Building capacity through sustainable engagement: Lessons for the learning community from the GraniteNet Project

Catherine Arden*, Kathryn McLachlan, Trevor Cooper

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper reports an exploration into critical success factors for the sustainability of the partnership between the University of Southern Queensland and the Stanthorpe community during the GraniteNet Phoenix Project - the frst phase of a three-phase participatory action research project conducted during 2007-2008. The concepts of learning community, social capital, university-community engagement and partnerships, and co-generative learning through participatory action research and evaluation are brought together to provide a framework for evaluating the sustainability and effcacy of the university-community relationship in the context of the GraniteNet project. Implications of the fndings for the ongoing sustainability of the partnership are discussed, as well as for the relevance and utility of identifed critical success factors. The paper also discusses implications of the fndings for university-community engagement partnerships that utilise participatory action research and evaluation processes to build capacity through co-generative learning.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)75-101
Number of pages27
JournalAustralian Journal of Adult Learning
Volume49
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2009
Externally publishedYes

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