD LIMITS ON STUDENTS PARTICIPATION - STUDENTS EXPRESSED A NEED TO ENSURE EQUALITY IN PARTICIPATION

Asubstantialnumberofstudentsexpressedthattheyfeltthatbeingagraduatestudentorlivingoffcampusinhibitedtheirabilitytoparticipateincommunityengagement:

“Ifeellikecommunityengagementopportunitiesareverywellknownandhandedtoundergradsbutneedtobemoreavailabletogradstudents.”

“AsaLewesstudent,IamgivenlittlewarningofopportunitiesupNorthforengagementandhaveseendenialofassistancefrommaincampuswithrespecttocentralandsoutherninitiatives.Cohesionislackinganddesperatelyneededtogivethesecommunitieswhattheyneed.”

“IamnotasengagedoruptodateonwhatUDdoesbecauseIcommute2hourstotheuniversity.”

Inaddition,manystudentsfeltthatcommunityengagementinitiativeswerenotinclusivebasedondisabilityandraceorbeingatransferstudent.

“Theinformationisdifficulttofindandwhenitisavailablethereiszeroindicationoniftheactivityisaccessibleforthosewithmobilityissuesorotheraccessibilityneeds(i.e.,hearingimpaired,etc.)IwouldlovetobemoreinvolvedbuthavelearnedthatUDisterribleaboutinclusivitywhenitcomestoevenconsideringcreatingaccessibleevents.”

"Itaughtacoursewithaservice-learningcomponentEDUC205[Education205-HumanDevelopment:GradesK-8]wherestudentsgointocommunitycenterstogetexperiencewithchildren.Ifeelasthoughwelackpropertrainingtonavigatethoughtfuldiscussionswithstudentsontheracial/SES[SocioeconomicStatus]circumstancestheywillbeexperiencing.Also,UDcouldsupporttheseprogramswithadditionalstafftrainingsothatweareexposingourstudentstohighqualitychildcareandchild/staffinteractions.”

“Thecommunityneedstobemoreavailableinteachingnew,incomingstudents(ofallages)howtogetmoreinvolved.Asatransfer,ithasbeenverydifficulttogetengaged-eventhoughIamcravingto...”


LACK OF STUDENT TRANSPORTATION

Studentsalsostatedthatalacktransportationlimitstheirabilitytopartakeincommunityengagementactivities:

“It'sincrediblydifficulttogetinvolvedinoff-campusservicebecauseofthelackoftransportation.”

“It’sdifficulttogetoffcampusandinthecommunitywhenthereisnowayofgettingthere.Youneedtobeapartofalargegroupandhaveacarpooltogettotheseevents.”

NOT ENOUGH TIME TO PARTICIPATE

Inaddition,studentsmentionedthattheydonothavethetimeand/ordonotlearnabouteventsinenoughtimetoparticipate:

“Communityengagementexistsandiseasyforstudentstobeawareof,butsomestudentsmaynothavethetimetofullycommit.”

“IthinkUDisdoingagreatjobwithcommunityengagement,Ijustdon'thaveenoughtimetoparticipate.”

“[Theway]Ifindoutaboutprogramsandactivitiesisviaemail,butI’vefrequentlyfoundthattheseemailscomeabout2daysbeforetheevent,soIeithercannotattendduetopriorengagements,orIamnotinterestedenoughtoattend.”

LACK OF ADVERTISEMENT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Furthermore,studentsexpressedthattheyrarelyknowaboutevents:

“Ithinkit’sstrong,butitneedsmorevisibility.Iknowthese[communityengagement]opportunitiesexist,Ijustdon’tknowwhereIcanfindthem.”

“Actually,Iamanewgraduatestudenthere.Formostofmytime,Idomyowncoursework.Ihavenotparticipatedinanycommunityengagementsofar.MaybebecauseIdidnotreceivethenotification,orIdidnotunderstandthespecificcontent.”

“IthinkthereneedstobemoreawarenessabouttheUDcommunityandhowit'shelpingothercommunitiesbecauseIdon'tthinkit'snecessarilyaccessibleatthispoint.Ihaven't


heardmuchaboutthistopiconcampusandI'mnotsurehowtogetinvolvedincommunityengagementclasses,butitsoundslikeareallyinterestingopportunity.”

“IbelieveUDhasimprovedwithprovidingmorecommunityengagementactivitiesandevents,however,IbelieveUDcoulddomorethanjustsendusemailoftheseevents,insteadprovidemoreposters/flyerswherethesemessagesdon'tenduplostinouremails.”

Onthecontrary,afewrespondentsstatethatthereisalackofadvertisingforcommunityengagement:

“AsaNewarklocal,Idon'tseehowtheUniversityofDelawareworkswiththecommunityofNewark.Iftherearecommunityprograms,theyaren'tadvertisedwellorhaveasignificantenoughimpactformetonoticethem.”

“Eithertheseopportunitiesarenotwelladvertised/talkedaboutorpeoplewhoareengagedwiththemdidn'thavearemarkableexperienceinwhichtheywantedtoshare."

RECOMMENDATIONS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS AND IMPROVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT UD EXPAND THE SCOPE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

StudentsprovidedrecommendationsaboutwheretherecouldbemorecommunityengagementopportunitiesatUD.Forexample,onestudentmentionedtheAssociatesoftheArtsprogram:

“IfeelliketheAssociatesoftheArtsprogramneedsanengagement,club,fraternitythatdoesvolunteerwork.”

AnotherrespondentdiscussedtheFraternityandSororityLeadershipandLearning(FSLL)office:

“MyrecommendationistoreachouttotheFSLLofficeoncampusandaskabouttheirorganizations'communityinvolvement,andhowtheUniversitycanhavealargerhandinhelpingthemachievetheirgoals.”

Finally,astudentidentifiedrecommendationsforglobalexperiences:

“IthinkUDneedstobemoreproactiveinincludingaglobalaspecttoitscommunityengagementstrategy.Oneexamplewouldbetoassistforeignstudentsinbetternavigatingthecommunityanditsresources,aswellasfacilitatemoreinterculturalandglobal


initiativeswiththecommunityforthebettermentofstudentexperience.UDcouldalsofacilitatemoreglobalcommunityserviceprojects.”

IMPROVE ADVERTISING OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Manystudentsrecommendedwaystoimprovecommunicationandadvertisingrelatedtocommunityengagementattheuniversity:

“Theuseofsocialmediaisagreatwaytoimprovecommunityengagement!”

“Iftherewasagroup/centerwithintheUniversitywhichregularlysentemailsorinformationaboutdifferentthingsthenIthinkthatwouldbebest.”

“...gettingstudentsinvolvedincommunityengagementmightbemorelikelytooccurifthereweremoreemails/posters/announcements/etcabouteventsthatstudentscouldparticipateinormightliketohearabout.”

SURVEY TOOL SUGGESTIONS THE DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS BROAD AND WHAT IT INCLUDES CAN BE UNCLEAR

Studentsrecommendedprovidingmorespecificinformationinthesurveystoenhancetheirunderstandingofcommunityengagement:

“Idonotunderstandwhat‘communityengagement’isdefinedasanddonotknowwhatthissurveywasaskingmeabout.”

“Thequestionsinthissurveyfeeltoonon-specificandtoogeneral.Itishardtopinpointexactlywhatismeantbyeachquestionorwhatwouldqualifyaseachoftheaspectsaskedabout.Includingexampleswitheachquestion/statementorlistingactualeventsthatcanbeselectedfrommightbemoreeffective.”

INCLUDE A NEUTRAL OPTION FOR SURVEY QUESTIONS

Anothersuggestionwastoincludea“neitheragreenordisagree”option.Onestudentsaid:

“Forfuturesurveys,Iwouldsuggesttheintroductionofa‘neitheragreenordisagree’optionfortheradio-buttonquestionsonthepreviouspage.Thiswouldtend,basedonmyunderstandingoftheanswersIwantedtogive,todecreasetheimpressionofdichotomywithinstudents'answers.”


CONCLUSIONS

RECOMMENDATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

DatacollectedfromstudentsprovidesvaluableinsightastheUniversitymovesforwardwithcontinuedcommunityengagementeffortsandlookstobuildupontherelationshipstheseeffortscreate.ThismeasurementofUD’scommunityengagedworkbystakeholderperceptionshasprovedtobeauniqueandnovelundertakingincommunityengagedscholarshipacrossthecountry.TheprocesshasbroughtaboutvaluableconversationsaboutongoingstrategicapproachesthattheUniversityistakingtoexpandandemphasizecommunityengagement.Resultshavedemonstratedtheimportanceofelevatingpartnershipworkasacriticaloutreachentityineachoftheseareas.Inresponsetosurveyfeedback,sevenmajorrecommendationshavebeenidentified:

1. Clarifyandexpandawarenessofwhatcommunityengagementis,whyitisvalued,andhowitcanlookacrosscollegesanddepartments,aswellasstudentgroups,perhapsincludingRSOleaderorientation.LeveragingtheexpertiseofleadersatUD’sCEIthroughanexpansionoftheireffortsmayhelptoexpandinstitutionalawarenessandbroadervaluingofcommunityengagementasanintegralpieceoftheUniversity’sroleinthewiderDelawarecommunity.Inadditiontomainstreamchannelsofengagementefforts,resultscallforinclusionaryCEoutreachthatpromotesvisibilityandcapacityforCEinotheravenuesofstudentactivity.Inordertofostermoreintentionalandlastingcommunityengagedeffortswithinstudentgroups,visibilityofCEmustbepromotedbothonandoffcampus.StudentRSOsincludingbutnotlimitedtoGreeklife,UDAB,andotherintermediarygroupsarealreadyactivelyengagingstudentsinCEwork.Strategiccoordination,however,couldbeutilizedtoincorporateCEintoRSOpresidentandtreasurertrainingasanefforttomorefundamentallyestablishCEwithintheworkingframeworkofRSOs.Furthermore,existingRSOscanleveragetheirplatformstoexpandCEthroughotheron-campusgroupsliketheEnglishLanguageInstitute(ELI).CEawarenessshouldbeincorporatedintomeetingslikeELIcoffeehourstoaddressgapsinthestudentbody’sCEawarenessandinteractionwithCE.

2. ConsideracommunityengagementregularfeatureinTheReviewandUDaily.Oneoftheprimarychallengesstudentsidentifiedtocommunityengagementeffortsrevolvedaroundthecommunicationanddisseminationofcommunityengagementefforts.TheReview,UD’sstudentnewspaper,andUDaily’sbroad-reachingcoverageoftheseeffortscantranslateCEachievementforawide-rangeofreaders,includingprospectivestudentsandtheirfamiliestoincreaseawarenessandinvolvement.AsakeypartoftheUniversity’sOfficeofCommunicationsandMarketing,thesesourcesshouldconsideraregularfeatureontheUniversity’scommunityengagement.


3. Identifyonecentralweb-basedlocationwherecommunityengagementactivitiesandopportunitiesacrosstheUniversitycanbelocated.Informationshouldbeeasilyaccessibletostudentsinasinglelocationonline,includinginformationonhowtobecomeengagedandinformationoncommunityengagedcourses.Respondentsrecognizedaneedforcommunityengagementinformationtobeeasilyaccessibleinasinglelocation.Mostoften,studentswerelookingspecificallyforinformationonhowtobecomeengagedinexistingefforts.Someofthisinformation,includingupcomingevents,partnershipactivities,andareasofinvolvementhasbeenavailableonUD’sCEIwebsite(https://www.cei.udel.edu/).Theseresourcesspecificallydesignateinformationforstudentstoassistinthesuccessfulimplementation,assessmentanddisseminationofscholarlycommunityengagedprojects.Currently,thestudentbody’sawarenessoftheseresourcesremainslow.LeveragingtheexpertiseofleadersatUD’sCEIthroughanexpansionoftheireffortsmayhelpinreachingstudentswithCEresourcesandinformation.

4. Clarifyhowstudentscanworkincoordinationwithandsupportestablishedpartnerships.ItisimportanttobuilduponUD’sCEIaimstoexpandtheUniversity’sroleincultivatingactivecitizensthroughpartnershipsthatimpactcivicneeds.InadditiontotheneedforacentralhubforCE,theseresultsdemonstrateaneedtoimproveadvertisementsofcurrentandfutureinitiatives.Since2013,UD’swidespreadengagementincommunitiesaroundDelawarehasbecomeafundamentalpieceoftheUniversity’simagetoitspartners.Inthefuture,respondentsrecognizedtheneedtoincreaseawarenessoftheuniversity’sengagementeffortsbypartneringwithcommunicationsandmarketingdepartments.

5. Re-visitterminologyrelatedtocivicengagement,partnerships,andcommunityengagementtoensureconsistencyinmessagingacrosstheUniversity.Respondentsanswersshowthatconfusionremainsamongstudentsregardingwhatcommunityengagementisandhowtoqualifytheseeffortsinpractice.ThiscallsforareturntoclarificationoftheterminologydisseminatedacrosstheUniversity.TheCEIshouldbroadlyspearheadthisconsistentmessagingalthoughwidercommunicationsandmarketingefforts,possiblyledbyUDaily,arealsoneededtomorebroadlycommunicatethenatureofcommunityengagementattheUniversity.

6. Increasetransportationandadditionalaccessibilityresourcestofacilitatestudents’abilitytoparticipateincommunityengagementactivities.Ahighrateofstudentrespondentsidentifiedthelackoftransportationasahindrancetotheirabilitytoparticipateincommunityengagement.Itisimportantthataccessibilityissuesdonotexcludestudentslivingoff-campusorthosestudyingatsatellitecampusesfrom


participatinginengagedeffortsandactivities.TomakeCEmoreaccessibletooff-campusandsatellitestudents,theUniversityshouldprovidetransportationandotherinformationalresourcestogivethesestudentsthesameengagementopportunitieson-campushousedstudentsareexposedto.

7. Createprofessionaldevelopmentlearningopportunitiesforstudents(i.e.,materialsatorientation),perhapsincoordinationwithRSOleaders,toadvancestudents'understandingofcommunityengagementatUD,suchaswhatthepartnershipsareandhowtobecomeinvolved.WiderdisseminationofUD’sCEIresources,throughanexpansionoftheireffortsandcoordinationwithstudentleaders,mayhelpinreachingstudentswithCEIresources.Specifically,integratingstudentdelegatesintotheCommunityEngagementCouncilwouldhelptodevelopthecapacityforthestudentbody’sinvolvementinCE.AcceleratingandexpandingCEIpartnershipsandscopewouldconnectstudentstoexistingandfutureopportunities.

ThisdatahasyieldednewandvaluableinformationfornewcommunityengagementworkatUDandastheUniversitycontinuestoexpandcommunityengagementwork,thisannualsurveywillmonitorchangingstakeholderperceptionsofthatwork.Inthefuture,thisresearchcouldbeexpandedtoindividualandrespectiveinvolvementinspecificactivitiesandeventsinordertofurtherenhanceourunderstandingbeyondamorebroad-basedpictureofcommunityengagement.ThechallengesandsuccessesidentifiedwithinthisandotherstakeholderreportsrecognizetheimportantroleofthisdatacollectionasacommitmenttotheincreasedscopeofcommunityengagedworkatUD,instartingmoreconversationsaroundcommunityengagementandusingdataanalysisinbroaderways.


REFERENCES AssociationofPublicandLand-grantUniversities.(2020,February4).2020Carnegiecommunity

engagementclassificationrecipientsannounced.https://www.aplu.org/news-and-media/blog/2020-carnegie-community-engagement-classification-recipients-announced

CivicEngagementBenchmarkingTaskForce.(2005).Resourceguideandrecommendationsfordefiningandbenchmarkingengagement.CICCommitteeonEngagementincollaborationwithNationalAssociationofStateUniversitiesandLandGrantColleges:CouncilonExtension,ContinuingEducation,andPublicServiceBenchmarkingTaskForce.Pp.2.http://www.cic.uiuc.edu/groups/CommitteeOnEngagement/index.shtml


Table1

DemographicCharacteristicsofRespondents

SurveyQuestions ResponseOptions Percent

Q26.PleaseselectthecategorythatbestdescribesyourstudentstatusatUD:(n=761)a

UndergraduateFreshman 35.6%

UndergraduateSophomore 18.1%

UndergraduateJunior 12.9%

UndergraduateSeniororSuperSenior 12.2%

GraduateDoctoralStudent 9.9%

GraduateMastersStudent 9.3%

OtherStudentType: 2.0%

Q27.Pleaseselectthecollege(s)thatbestdescribesyourdepartmentaffiliationwithintheUniversity:(n=759)

AlfredLernerCollegeofBusinessandEconomics

14.1%

CollegeofAgricultureandNaturalResources

5.5%

CollegeofArtsandSciences 31.2%

CollegeofEarth,Ocean,andEnvironment 5.4%

CollegeofEducationandHumanDevelopment

9.2%

CollegeofEngineering 17.1%

CollegeofHealthSciences 11.3%

Other–pleasedescribe 4.0%

Q28.Whatisyourgender?(n=761)

Female 62.9%


Male 34.2%

Non-Binary/ThirdGender 0.8%

Prefertoself-describe 0.5%

Prefernottosay 1.6%

Note.aPercentagesdonotaddupto100becausestudentswereaskedtocheckallthatapply.


Table2

RatingofUD’sCommunityEngagementWork

Q1.Onascaleof1to10where1ispoorand10isexcellent,howwouldyourateUD’scommunityengagementwork?(n=908)

ParticipantResponse Percent

1 1.4%

2 1.0%

3 1.8%

4 1.7%

5 10.3%

6 11.8%

7 25.7%

8 9.4%

9 9.3%

10 14.0%


Table3

AttitudeTowardUD’sWorkintheCommunityinthePastYear

Q2.Inthepastyear,hasyourattitudetowardUD’sworkinthecommunityimproved,declined,orstayedthesame(n=908)

ParticipantResponse Percent

Improved 38.0%

StayedtheSame 59.0%

Declined 3.0%


Table4

ExtenttoWhichStudentsAgreeorDisagreewithStatementaboutCommunityEngagement

Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements:Indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“Disagree”,3“Agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.

SurveyQuestions StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree StronglyAgree

n

Q3.Itiseasyformetocompletenecessarypaperworktobecomeapprovedtoparticipateincommunity-basedresearchexperienceswithchildren.(i.e.Criminalbackgroundchecks).

44.5% 12.0% 58.8% 24.7% 616

Q4.ItiseasyformetobecomeengagedinresearchatthisUniversity.

4.7% 14.7% 58.3% 22.2% 761

Q5.IamawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducationatUD.

24.9% 40.7% 25.6% 8.7% 761

Q6.IamawareofthePartnershipforHealthyCommunitiesatUD.

21.8% 33.8% 33.1% 11.3% 843

Q7.IamawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCultureatUD.

24.3% 36.9% 30.2% 8.5% 834

Q8.Iunderstandhowtofindcoursesthatare“communityengaged”.

14.9% 32.9% 39.3% 12.9% 847

Q9.IhaveworkedwithacommunitygrouporpartnerwhileatUD.

13.0% 29.5% 37.2% 20.3% 787

Q10.UDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.

2.5% 8.1% 62.1% 27.3% 828

Q11.IhaveagoodsenseoftheworkUDisdoinginthecommunity.

7.0% 27.9% 49.0% 16.1% 853

Q12.UDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.

3.4% 10.3% 63.6% 22.7% 740

Q13.UDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinthestate.

2.8% 11.4% 65.7% 20.1% 756

Q14.EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork.

3.9% 9.8% 62.4% 23.9% 768


Q15.ProfessorsatUDarecommunity-minded.

49% 16.0% 60.8% 18.3% 823

Q16.Communitymindedstudentsaresupportedbythefaculty.

2.5% 9.3% 62.6% 25.6% 800

Q17.UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware.

12.2% 48.9% 27.7% 11.2% 730

Q18.Itisdifficultformetoparticipateinoff-campuscommunityengagementactivitiessupportedbytheUniversity.

6.6% 37.5% 41.9% 14.0% 767

Q19.ItisdifficultformetogetinvolvedwiththecommunityworkUDfacultyaredoing.

6.7% 38.2% 41.0% 13.7% 759


Table5

ExtentofEngagementwithUDinthePastYear

PleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsabouttheextentofyourengagementwithUDinthepastyear.

SurveyQuestions Mean Mode StandardDeviation

Min/Max n

Q20.Inthepast12months,howmanycourseshaveyoutakenthatincludedcommunityoutreachorengagementactivities?

0.91 0 1.782 0/15 765

Q21.Howmanyarticlesorreportshaveyoupublishedinthepast12monthswhichyouwouldclassifybroadlyas“community-engagedscholarship”?Pleaseexcludeanyunpublishedclasspapers.

0.36 0 1.728 0/29 765

Q22.Inthepast12months,howmanypresentationshaveyougivenregardingcommunityengagedscholarship?

0.40 0 1.598 0/30 765

Q23.Inthepast12months,howmanypresentationshaveyouattendedregardingcommunityengagedscholarship?

0.77 0 1.960 0/30 765


Table6

QualitativeSurveyDataCategoriesandThemes

Category Theme

StrengthsofCommunityEngagementatUD

StudentsWantMoreInformationabouttheBreadthofCommunityEngagementOpportunities

WeaknessesofCommunityEngagementatUD

UDShouldMakeaStrongerCommitmenttoWorkMoreCloselyandwithGroupsOutsideofNewark

StudentsWantMoreInformationAbouttheBreadthofCommunityEngagementOpportunities

BarrierstoCommunityEngagementatUD

LimitsonStudentParticipation-StudentsExpressedaNeedtoEnsureEqualityinParticipation

LackofStudentTransportation

NotEnoughTimetoParticipate

LackofAdvertisementofCommunityEngagementOpportunities

RecommendationstoOvercomeBarriersandImproveCommunityEngagementatUD

ExpandtheScopeofCommunityEngagementOpportunities

ImproveAdvertisingofCommunityEngagementSurveyToolSuggestions

TheDefinitionofCommunityEngagementisBroadandWhatitIncludesCanbeUnclear

IncludeaNeutralOptionforSurveyQuestions


APPENDIX StudentSurvey

Aspartofitscommitmenttocivicengagement,theUniversityofDelaware(UD)wouldlikeyourfeedbackaboutitscommunitywork.ResultsofthissurveywillbeincorporatedintofutureprogressreportsaboutUDcivicandcommunityengagementandusedtoguideplanningefforts.Thesurveywilltakelessthan5minutestocompleteandhasjust3easy-clickthroughpages.Thankyouforsharingyourthoughtsandperspectiveswithus.Iamover18

❏ Yes❏ No(Thankanddiscontinue)

Q1.Onascaleof1to10where1ispoorand10isexcellent,howwouldyourateUD’scommunityengagementwork?Q2.Inthepastyear,havethenumberofopportunitiesforstudentstobecomecommunityengagedincreased,decreased,orstayedthesame?

❏ Declined❏ Stayedthesame❏ Improved

Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatements:Indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“Disagree”,3“Agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.Q3.Itiseasyformetocompletenecessarypaperworktobecomeapprovedtoparticipateincommunity-basedresearchexperienceswithchildren(e.g.,criminalbackgroundchecks).Q4.ItiseasyformetobecomeengagedinresearchatthisUniversity.Q5.IamawareofthePartnershipforPublicEducationatUD.Q6.IamawareofthePartnershipforHealthyCommunitiesatUD.Q7.IamawareofthePartnershipforArtsandCultureatUD.Q8.Iunderstandhowtofindcoursesthatare“communityengaged”.Q9.IhaveworkedwithacommunitygrouporpartnerwhileatUD.Thinkingaboutyourexperienceoverthepast12months,towhatextentdoyouagreeordisagreewiththefollowingstatementsregardinggeneralcommunityengagementandperceptions?Indicatehowstronglyyouagreewiththefollowingstatementsona1-4scalewith1being“Stronglydisagree”,2“Disagree”,3“Agree”,4“Stronglyagree”.Q10.UDsupportsartsandculturalactivitiesinthestate.Q11.IhaveagoodsenseoftheworkUDisdoinginthecommunity.Q12.UDsupportsK-12educationinthestate.Q13.UDsupportscommunity-basedpublichealthinthestate.


Q14.EquitymatterstoUDwhenitcomestoitscommunitywork.Q15.ProfessorsatUDarecommunity-minded.Q16.Communitymindedstudentsaresupportedbythefaculty.Q17.UDdoesnotunderstandthecriticalorunmetneedsofcommunitiesinDelaware.Q18. It is difficult for me to participate in off-campus community engagement activitiessupportedbytheUniversity.Q19.ItisdifficultformetogetinvolvedwiththecommunityworkUDfacultyaredoing.

PleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsabouttheextentofyourengagementwithUDinthepastyear.Q20.Inthepast12months,howmanycourseshaveyoutakenthatincludedcommunityoutreachorengagementactivities?Q21.Howmanyarticlesorreportshaveyoupublishedinthepast12monthswhichyouwouldclassifybroadlyas“community-engagedscholarship”?Pleaseexcludeanyunpublishedclasspapers.Q22.Inthepast12monthshowmanypresentationshaveyougivenregardingcommunityengagedscholarship?Q23.Inthepast12monthshowmanypresentationshaveyouattendedregardingcommunityengagedscholarship?Q24.Inthepast12months,haveyouparticipatedinacommunity-engagementactivitythroughUDwhichwaslocatedoffcampusandintendedtobenefitthecommunity?

❏ Yes,studyabroadwhichincludedcommunityservice.❏ Yes,community-basedresearchproject.❏ Yes,volunteerworkorcommunityservice.❏ Yes,other:❏ No.

Q25.Pleaseprovideanyadditionalthoughts,advice,orfeedbackyouhaveaboutUD’scommunityengagementhere.Pleaseanswerthefollowingquestionsaboutyourself.Thesequestionswillconcludethesurvey.Q26.PleaseselectthecategorythatbestdescribesyourstudentstatusatUD:

❏ UndergraduateFreshman❏ UndergraduateSophomore❏ UndergraduateJunior❏ UndergraduateSeniororSuperSenior❏ GraduateMastersStudent❏ GraduateDoctoralStudent❏ OtherStudentType:______________


Q27.Pleaseselectthecollege(s)thatbestdescribesyourdepartmentaffiliationwithintheUniversity:

❏ CollegeofAgricultureandNaturalResources❏ CollegeofArtsandSciences❏ AlfredLernerCollegeofBusinessandEconomics❏ CollegeofEarth,Ocean,andEnvironment❏ CollegeofEducationandHumanDevelopment❏ CollegeofEngineering❏ CollegeofHealthSciences❏ Other–pleasedescribe:______________

Q28.Whatisyourgender?

❏ Female❏ Male❏ Non-Binary/ThirdGender❏ Prefertoself-describe:______________❏ Prefernottosay

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