Building Communities Through Science: Engaging Undergraduates in Community Based Research
Presentation Type
Workshop
Location
BHC 126
Start Date
26-9-2009 9:00 AM
End Date
26-9-2009 9:45 AM
Description/Abstract
This session will describe methods used by an NSF-funded REU in Behavioral Health to engage undergraduate students in Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community, as well as the student, and has the aim of combining knowledge with action to achieve social change. REU students participate in a community field rotation in which they are exposed to a variety of community programs such as drug courts, mental health courts, inpatient psychiatric facilities, group homes, homeless shelters, and assisted living facilities. Students who opt to utilize a CBPR approach design their projects in consultation with community partners and discuss their findings with these partners to obtain feedback, contextual information, and suggestions for future research and policy implications. This session will provide practical strategies for engaging undergraduates with community partners in the research process and will highlight student projects that reflect this approach. The session will also describe methods to help students analyze their results and disseminate their findings in ways that can inform public policy.
Building Communities Through Science: Engaging Undergraduates in Community Based Research
BHC 126
This session will describe methods used by an NSF-funded REU in Behavioral Health to engage undergraduate students in Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR), a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community, as well as the student, and has the aim of combining knowledge with action to achieve social change. REU students participate in a community field rotation in which they are exposed to a variety of community programs such as drug courts, mental health courts, inpatient psychiatric facilities, group homes, homeless shelters, and assisted living facilities. Students who opt to utilize a CBPR approach design their projects in consultation with community partners and discuss their findings with these partners to obtain feedback, contextual information, and suggestions for future research and policy implications. This session will provide practical strategies for engaging undergraduates with community partners in the research process and will highlight student projects that reflect this approach. The session will also describe methods to help students analyze their results and disseminate their findings in ways that can inform public policy.