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Engaged Scholarship Curriculum

Overview

These modules are designed to:

  • Introduce undergraduate students, graduate students, and the general public to the concept of university-community engagement.
  • Develop their community-based research and engagement skills.
  • Assist with training the next generation of engaged scholars.

The modules encourage students to critically reflect on the content. The modules provide students with concrete examples that illustrate abstract concepts and ask students to come up with their own real-life instances.

There are 5 modules in total, focusing on such issues as effectively working in groups, successful partnerships, negotiation techniques, and so on. These modules can be taken in consecutive or random order. Instructors can choose to integrate the modules into their coursework by presenting the material to the students during class or they can assign students to complete the modules prior to class.

Curriculum Structure

The curriculum is informed by the University of Memphis's definition of outreach and engagement.

Outreach and Engagement at the UofM is a form of scholarship built upon reciprocal relationships between Universities and communities. It requires that educators and students venture beyond the halls of academia to connect with residents and community stakeholders, all of whom play an equally integral role in the Engaged Scholarship process.

The UofM advocates a scholarly model of outreach and engagement that fosters a reciprocal and mutually beneficial relationship between the University and community partners. The UofM model involves the co-creation and application of knowledge, a relationship that increases both partners' capacity to address issues. Visit the Engaged Scholarship Faculty Committee website for more information on how the UofM defines outreach and engagement.

The curriculum is structured around how the UofM defines university-community engagement. At the University of Memphis outreach and engagement is:

  • Scholarly
  • Community-based
  • Collaborative
  • Responsive
  • Capacity-building

The first module is an overview that familiarizes students with the University of Memphis's urban-serving research tradition of scholarly engagement—which involves linking campus and community through applied research, technical assistance, and instructional programs. The rest of the modules target the various facets of university-community engagement and contextualize the concepts using real-life situations and examples.

Design Team

These modules were created by graduate students at the UofM as a part of their coursework in the Instructional Design and Technology program. Below are the members of the team.

Design Team:

  • Kaylah Holland, Project Manager
  • Stacey Moultrie (Wilkes), Lead Instructional Designer
  • Kevin Smith, Lead eLearning Developer
  • Ciera Carr, Lead Evaluator


UofM Representatives:

  • Jennifer Barker, Subject Matter Expert
    Assistant Professor, University of Memphis

  • Dr. Carmen Weaver, Professor
    Assistant Professor, University of Memphis
Portions of the content for these modules have been provided by Michigan State University through their Tools of Engagement, Collaborating with Community Partners program.