This document discusses mainstreaming university-community research partnerships in Asia. It provides examples of service-learning programs and community participatory research projects at universities in countries like China, Hong Kong, and South Korea. Service-learning is presented as a way to link formal academic learning with community engagement. The document outlines the growth of university-community partnerships in Asia and how they help address societal changes through engaged teaching, service, and research. It provides types of service-learning and examples of how Lingnan University in Hong Kong incorporates service-learning and community research across departments. The document concludes by emphasizing the importance of strengthening university-community partnerships and broadening the concept of community.

1. Mainstreaming University-
Community Research
Partnerships: From Service-
Learning to Community
Participatory Research in Asia
Dr. Carol MA Hok Ka
Associate Director, Office of Service-Learning, Lingnan University
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan
University

2. Agenda
• What are the countries/ cities involved doing
University-Community partnerships in Asia?
• Why does this emerge in Asia?
• Service-Learning becomes a mean to link formal
learning/research and the local/international
community
• Examples of Service-Learning in different countries
in Asia (Hong Kong, Mainland China, Korea)
• Ways forward

3. What are the countries/ cities involved doing
University-Community Partnership in Asia?
 China
 Hong Kong
 India
 Indonesia
 Philippines
 Malaysia
 Korea
 Taiwan
 Singapore
 Cambodia
 Vietnam
 Thailand
 Japan

4. • Many universities have set-up an office to facilitate faculty and
departments to have scholarship-based engagement with
communities.
• Service-Learning Centre at International Christian University (Japan)
• The Center for Professional Ethics and Service-Learning at Assumption
University (Thailand)
• Service-Learning Centre, Fu Jen Catholic University (Taiwan)
• Center for Outreach and Research Program at Lady Doak College (India)
• Center for Community outreach and research, Petra Christian University
(Indonesia)
• Office of Service-Learning, Lingnan University (Hong Kong)
• Center for Civil Society, Sun Yat Sen University, (China)
What are the countries/ cities involved doing
University-Community Partnership in Asia?

5. (Societal) New Economy
The emergence of a new/creative economy since the early 1990s in Asia,
characterized by
(By Former President, Prof. Edward Chen, Lingnan University) 5
Why does this emerge in Asia?
• Importance of Creativity, Adaptability and Life- long Education ( The only
thing we can predict is CHANGE)
Digitization:
• Importance of Coping with Diversity and understand the intercultural
perspectives
Globalization:
• Importance of Ethics, Civility, Social Responsibility
Monopolization of Capitalism:

6. Rich and Poor Rural and Urban
Area
Various Religions,
cultures, languages
Various education,
social and political
systems
New Times Demand for New Scholarship
How could one provide the ideal and
necessary form of education across the
region?
How can we take these differences as
opportunities for community-university
partnership?
• Re-emphasis of principles of
students’ community
engagement and participation
• Interdisciplinary knowledge
development and joint research
action to solve these problems

7. Opportunities:
Role of
Higher
Education
The context of change in the role of
higher education in society and the
nature of scholarships
Engaged
Service
Cultivate Giving culture and promote
service leadership and University Social
Responsibility
Engaged
Teaching
Service-Learning becomes the means
for addressing the community needs
Engaged
Research
Community Based Partnership
Research can fulfill in this new role

8. Service-Learning
as a pedagogy to
link up service,
teaching and
academic learning.
Community
participatory
Research as a
research method
to engage with the
community and
create knowledge
exchange

9. Examples from East Asia:
1. China: Pilot Projects about Service-
Learning and Community Based Research
2. Hong Kong: Knowledge Transfer Fund
supported by University Grant Committee;
Policy Research Fund supported by
Central Policy Unit
3. Korea: Promotion of University Social
Responsibility

10. 1. China
Pilot Projects about Service-Learning and Community Based
ResearchUniversities Pilot Project Name Integrated
subject
Research/Project Feature
Sun Yat-sen
University
Ethics and Culture
Preservation
Learning
Ethics on
Charity
(Department
of
Philosophy)
• Study the daily living of local elderly &
accompany them during the big festivals
• Record activities held by rural elderly
association, assist them in the construction
and expansion of the organization.
• Record and preserve tangible and intangible
cultural heritage of Hakka villages.
Result: Ministry of Education in GZ contacted
the teachers to design a series of teaching
materials about moral and civic education for
the primary school
South China
University of
Technology
Green Community
of College
Public
dissemination
Practicum
Public
dissemination
(Department
of
Journalism)
• Design a series of environmental-related
activities by using the theme of “Garbage
sorting" for community residents.
• Conduct study with the community about the
best recycling practices in the community in
order to promote the importance of
environmental protection

11. Service-Learning
Project Name
Pilot Project
Name
Integrated
subject
Project / Research Feature
South China
Normal
University
Oral history of
leprosy
rehabilitation
village
Oral history
(Department
of History)
• Serve and work with leprosy rehabilitators to
improve their life condition
• Interview the elder leprosy rehabilitators
and publish their stories
Result: Work with the local government to
create a leprosy museum
University of
Youth and
Politics
Children’s right
in China
Youth and
Children
Study
(Department
of Social
Work)
• Identify the need of the children
• Serve the children who have learning
difficulties & educate the parent about the
right of their children
• Conduct research on the children’s right in
China together with the Parent who have
kids with learning difficulties
Result: Inspire other departments, e.g Law
department to do joint project/research
together

12. 2. Hong Kong: Knowledge Transfer Fund supported by University
Grant Committee; Public Policy Research Fund supported by
Central Policy Unit
• The above fundings encourage Universities in Hong
Kong take initiatives and responsibilities to disseminate
knowledge into society and engage with the community
Knowledge
Transfer
Fund
“The systems and processes by which knowledge,
including technology, know-how, expertise and skills
are transferred between higher education institutions
and society, lead to innovative, profitable or economic
or social improvements” (UGC Report, 2012)
Public Policy
Research
Fund
7 Main Research Areas which related to HK’s current and
long term development are recommended: (a) land and
housing; (b) poverty and ageing/retirement protection; (c)
political development and governance; (d) external
economy; (e) social issues; (f) economic development; and
(g) environmental protection

13. From engaged teaching/service to engaged research
in HK
In 2012, The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University
established the Office of
Service Learning and set
S-L as Graduation
Requirement
In 2006, the first office
for promoting S-L (Office
of Service-Learning)
was officially set up in
Lingnan University
2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016
In 2004, first started in
Lingnan University.
- Pilot Program to
integrate Service-
Learning elements in
Credit-bearing Courses:
Service-Learning and
Research Scheme
In 2016, Lingnan
University set S-L as
Graduation
Requirement
In 2014, The Hong Kong
Institute of Education
established set Co-
curricular and Service
Learning (CSL) as
Graduation Requirement
In 2009, The Higher
Education Service-
Learning Network
(NESLN) was
established.
3-3-4 Education
Reform in 2012
In 2012, Lingnan
University set Civic
Engagement (CE) as
Graduation Requirement
which S-L is a part of CE
In 2013, Chung Chi
College, The Chinese
University of Hong Kong
set up the Service
Learning Center
In 2012, The University of
Hong Kong established
the Gallant Ho
Experiential Learning
Centre
KT Fund is
available
Public Policy
Research Fund is
available

14. Lingnan University in Hong
Kong
• Service-Learning (S-L) is a relative new pedagogy in Hong
Kong Higher Education
– The Office of Service-Learning (OSL) was established in Lingnan
University in 2006 (first university in Hong Kong to have an office
dedicated to cultivating S-L in higher education) for echoing the
Lingnan motto, “Education for Service”.
– Background of Lingnan University
• The only Liberal Arts University in Hong Kong
• Lingnan has been subscribing to students doing community services
as part of their university life e.g, Integrated Learning Programmes
(ILPs)
• Scholastic Excellence & Whole-person development
• S-L Pioneer in Hong Kong and it is a mean to achieve KT
• Distinctive Teaching and Learning Processes and Environment
through liberal arts Education & Service-Learning:
6 pillars:
(Service-Learning,
teaching mode,
international exchange,
campus life,
interdisciplinary curriculum,
community services)
3 Es:
(Experience,
Exposure, Excitement)
4 Is:
(Individualization of
students; Interdisciplinary
approach; Intra-curricular
activities; International
exchange)

15. Types of Service-Learning
Types of Service-Learning Definition Impact Examples
Direct Service-Learning Person-to-person, face-to-face
service projects in which the
students’ service directly impacts
individuals who receive the service
from the students
• Caring for others
• Personal, Responsibility,
• Dependability,
• Interpersonal skills,
• Ability to get along with others
who are different,
• Problem-solving, Beginning-to-
end, big-picture learning
• Tutoring other students and adults
• Conducting art/music/dance lessons
for younger students
• Helping other students resolve
conflict
• Creating lessons and presenting
them to younger students on violence
and drug prevention
• Creating life reviews for Hospice
patients
Indirect Service-Learning Working on broad issues,
environmental projects, community
development-project that have clear
benefits to the community or
environment, but not necessarily to
individual identified people with
whom the students are working
• Cooperation,
• Teamwork skills,
• Playing different roles,
• Organizing
• Prioritizing,
• Project-specific skills
• Compiling a town history
• Restoring historic structures or
building low-income housing
• Removing exotic plants and restoring
ecosystems, preparing preserve
areas for public use
Research-based Service-
Learning
Gathering and presenting
information on areas of interest and
need-projects that find, gather, and
report on information that is needed
• Learn how to learn/get
answers/find information
• Make discriminating judgments,
• Work systematically,
• Organizational skills,
• Learn how to assess,
• Evaluate and test hypotheses
• Writing a guide on available
community services and translating it
into Spanish and other languages of
new residents
• Gathering information and creating
brochures or videos for non-profit or
government agencies
• Conducting surveys, studies,
evaluations, experiments, interviews,
etc.
Advocacy Service-Learning Educating others about topics of
public interest-projects that aim to
create awareness and action on
some issue that is in the public
interest
• Perseverance;
• Understanding rules, systems,
processes,
• Engaged citizenship,
• Working with Adults
• Planning and putting on public
forums on topics of interest in the
community
• Conducting public information
campaigns on topics of interest or
local needs
• Working with elected officials to draft
legislation to improve communities
Berger-Kaye(2004, 2014) categorized the service-learning projects into four main categories, but it could be a combination of these approaches to

16. From Engaged Teaching/Services to Engaged
Research at Lingnan
Department / Faculty Common S-L Mode Examples Developing Community
Research Focus Area
Faculty of Business Indirect +
Research and
Indirect +
Research +
Advocacy
To conduct a marketing research, a
strategic plan with social enterprise or
other NGOs
Social Enterprises, Social
innovation, ethical leadership
in the community, CSR
Faculty of Social Sciences Pure Direct
Service and Direct
+ Advocacy
To provide support for those in need
(like helping elderly to produce a life
story album, tutoring youth, providing
support to new arrivals, educating
elderly to have a healthy lifestyle/crime
prevention
Aging & Health, new arrivals,
Single family, Youth Juveniles,
low income family, etc
Department of Cultural
Studies
Pure Indirect
Service
Farming-related service-learning
projects
Ethnic minority, cultural
preservation, etc
Direct + Advocacy To outreach/assist activity/do
interviews to provide direct service to
elderly, ethnic minorities, low-income
families and the needs
Department of Visual
Studies
Pure Direct
Service
To assist/design an art activity for the
needy (like elderly, mentally
handicapped)
Community museum, children
with learning difficulties,
mentally handicapped,
dementia patients and their
caregiver, etc.
Department of Philosophy Pure Direct
Service
To write life stories for elderly tutoring
kids and assisting the ethnic minorities
Care for the domestic helper
and patient with cancer (Life
and death issue)

17. From Engaged Teaching/Services to Engaged
Research at Lingnan
Department / Faculty Common S-L Mode Examples Evidence
Department of Translation Indirect +
Research +
Advocacy
To translate paper materials or website
content for a service agency
Cyber translation for hearing
impaired children
Pure Direct
Service
To provide tutorial lessons for the deaf
children
Department of Chinese Pure Indirect
Service
To write the stories about a place or
people
Nil
Department of English Pure Direct
Service
To write life stories for the elderly Nil
Indirect +
Advocacy
To write stories for the international
volunteers
Nil

18. Example from Lingnan
University• Since 2008, she launched Visual Studies 255 Art
and Well-Being
– she has designed over 20 schemes and worked 12
agencies
– Built in research from her expertise knowledge
together with the community
• Published Articles
– Enhancing the study of art and community
through service-learning : children with
learning difficulties
– Connecting art and community through
service-learning: ethnic minority children
– A Community Art Programme for people with
dementia: Colours of Dementia
– More….
• Recently being promoted from Assistant to
Associate Professor
• University changes the promotion and tenure
guideline: For those who engaged SL will be
counted

19. 3. South Korea: Promotion of University Social Responsibility
• The growth and contributions of social responsibility in
Korean higher education started with different social
movements from the 1930s to the 2000s.
• Many universities have addressed the community needs
and are working together with the community to create a
strong civic responsibility.

20. Seoul Women’s University (Korea)
School Vision:
Seoul Women's University, under the spirit of Christianity, trains female leaders who
have Knowledge, Virtue, and Expertise.
Institutional Support Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Curriculum Design S-L is one credit bearing course of liberal education
within 6 colleges: General Education Program,
Humanities, Social Science, Natural Science, Information
& Media, and Fine Arts.
Community based learning/SL
Courses
The number of S-L courses has increased from 4 in 2005
to about 50 in 2012 (52 in Spring, and 49 in Fall
semester).
Service Targets • low income, poor, aged, and homeless community
members.
• Adopt a community near to the community and
work with the community together
Ways of Engagement • educational outreach, students engage in community
based research (e.g. poverty issue, needs of the
children from single parent family, etc) and others
that will contribute to development of community.

21. Ways Forward:
Strengthen Partnerships
• It takes almost 10 years for faculty members to embed SL into the academic courses in Asia.
Once faculty members are doing engaged service and teaching, they will also do community
participatory research, but it takes time to inspire them to do further researches.
• While In this Asian social and cultural context, higher education institutes could be a powerful
tool, not only to teach the conflict between social transformation and the attainment of social
justice, but also to develop teachers’ and students’ intellectual knowledge in order to support
society's needs.
• The partnership between the University and the community is a very important indicator of
the building and application of knowledge, which are related to how and what institutions and
communities supports
• NGOs and Networks (i.e. Service Learning Asia Network, PRIA, National Youth Council in
Singapore, Asia Engage) provide platform to promote the engagement of High Education
Institutions in Asia, and encourage cross-national collaborations.

22. Ways Forward:
Broadening the Concept of Community
A need for renewed efforts for Higher Education Institutions for
genuinely engaging with community, conducting socially relevant
research and education and foster University social responsibility.
• Establishing community-university dialogue and seeking funding
support from the government, foundation and corporation
• Linking formal learning with community service and linking
research with community knowledge
• By conducting research, indigenous heritage, cultures, values and
customs can be learned by non-indigenous communities.

23. “Universities play a vital role not only in shaping the future by
educating the professionals of tomorrow, but also by creating a
research base for sustainability efforts, and providing outreach
and service to communities and nations especially related to
difficult sustainability issues”
- McKeown (2006)
Ways Forward

24. Other Resources
Networks on Community-University Engagement in
Asia and the Pacific
Name Secretariat Institute Web-site
ASEAN University
Network (AUN)
Bangkok (Thailand) Chulalongkorn
University
www.aunsec.org/new
s/index.php
AsiaEngage Selangor (Malaysia) Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia
www.asiaengage.org
Asia-Pacific
Community-
University
Engagement Network
(APUCEN)
Penang (Malaysia) Universiti Sains
Malaysia
http://apucen.usm.m
y/
Society for
Participatory
Research in Asia (PRIA)
New Delhi (Inida) n/a www.pria.org
Service Learning Asia
Network
Hong Kong Lingnan University www.ln.edu.hk/osl/sl
an/index.php

25. Other Resources
References
• Global University Network for Innovation.(2014).Higher Education in
the World 5: Knowledge, Engagement & Higher Education:
Contribution to Social Change. Palgrave Macmillan
• Jun Xing, Ma Carol H.K. (2010). Service-Learning in Asia: Curriculum
Models and Practices. Hong Kong University Press
• International Christian University Service Learning Center. (2009).
Lessons from Service-Learning in Asia: Results of Collaborative
Research in Higher Education.