Public Engagement & Research Impacts: Resources & Tools

The Public Engagement & Research Impacts team develops research-based resources and tools to support Michigan scholars in ethical, effective engagement with partners. Explore our resources & tools portfolio below.

The words “public engagement” mean many different things to people. The Michigan Public Engagement Framework explains similarities and differences across forms of public engagement by breaking down who is involved (stakeholders), the dynamics of how these people or groups interact (relationships), and the environment(s) in which engagements happen (contexts and/or domains). 

Learn more about the Framework:

Use the Framework: 

We have created different versions of practice tools to apply the Framework in your engaged practice, which we call Reflection Decks. Each version (i.e., Print-at-Home, Digital, and Workbook) contains identical content; you may choose to use whichever version works best for your needs.

  • In the Print-at-Home version of a Deck, you will print, cut out, and interact with a set of physical cards. This version is helpful if you want to activate your brain in a different way and use your hands to interact with physical cards.
  • In the Digital version of a Deck, you will interact with a set of elements in a slidedeck. This version is particularly suited for sharing in virtual environments or when you don’t have access to a printer.
  • In the Workbook version of a Deck, you will simply respond to the reflective prompts. This version is the best choice for people who use screen reader technology or those looking for some quick reflective prompts.

Contexts Deck: Use this Deck to articulate objectives, contexts, and resources for an engagement or impact activity.

Stakeholders Deck: Use this Deck to identify individual strengths and assets that most influence an engagement or impact activity.

Relationships Deck: Use this Deck to plan action steps to foster the desired relationship dynamics in an engagement or impact activity.

The Reflection Decks were developed with funding through the University of Michigan and the Center for Advancing Research Impacts in Society (ARIS) Fellows Program, which is supported through a grant from the NSF (#1810732). Materials for this project are also available on the ARIS website. 

In partnership with the LISTEN Network, PE+RI has developed a framework for foundational knowledge and skills to equip scholars for effective, ethical public engagement. The PE+RI team puts this framework into action through the Public Engagement Faculty Fellowship program and in our workshop series.

Learn more about the competencies framework: 

  • Read the report that outlines our synthesis process and introduces the competencies framework

Explore the competencies framework: 

The framework consists of two tables in an Airtable database: the first table (“Competencies”) details the core competencies in public engagement, and the second table (“Resources”) documents relevant literature and resources that support these competencies. The two tables are linked, so you can explore either table as your needs require. For instance, you might explore individual competencies and then their associated resources for additional information, or you might review different resources and then discover relevant core competencies for each resource. For additional help navigating the Airtable, please review Appendix A in the project report.  

This material is based upon work supported by the LISTEN Network, the Association of Science and Technology Centers, the University of Michigan’s Office of the Vice President for Research, and The Kavli Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting organizations.

 

In partnership with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Civic Science Fellows program, the broad objectives of the initiative are to: 1) explore how different institutional contexts in higher education support different opportunities to support engaged- and equity-oriented scholars, and 2) provide scaffolding, guidance, and tools for university leaders to drive & support institutional change efforts.

Learn more about the Modernizing Scholarship for the Public Good initiative:

This project is supported by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Office of Food, Agriculture, and Natural Resources (FANR), the University of Michigan, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Kavli Foundation, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund (#1022914) as part of the Civic Science Fellows program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting organizations.

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Contact the entire team: [email protected]
Elyse Aurbach, Director, Public Engagement & Research Impacts: [email protected]
Ellen Parakkat, Program Manager, Public Engagement & Research Impacts: [email protected]