What Happens When We Fail? Building Resilient Community-Based Research

Abstract

This article reports on the second stage of a 7-year community-based research project involving service-learning students in technical and professional communication courses and nonprofit organizations in Baltimore City. The article explains how students and community members overcame failure to collaborate on literacy and employment workshops. To assess collaboration, researchers integrated usability testing on workshop resources with 15 ( N = 15) participants, postworkshop questionnaires with 34 ( N = 34) participants, and interviews with 2 ( N = 2) community partners. Participants responded positively, and 47% of workshop attendees found jobs. The article argues that community-based research should use participatory and iterative models and resilience theory.

Examining Multimodal Community-Engaged Projects for Technical and Professional Communication: Motivation, Design, Technology, and Impact

“…In some ways, Brizee et al’s (2020) longitudinal study helped illuminate the effects of service-learning on a long-term partnership––“students and community members were stressed by the time-consuming effort required to complete [the] projects” (p. 248). At the same time, Brizee (2020) also documented the challenges facing the instructors who facilitate community-engaged projects, stating that “stakes are high when funding, tenure, and promotion may be jeopardized if community work flops” (p. 362). Indeed, it seems that community-engaged pedagogy is laden with structural as well as relational challenges.…”