Public engagement: what does it mean in higher education today?

By Claire Shaw. Join our experts Friday 31 May from 12pm BST to discuss benefits, drawbacks, media, message and innovative practice. What does public engagement actually mean? It's one of those terms for which it's hard to find a single definition that reflects its wider purpose and the many forms it takes within the higher education sector. The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement has given it a go and come up with this: "Public engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit."
If sharing research and university news with society communicates the benefits of higher education, is a simple press release a form of public engagement – or is the process more sophisticated? What innovative and exciting ways are universities putting engagement into practice, or making their practice engaging? A few come to mind which have made particular waves: Bright Club, which started at UCL and is now running in seven locations around the UK, encourages researchers to take to the stage and describe their work in a funny way. Read more...