A Tool to Empower Students in Public Engagement in Research
The Engagement Tool is an online tool that asks students to respond to a set of challenging and stimulating statements related to the learning goals. The statements tap into the personal, interpersonal, organizational, and socio-political dimensions of public engagement. Students are asked to respond to the statements on a Likert scale and in a written response. The Likert scores indicate the student’s propensity for public engagement and the written responses their reflective capacity. The tool can be used as a learning tool (i.e., self-discovery for students), a teaching tool (i.e., developing critical thinking and reflection skills), and as a monitoring tool (i.e., monitoring student learning).¹
The tool is IRB approved and was developed and pretested in Landscape Architecture; Architecture; Communication; and Community, Environment, and Development classes.
Sample Statements in the Engagement Tool
“It’s the researcher’s job to provide facts for decision-makers.”
“Citizens should have a say in research that affects their community.”
“Researchers know best how to solve problems for the community.”
“People with power influence the research.”
“Researchers should try to see problems through the eyes of the local community.”
“Research is influenced by a researcher’s values.”
“Research is successful if it meets academic standards.”
¹ Padt, F. J. G., Bose, M., & Luloff, A. E. (2020). Teaching Public Engagement in Research Using the Engagement Tool. Journal of Planning Education and Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X20909148
Access to the Engagement Tool (password protected).
