New/Changed practices of Higher Education engagement with local communities and arts and cultural organisations during Covid-19
In preparation to our discussion on the 26th of June, I have written a short blog to reflect on how HE engagement might have changed during Covid-19. I am also posing some questions (you can answer to the ones most relevant to you) through a brief survey. The results will be shared everyone on the 26th and get in touch with anyone who has propose to present their brief case study for general discussion.
Covid-19 has had a profound impact on academic practices of engagement with local communities as well as arts and cultural organisations.
Many departments in the field arts, creative industries and arts management collaborate with external partners on multiple agendas:
In connection to teaching, external partners offer valuable input into courses and provide opportunities for research visits and workshops which during the last three months could not take place. Furthermore, students often engage in internships and placements in arts and creative organisations. This has partially moved online, but as result of the recent lockdown period the inability of arts and cultural organisations to operate has also affected opportunities for teaching collaborations. This is particularly challenging for final year students who might struggle to enter the sector in this period of uncertainty and with little opportunity to network and get noticed.
However, also research collaborations and other collaborative activities have been affected. Some exchanges like talks or dissemination events have gone ahead online but many projects involving sharing research facilities and time had to stop. Another important aspect that has had to move online is the engagement with communities (whether via outreach or short-courses or via participatory events). While some universities, like for example Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, has created online resources for community engagement. Ironically, while challenging, many universities have experienced a demand from engagement with local communities during this challenging period.
In this talk, we will discuss what elements of engagement can move online and what others are more challenging to take forward. This brief survey will capture our recent experience. We hope you will also share some case studies and experiences about your views on doing engagement during Covid-19.
Many departments in the field arts, creative industries and arts management collaborate with external partners on multiple agendas:
In connection to teaching, external partners offer valuable input into courses and provide opportunities for research visits and workshops which during the last three months could not take place. Furthermore, students often engage in internships and placements in arts and creative organisations. This has partially moved online, but as result of the recent lockdown period the inability of arts and cultural organisations to operate has also affected opportunities for teaching collaborations. This is particularly challenging for final year students who might struggle to enter the sector in this period of uncertainty and with little opportunity to network and get noticed.
However, also research collaborations and other collaborative activities have been affected. Some exchanges like talks or dissemination events have gone ahead online but many projects involving sharing research facilities and time had to stop. Another important aspect that has had to move online is the engagement with communities (whether via outreach or short-courses or via participatory events). While some universities, like for example Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, has created online resources for community engagement. Ironically, while challenging, many universities have experienced a demand from engagement with local communities during this challenging period.
In this talk, we will discuss what elements of engagement can move online and what others are more challenging to take forward. This brief survey will capture our recent experience. We hope you will also share some case studies and experiences about your views on doing engagement during Covid-19.
References
Comunian R. and A. Gilmore (2015) Beyond the Creative Campus: Reflections on the evolving relationship between higher education and the creative economy, published by King’s College London, London (UK)
Comunian R. and A. Gilmore (2015) Beyond the Creative Campus: Reflections on the evolving relationship between higher education and the creative economy, published by King’s College London, London (UK)
