ERIC Number: EJ1254707
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jun
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-8259
EISSN: N/A
Community Partners' Perspectives and the Faculty Role in Community-Based Learning
Journal of Experiential Education, v43 n2 p113-135 Jun 2020
Background: Benefits of community-based learning for students in higher education are well documented. Comparatively less is known about the community partner experience. Purpose: The community partner perspective is explored to (a) confirm and expand recent findings regarding community partners' perceptions of the benefits and challenges of working with colleges and universities and (b) present community partners' views on how faculty can help improve community-university collaborations. Methodology/Approach: Dual-rater axial and open coding qualitative analysis methods were used to identify key themes in community partners' responses in an on-line survey. Participants (n = 201) represented community partners from a broad range of fields, regions, and partnership types (e.g., volunteer, internship, service-learning). Findings/Conclusions: Although community partners identify a number of benefits to their collaborations with academic institutions, they also encounter critical challenges (e.g., faculty engagement, communication, student preparation). Partner recommendations include additional faculty attention to student knowledge of content, skills, and professionalism, as well as increased faculty engagement in all aspects of the collaboration. Implications: From a community perspective, faculty have an important role to play in facilitating true community-university partnerships that are equitable, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial.
Descriptors: Teacher Role, Service Learning, Educational Benefits, College Students, College Faculty, School Community Relationship, Volunteers, Internship Programs, Universities, Teacher Student Relationship, Professionalism, Partnerships in Education, Public Agencies, Intellectual Disciplines
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A