ERIC Number: EJ1117702
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1534-6102
EISSN: N/A
Illuminating "Transaction Spaces" in Higher Education: University-Community Partnerships and Brokering as "Boundary Work"
McMillan, Janice; Goodman, Suki; Schmid, Barbara
Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, v20 n3 p8-30 2016
This article reports on a project focused on understanding the work of the Knowledge Co-op (KC) at the University of Cape Town in terms of community engagement and partnership building. The project tested tools for analyzing complex university-community interactions, or "boundary work." Rather than analyzing the actual partnerships and research itself, activity theory was used as a framework for understanding the role of the KC broker, a key role in university-community partnership work. The activity theory lens assisted in identifying the complex work entailed in the broker role. In particular, the authors argue that in order to understand what happens at the university-community nexus, the unit of analysis needs to shift from individualized practices toward the transaction/boundary zone where these interactions take place.
Descriptors: School Community Relationship, Partnerships in Education, Foreign Countries, Higher Education, Community Involvement, Service Learning, Communities of Practice, Case Studies, Learning Activities, Learning Theories
Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach, University of Georgia and the Institute of Higher Education. Treanor House, 1234 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602. Tel: 706-542-6167; Fax: 706-542-6124; e-mail: jheoe@uga.edu; Web site: http://www.jheoe.uga.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa (Cape Town)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A