Call for Papers: ZFHE 18/2

Posted on 2022-08-05

Call for papers – Special issue
Campus-Community Partnerships: partnerships between higher education and society

Editors: Peter Slepcevic-Zach (University of Graz), Claudia Fahrenwald (University of Education Upper Austria), Katharina Resch (University of Vienna)
Date of publication: June 2023
 

To the main topic

In recent years, campus-community partnerships (CCPs) have proven to be relevant for innovative teaching in higher education, applied research and the further development of the “third mission” of universities (BUTTERFIELD & SOSKA, 2004). They are one of the central strategic objectives of higher education institutions, which must be maintained and expanded for the future. The basic idea is to foster knowledge transfer and civic engagement between higher education institutions and civil society in campus-community-partnerships with a mutual benefit.

In their long history, higher education institutions have often found themselves in a position of justification with regard to their position and tasks in society. Currently, against the backdrop of societal change, higher education institutions are once again confronted with a paradigm shift in terms of the services expected from them on a cultural, social, political, ecological and economic level. The old paradigm of scientific knowledge generation (“Mode 1”), which was characterized by an internally controlled taxonomy of disciplines and the autonomy of researchers and their institutions, is now being replaced by a new paradigm of knowledge production (“Mode 2”) that is socially embedded, applied, transdisciplinary, and “subject to multiple accountability” (NOWOTNY et al., 2003, p. 179). As a result, the position of higher education institutions in society has also had to change (MAASSEN et al., 2019). New activities in the so-called “third sector” are established, which are neither state nor profit-oriented, but value-oriented and operate between the state, the market and civil society (EVERS & LAVILLE, 2004). Formats such as inquiry-based learning, service-learning, community-based research, social entrepreneurship or citizen science have become more and more popular.

In the Anglo-American context of higher education these developments are mostly subsumed under the term of “civic engagement” (NIGRO, 2017), in the German-speaking countries the terms “third mission” or “transfer” have tended to prevail. In addition, there is a broad discourse on “social innovation” (BEPA, 2010), “social responsibility” (GUNI, 2009) and “service learning” (REINDERS, 2016). Campus-Community-Partnerships play an important role in all these discussions (RESCH et al., 2020).

In the present context, we understand “Campus Community Partnerships” (CCPs) as the cooperation of higher education institutions with community partners pursuing common goals by exploring a relevant societal problem or need to improve the living conditions in communities, regions or cities. CCPs can be carried out on an isolated basis – based on the decision of individual lecturers within the framework of their courses, projects or activities with students – or on a coordinated basis – as a joint effort of various institutes or faculties together with civil society actors (dispersed versus coordinated model; MULROY, 2004). Isolated CCPs can also take place in the context of curricular and extracurricular university activities such as volunteer programs. In addition to inquiry-based learning, service-learning, community-based research, social entrepreneurship, or citizen science, a wide variety of approaches are conceivable here. While the differences between these teaching/learning methods are not always clear (RESCH, 2021), they are in any case intended to support students’ experiential, applied, and transdisciplinary learning. In this regard, “coordinated” CCPs exhibit an institutionalized form that requires supportive internal higher education structures. These offer a contact point for practice partners over a longer period of time or permanently (e. g. in the form of a coordinating office for non-university cooperation, an entrepreneurship program or a volunteer center) (BUTTERFIELD & SOSKA, 2004).

Currently, there is no empirical overview of the cooperation between higher education institutions and community partners (CCPs) in German-speaking countries. This ZFHE issue is intended as an invitation to use theoretical concepts, empirical studies, and examples of good practice to illustrate the diversity of cooperation between higher education institutions and society, to close the existing research gap. The call aims to analyze CCPs and discuss innovative research and development perspectives for future partnerships between higher education institutions and society (for example, how CCPs can be better embedded in policy decisions or how scattered practice can be better coordinated). Empirical research on the impact of “third mission” at societal, organizational, and individual levels is still missing (FERNANDEZ & SLEPCEVIC-ZACH, 2018).

With this call, we invite to discuss campus-community-partnerships especially in German-speaking countries from different perspectives. The following questions can be used as suggestions:

  • How can CCPs be located in the discussion about “third mission” and “transfer” in terms of educational science and educational policy? What questions are currently still open, what discussions still need to be held?
  • How are CCPs embedded in higher education teaching (engaged scholarship); formats such as inquiry-based learning, service-learning, community-based research, social entrepreneurship, or citizen science?
  • What can CCPs do for students’ skills development? What personal and/or professional added value for students can be derived from the learning experience in CCPs?
  • What is the strategic importance of CCPs currently and in the future for the organizational development of higher education institutions?
  • What is the current experience/knowledge of CCPs in higher education strategic organizational development? (Higher Education Development)
  • What experience/knowledge is there with CCPs in higher education teaching? (Higher Education Didactics)
  • What empirical data can be found on CCPs with regard to (German-speaking) higher education institutions?
  • What experience/knowledge is there with CCPs from the perspective of the community partners?
  • How can power, hierarchies and inequalities between universities and community partners be addressed in CCPs?
  • What impact do CCPs have on learners, teachers, HEIs, community partners, and other stakeholders?

 

We are looking forward to your contributions that discuss the topic of CCPs and their importance for higher education institutions and civil society from as many different perspectives as possible. More information on the possible submission formats can be found below.

 

References

BEPA (2010). Empowering People, Driving Change: Social Innovation in the European Union. Bureau of European Policy Advisors. (Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union). https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/librarydoc/empowering-people-driving-change-social-innovation-in-the-european-union

BMBWF (2019). Der Gesamtösterreichische Universitätsentwicklungsplan 2022–2027. Wien: Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung. https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/dam/jcr:3a22c2b2-45d1-49dd-8898-112d44d0d39c/GUEP%202022%20-%202027.pdf

Butterfield, A. K. & Soska, T. M. (2004). University-Community Partnerships: An Introduction. In T. M. Soska & A. K. Butterfield (Hrsg.), University-Community Partnerships. Universities in Civic Engagement (S. 1–11). New York and London: Routledge.

Compagnucci, L. & Spigarelle, F. (2020). The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 161. https:///doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120284

Evers, A. & Laville, J. L. (2004). The Third Sector in Europe. Northhampton: Edward Elgar Publishing.

Fahrenwald, C. & Fellner, M. (2022). Hochschulen optimieren durch gesellschaftliches Engagement? Eine organisationspädagogische Verhältnisbestimmung. In: S. M. Weber, C. Fahrenwald & A. Schröer (Hrsg.). Organisationen optimieren? Jahrbuch der Sektion Organisationspädagogik. Wiesbaden: VS Springer (in print).

Fernandez, K. & Slepcevic-Zach, P. (2018). Didaktische Modellierung einer Service-Learning-Lehrveranstaltung – Ergebnisse eines Design-Based-Research-Ansatzes. Unterrichtswissenschaft, 46, 165–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42010-017-0002-8

GUNI (2009). Higher Education at a Time of Transformation. New Dynamics for Social Responsibility. http://www.guninetwork.org/report/synthesis-guni-higher-education-world-reports-1-3

Maassen, P., Andreadakis, Z., Gulbrandsen, M. & Stensaker, B. (2019). The Place of Universities in Society. Hamburg: Körber-Stiftung.

Mulroy, E. A. (2004). University Civic Engagement with Community-Based Organizations: Dispersed or Coordinated Models? In T. M. Soska & A. K Butterfield (Hrsg.), University-Community Partnerships. Universities in Civic Engagement (S. 35–52). New York and London: Routledge.

Nowotny, H., Scott, P. & Gibbons, M. (2003). Introduction: ‘Mode 2’ revisited: the new production of knowledge. Minerva Special Issue 41, 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025505528250

Reinders, H. (2016). Service Learning – Theoretische Überlegungen und empirische Studien zu Lernen durch Engagement. Weinheim: Beltz.

Resch, K, Fellner, M., Fahrenwald, C., Slepcevic-Zach, P., Knapp, M. & Rameder, P. (2020). Embedding Social Innovation and Service Learning in Higher Education’s Third Sector Policy Developments in Austria. Frontiers in Education, 5(112), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00112

Resch, K. (2021). Praxisrelevanz der Hochschullehre durch den Service-Learning-Ansatz und andere praxisorientierte Methoden stärken. In A. Pausits, R. Aichinger, M. Unger, M. Fellner & B. Thaler (Hrsg.), Rigour and Relevance: Hochschulforschung im Spannungsfeld zwischen Methodenstrenge und Praxisrelevanz (S. 131–144). Studienreihe Hochschulforschung Österreich. Münster: Waxmann Verlag.

 

Guidelines regarding the journal

The ZFHE is a peer-reviewed online journal that publishes scientific contributions of practical relevance concerning current higher education development issues. The focus is on didactical, structural, and cultural developments in teaching and learning. Topics that are innovative and still regarded as open in respect of their design options are preferred.

 

The ZFHE is published by a consortium of European researchers and funded by the Austrian Ministry for Science, Research and Economics. For more information, see https://www.zfhe.at.

 

Submission information

German or English contributions may be submitted in two possible formats:

Research contributions should meet the following criteria. The paper:

  • addresses a systemic question in transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary or subject-specific contexts;
  • has a research gap as its starting point;
  • is extensively embedded in current scholarly discourse;
  • has a robust methodological approach;
  • includes reflection on the author’s own work;
  • explains the research methodology;
  • employs a method that is suitable for answering the research question;
  • presents the scientific discourse in a reflective manner;
  • makes a clearly recognizable contribution to answering the research question or to the research discussion;
  • consistently follows relevant citation rules (APA style, current edition);
  • comprises between 20,000 and 33,000 characters (with spaces, including cover page, bibliography and author information).

Research-driven development contributions should meet the following criteria. The paper:

  • features a higher education development perspective with a sound research base;
  • discusses and differentiates a systemic problem in teaching development;
  • is an academically grounded "institutional research" contribution;
  • is supported by a literature review;
  • meaningfully addresses the interaction between science and praxis and/or the link between the two poles of "research and development"
  • consistently follows pertinent citation rules (APA style, current edition);
  • comprises between 20,000 and 33,000 characters (with spaces, including cover page, bibliography and author information).

Development contributions should meet the following criteria. The paper:

  • deals with a concrete problem in higher education development in the (author’s) higher education institution;
  • addresses a practical need;
  • is embedded in the scientific discussion and literature (without claiming to provide an overview of the literature);
  • offers suggestions for teaching and university development, with recommendations for action (if applicable);
  • offers a systematic and transparent discussion (e.g. no incomprehensible references to specifics or details in a field of practice);
  • elaborates on generalisable aspects relevant to theoretical development;
  • addresses considerations related to the transfer to practice;
  • mentions possibilities for further research;
  • consistently follows relevant citation rules (APA style, current edition);
  • comprises between 20,000 and 33,000 characters (with spaces, including cover page, bibliography and author information).

 

Submission and review schedule

January 16, 2023 – Submission deadline for complete articles: Please upload your contribution(s) to the ZFHE journal system (https://www.zfhe.at) in the corresponding section (research contributions, research-driven development contributions, development contributions) of ZFHE 18/2 issue in anonymous format. To do so, you must first register as an author in the system.

March 31, 2023 – Feedback/Reviews: Scientific contributions and workshop reports are evaluated in a double-blind process (see below).

May 1, 2023 – Revision deadline: Where necessary, contributions may be revised according to feedback and recommendations from the reviews.

June 2023 – Online publication: In March 2022, the finalized contributions are published under https://www.zfhe.at and also made available in print.

 

Review Process

All submitted contributions will be examined in a double-blind peer review process to guarantee scientific quality. The editors of the current issue propose the reviewers for the respective theme and allocate individual contributions to the reviewers; they also determine which contributions will be accepted. The selection of reviewers and the review process for each thematic issue are always supervised by a member of the editorial board.

 

Formatting and submission

In order to save valuable time with the formatting of the contributions, we kindly ask that all authors work with the template from the beginning. The template can be downloaded from the ZFHE website under the following links:

https://www.zfhe.at/userupload/ZFHE_18-2_TEMPLATE_de.docx

https://www.zfhe.at/userupload/ZFHE_18-2_TEMPLATE_en.docx

Since we must be able to edit the texts, they must be submitted unlocked/unprotected in in Microsoft Word (.doc), Office Open XML (.docx), Open Document Text (.odt) or Plain Text (.txt) format. Please do not submit any PDF files! Submissions in the “Scientific Contribution” and “Workshop Report” categories must first be made in anonymous format in order to guarantee the double-blind review process. Please remove all references to the author(s) of the document (including in the document properties!). Upon a positive review result, this information will be re-inserted.

 

Questions?

If you have any questions regarding the content of the issue, please contact Peter Slepcevic-Zach (peter.slepcevic@uni-graz.at).
For technical and organizational questions, please contact Elisabeth Stadler (office@zfhe.at).

 

We look forward to your submissions!

Peter Slepcevic-Zach, Claudia Fahrenwald & Katharina Resch