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Engaged Research

Demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and critical commitments that must be mobilized by CEPs who engage in ethical and reciprocal research with communities.  

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Follow the link to start a credential application. Read more about key competencies & specific application requirements below.

Key competencies

Download a PDF of the competencies

  1. Understanding of concepts and frameworks of community engagement and community-engaged research, including familiarity with the histories and basic literatures of community-based (participatory) research and community-engaged scholarship (CES), more broadly
  2. Knowledge of and skills in applying the principles of community-based research in theory and practice, including guiding principles, theoretical frameworks, models, and methods of planning, implementation, and evaluation
  3. Knowledge of the institutional review board (IRB) processes
  4. Ability to design and frame research in ways that acknowledge various contributors to community issues (social, economic, behavioral, political, environmental, historical relations, et al.) and the interplay between these factors 
  5. Knowledge of the history, strengths, and assets of the community as well as the agendas, desires, and goals of the community constituents with whom one partners
  6. Knowledge of self: Ability to acknowledge and articulate one’s positionality as an engaged researcher and how it shapes dynamics of collaboration in consequential ways. This includes attention to:
    • The power relations and inequalities inherent in higher education-community partnerships
    • The relative privilege of trained researchers in community contexts and how this may impact the project design and implementation process, including the ways in which similarities and differences in position, experience, formal schooling, status, institutional affiliation, or identity may shape dynamics of collaboration in consequential ways
  7. Ability to articulate a collaborative research design process that is grounded in qualities of reciprocity, mutual respect, shared authority, and co-creation. This includes:
    • Ability to actively engage community partner-participants in all phases of the research design and decision-making (inclusive of  goal setting, development of methodology, data collection/project implementation, analysis, and dissemination); 
    • Ability to involve partnership members in ongoing reflection on, and assessment of, the research process before, during, and after the partnership; 
    • Strategies for monitoring and facilitating communication and shared work among differently-positioned partners to ensure the quality of relationships and validate the contributions and authority of each partner
    • Ability to recognize, mediate, mitigate, or hold in creative tension conflicts as they arise and to develop strategies that reaffirm or model inclusive and collaborative participation
  8. Ability to design research through an asset-based lens, where the strengths, skills, and situated knowledges of those in the community are validated and legitimized, even as community challenges are acknowledged 
  9. Ability to demonstrate how the research (in terms of both process and products) contributes to the skill- and capacity-building of all research partners, including those in the community most affected by the problem
  10. Ability to work with community partners to develop strategies and practices of public dissemination that address multiple audiences through multiple products (E.g, policy papers, peer-reviewed publications, educational programs, community-led interventions, etc.), and include community partners as (co-)producers/presenters, whenever possible
  11. Ability to provide tangible goods to the community constituents with whom one partners in ways that suit their goals/desires and inform their ongoing work

Submission requirements

  1. Self-assessment of competency in supporting engaged faculty development: At the beginning of the application process, individuals will be expected to complete a self-assessment in which they reflect on their own knowledge, skills, and aptitudes related to the key competencies in the competency area. The self-evaluation is designed to help applicants decide whether they are ready to continue through the application process or whether they will want to pursue additional training, professional development opportunities, or practical experiences before continuing. 
  2. Brief listing of professional development experiences related to engaged research: Applicant is asked to list professional development opportunities in which they have participated over the last 3 years that are relevant to the core competency area.
  3. Curriculum vitae (CV) or Resume
  4. Required annotated artifacts:  Upload and annotate the following materials:
    1.  Artifact(s) of public dissemination of engaged research project(s)  [E.g, policy papers, peer-reviewed publication, educational program, community-led interventions, etc.]
    2. Artifact that provides an overview of a community-based research project in which you participated, discussing such aspects as guiding principles, theoretical frameworks, and models and methods of collaborative planning, implementation, and evaluation

  5. Additional annotated resources: We encourage you to share any other materials that you feel illustrate your competencies and experiences facilitating engaged research. This could include examples of products created or disseminated collaboratively with community partners, human subjects application, artifacts related to meetings or visioning sessions with partners, or the like.
  6. Community partner reflection/Letter of support: Solicit a letter from an individual in a community partner organization with whom you’ve collaborated in research and who can speak about their work with you in a higher education community partnership capacity.
  7. Reflective self-assessment of areas of personal strength/growth & action plan: Briefly describe what you feel are your greatest strengths, or competencies, in engaged research as well as where you feel there is need for personal or professional growth. Follow this by sharing a brief personal action plan to outline your trajectory of future professional learning related to the competency area.

Eligibility

Applicants must demonstrate having earned, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution of higher education.

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