Students’ Visions of University Social Responsibility Between Conceptions and Practices
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Abstract
The involvement of higher education institutions with concerns beyond their classic roles of teaching and research is rooted in the past and has a long tradition. However, the emphasis on social dimension and community engagement emerged as a central concern and how it can be applied received marked attention. University social responsibility (USR) projects have large potential to promote students’ active citizenship and transversal competencies beyond academic knowledge. The scarcity of studies on students’ conceptions of and engagement with USR is the starting point of this research, which aims to explore students’ conceptions and experiences in three Erasmus+ ESSA partner universities: the University of Edinburgh, the Kaunas University of Technology, and the University of Porto. Building on the knowledge accumulated from the preceding qualitative study, this quantitative study aims to explore students’ conceptions of USR and how they evaluate their university’s involvement in this area. The findings reveal three relevant conceptions of USR – rights, transparency and impact, and academic dimension – and a critical appraisal of universities’ policies and practices.
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