scholarly journals The Farm to Fork project: Community-engaged scholarship from community partners' perspective

Author(s):  
Monika Korzun ◽  
Corey Alexander ◽  
Lee-Jay Cluskey-Belanger ◽  
Danielle Fudger ◽  
Lisa Needham ◽  
...  

Higher education institutions have traditionally largely ignored their role in identifying and addressing issues that their communities face. In an attempt to tackle this situation, models such as community-engaged scholarship (CES) have been developed and used to illustrate the active roles higher education institutions can play in sustainable social change. CES is guided by principles of mutually beneficial collaboration and reciprocity to address issues faced by the community. CES can guide the development of an in-depth understanding of social issues and can promote long-term and sustainable solutions. CES literature focuses largely on the impacts and benefits to students and faculty, but often ignores assessment of CES projects based on their impact on community partners and the community overall.This article illustrates the experiences of community partners in a Farm To Fork project and the impact of the project on community partners and the community at large. Developed at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, the Farm To Fork project is helping increase the quantity and quality of food donated to emergency food providers, such as food banks and food pantries, via the use of online tools. Based on a survey questionnaire, the experiences of community partners are summarised under four categories: mutual benefit, resources, networking and collaborations, and raising awareness and addressing social issues. The results demonstrate that community partners greatly appreciate the effort and dedication of students and faculty. Through the project, community partners gained experience and access to university resources and formed networks with academics as well as other community organisations that will benefit them in the future. In addition, the Farm To Fork project helped to raise awareness about food insecurity, not only among students and faculty working on the project, but also in the Guelph-Wellington area.Keywords: community-engaged scholarship, food insecurity, community impacts, Farm To Fork, Guelph-Wellington

2021 ◽  
pp. 107769582110225
Author(s):  
Carrie Reif-Stice ◽  
Sarah Smith-Frigerio

Major disruptions to traditional academic learning have occurred since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, as most higher education institutions have shifted to online or hybrid course delivery. This virtual shift has significant implications for service-learning. In this study, we explored the impact of virtual service-learning on public relations instructors and community partners. Interview respondents described challenges to virtual service-learning related to the pandemic but also noted unanticipated benefits, such as creativity and resilience. In addition, community partners and public relations instructors recommended a heightened focus on communication, flexibility, and adaptability to ensure successful virtual service-learning experiences for students and organizations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7502
Author(s):  
Leyla Angélica Sandoval Hamón ◽  
Ana Paula Martinho ◽  
M. Rosário Ramos ◽  
Cecilia Elizabeth Bayas Aldaz

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are a critical component to develop and promote sustainable solutions for both society and the planet. A challenge to HEIs is to provide students with the knowledge and skills required to achieve Sustainable Development (SD), as they are important stakeholders. In order for a person to take responsibility for a sustainable future, it is not only important to implement SDs in higher education, but to follow the progress of the individuals’ awareness of the sustainable world and lifestyle. This study aimed to analyze students of Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), focusing on their attitudes, behaviors, and level of knowledge concerning education for sustainable development (ESD), to better understand the situation of students in terms of learning and applying sustainability. The students’ perception of the University practices and initiatives, as well as pedagogical methodologies for promoting and learning SD, were also examined. An online survey was applied to undergraduate students from several faculties at UAM, and a sample of 504 students returned from a total population of 30,000 students. Descriptive and inferential analyses were carried out and included Chi-square tests, correlation analyses, and ANOVA analyses for independent and repeated measures. The results reveal good levels for the three dimensions (global Index > 3.5), with consistency demonstrating the highest correlation between attitudes and behaviors, although differences between faculties were identified. Knowledge has the highest score among all faculties. In addition, the results point to a need to better communicate the initiatives promoted, as well as to realign some learning methodologies with students’ preferences. The most important contributions of the paper are as follows: Shedding fresh light on the knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral dispositions of university students and improving strategies concerning education in higher education institutions. Furthermore, it is relevant to say that UAM has pushed sustainability in environmental management and education, so it is also important to assess the impact of these initiatives. Our research aimed to help understand how students incorporate sustainability into their attitudes and behaviors, and whether this incorporation depends on the type of faculty. It also makes it possible to verify whether the sustainability measures implemented by universities are identified and applied by their students.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-402
Author(s):  
Maria Florentina Rumba ◽  
Margaretha P.N Rozady ◽  
Theresia W. Mado

Abstrak: Kebiasaan manusia berubah karena adanya wabah COVID-19, hal ini berpengaruh ketika manusia masuk ke dalam fase new normal. New normal diartikan sebagai keadaan yang tidak biasa dilakukan sebelumnya, yang kemudian dijadikan sebagai standar atau kebiasaan baru yang mesti dilakukan manusia untuk dirinya sendiri maupun untuk bersosialisasi dengan orang lain. Kebiasaan baru ini pun menimbulkan pro dan kontra seiring dengan dampak yang timbul. Lembaga pendidikan tinggi merupakan salah satu yang merasakan dampak penerapan new normal. Perkuliahan yang selama ini dilakukan secara online/daring, akan kembali dilakukan secara luring/tatap muka, dengan tetap menerapkan protokol COVID-19 seperti mengenakan masker, menjaga jarak, mengenakan sarung tangan, serta tidak melakukan kontak fisik seperti berjabat tangan. Masalah yang muncul bukan hanya kecemasan orang tua terhadap anak – anaknya, tetapi bagaimana lembaga pendidikan tinggi mengatur segala sumber daya yang dimiliki agar memenuhi standar penerapan new normal. penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui penerimaan  terhadap kondisi normal yang baru menggunakan Perspektif balance score card. Abstract: Human habits change because of the COVID-19 outbreak, this affects when humans enter the new normal phase. New normal is defined as a condition that is not normally done before, which is then used as a standard or new habits that must be done by humans for themselves or to socialize with others. This new habit also raises the pros and cons along with the impact arising with the new normal. Higher education institutions are the ones who feel the impact of implementing new normal. Lectures that have been conducted online / online will be re-done offline / face to face, while still applying the COVID-19 protocol such as wearing a mask, keeping a distance, wearing gloves, and not making physical contact such as shaking hands. The problem that arises is not only parents' anxiety about their children, but how higher education institutions regulate all available resources to meet new normal implementation standards. This study aims to determine acceptance of new normal conditions using the balance score card Perspective.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Maritz ◽  
Quan Nguyen ◽  
Sergey Ivanov

PurposeDespite the significance, university student start-ups and student entrepreneurship ecosystems (SEEs) have been subject to little research. This study aims to apply a qualitative emergent enquiry approach to explore best practice SEEs in Australia, complimented by narratives from leading scholars in higher education institutions with the aim of delineating the integrative components of SEEs.Design/methodology/approachAdopting the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework and aligned to the social cognitive theory, this paper explores the components and dynamics of SEEs, contributing to an understanding of how such components can better support the growth, sustainability and success of student start-ups. The authors extend entrepreneurship research on social construction using narrative research.FindingsThe findings provide guidelines for researchers, entrepreneurship scholars and educators, entrepreneurship students, policymakers and practitioners to enhance the impact and success of university student start-ups by adopting a student ecosystem approach.Research limitations/implicationsThe narratives represent a limited number of universities with an opportunity for further research to empirically measure the impact and outcomes of SEEs. The research is exploratory, inherently conceptual and emergent, providing an opportunity for validation of narrative frameworks in future studies.Practical implicationsThe findings may assist university managers to be more aware of their own subconscious preferences to student entrepreneurship and start-up initiatives, which may be useful in refining their impact and offerings regarding a quest toward the entrepreneurial university.Social implicationsFrom social perspectives, the alignment of the components of SEE has the ability to enhance and shift the entrepreneurial mindset of entrepreneurship students, notwithstanding enhancement of intentionality and self-efficacy.Originality/valueThis is the first study of SEEs in Australia, highlighting the importance of the integration of entrepreneurship education programs, entrepreneurship education ecosystems, the entrepreneurial university and specific start-up initiatives such as university accelerators. Furthermore, students may enhance their entrepreneurial mindset by actively engaging in such ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Vol VI (I) ◽  
pp. 11-23
Author(s):  
Shaheen Fatima ◽  
Nisar Ahmad ◽  
Samreen Fatima

COVID-19 has disrupted not only human lives but also the quality of education especially in developing countries of the South- Asian region. This study elaborates the impact of COVID-19 on education sector and also illustrate the strategies followed by the management of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The systematic review of 23 most relevant research studies shows that the Pandemic has affected students� learning, mental, physical, social and economical conditions badly. Particularly, students who do not afford the use of technological appliances are suffering more. HEIs need to have a smart online syllabus for various subjects. Furthermore, HEIs need to review their communication channel and technical assistance. The strategies implemented by HEIs during COVID-19 are useful and should be continued to keep offering quality education during upcoming academic sessions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka Bhaskar ◽  
Padmalosani Dayalan

This paper aims to highlight the role of continuing education among the teachers of India. The study identifies factors which influence teachers in Higher education institutions (HEI) for continuing education. The paper also explores the impact of continuing education on career growth and development. A systematic survey was conducted among the teachers in Higher education institutions of Uttarakhand, India. Factor analysis is used to identify the important factors that influence teachers to enrol for continuing education. SPSS and AMOS are used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicate that factors like time, financial support, job opportunities, knowledge, skills, and abilities play a detrimental role among teachers for continuing education. This study also reveals that continuing education has a positive impact on career growth and development of teachers. Continuing education helps the teachers to explore better career opportunities, provides job security, salary increment, and promotion which contributes to their professional growth and personality development. Continuing education in teachers demonstrates a significant role in the development of interpersonal skills, technical skills and inculcates self-confidence that contributes to their personal growth. The importance of paper increases amidst the COVID19 pandemic and the launch of the National Education Policy in India, as the paper will provide support to the Higher education institutes and Government to frame policies and strategies to imbibe continuing education as an integral part of the education system. The paper by enumerating its benefits, motivates the teachers to enhance their qualifications and enhance their future prospects.


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