A university helpdesk in action: Improving community and cross-faculty collaboration
Angie Hart (University of Brighton), Ceri Davies (University of Brighton)
Abstract
The session will present the setting up and development of the University of Brighton Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP) Helpdesk as a case study of how a helpdesk can support community-university partnership building. The CUPP Helpdesk enables community groups to gain access to university knowledge and expertise, and facilitates scholars working productively together. This session reflects on the strategic role of a Helpdesk as an ‘enabling platform’ for community-university collaboration, in forging interdisciplinary research between academics across the university, and as a ‘bridge’ for those unfamiliar with the university. The session will incorporate small discussion groups; ‘post-it note’ exercises; and active feedback to explore the ways in which a helpdesk can: address local inequalities while also enhancing learning, teaching and research; facilitate enquiries and support on-going links with the community; develop longer-term research partnerships; organize workshops, briefings, and local fora.
The goals of this session are:
Goal 1:
To enable session participants to appreciate the characteristics and scope of a university helpdesk
Goal 2:
To gain a deeper understanding of how a helpdesk can play a central role both in co-coordinating cross-faculty collaboration and building community capacity
Goal 3:
To enable participants to develop some personal action points to apply within their own institution
After attending this session, participants will be able to:
Learning Objective 1:
Deepen their understanding of a helpdesk as a means by which higher education institutions can establish and sustain community partnerships
Learning Objective 2:
Reflect on the barriers to accessing universities for community groups
Learning Objective 3:
Apply their knowledge of a UK example of university-community capacity building to their own practice
