Outreach and public engagement

How universities can use civic engagement and collaboration to get local communities and the broader public involved in their research and other work and generate positive impacts felt beyond the campus walls. These resources also explore effective ways for academics, educators and other teams to reach out and engage with school pupils and groups underrepresented in higher education to break down potential barriers to access.

University staff clasp hands in a show of solidarity

Three lessons that outreach can teach us about enriching our own work

University staff can benefit from outreach as much as its participants. Oliver Rossetti explores three principles that can drive positive change within institutions, as well as beyond

Oliver Rossetti

Arden University

A close up of a researcher in a lab filling a test tube

Broaden your research impact with open educational resources

Open educational resources help communicate research outcomes and contribute to shared knowledge. Read about examples and guidance on how to create them

Lorna Campbell, Stephanie Farley

The University of Edinburgh

An illustration of a robot on a green background

Outreach activities for AI literacy: from sparking curiosity to lifelong learning

Four principles for embedding AI literacy in university outreach, to create a sustainable learning ecosystem

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The key to designing outreach activities students remember

Five ways to spark students’ curiosity during outreach activities and encourage them to keep exploring

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

‘Effective outreach closes the gap between understanding and action’

University outreach is often measured in terms of reach and participation. But information alone rarely changes behaviour. The real test is whether people do something differently as a result

Mike Gutter

Virginia Tech

Research participants sit together in a circle

Six questions researchers should ask before assigning pseudonyms

It might seem like a routine step in research but choosing participants’ pseudonyms can be an uncertain, unsettling process. Here’s how to approach it thoughtfully

Eileen Harkess-Murphy, Rachel Allen

University of the West of Scotland

Campus webinar: Lessons in academic profile building from those who know how

Hear four academics from Campus+ partner institutions in the UK, Morocco and Kazakhstan discuss how to build a reputation as an expert in your scholarly field

Thomas Gift, Lakshmi Goel, Colin Harvey, Riccardo Pelizzo

UCL, Al Akhawayn University, Queen’s University Belfast, Nazarbayev University

Let it evolve: five lessons from developing our own journal

When you launch a new academic journal, be prepared to learn as it develops and let it evolve over time, writes Natalia Azzi

Natalia Azzi

Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC)

Treat outreach as an integral part of the research process

Universities often frame outreach as something that happens after research is complete. But when knowledge transfer is left to the end, impact becomes an afterthought. Mike Gutter explains

Mike Gutter

Virginia Tech

Podcast graphic featuring Lorraine Coghill

Campus Talks: How co-creation and interdisciplinarity enrich university outreach

An expert in science engagement explains why a people-centred approach, curiosity and creativity are key to sharing knowledge with schools and the community in innovative and inspiring ways

Lorraine Coghill, Eliza Compton

Durham University

Why subject-aligned career talks matter – and how to deliver them

Discipline-focused careers talks bring the labour market and recruitment practices into the classroom in a way that is based on speakers’ personal stories and experiences

Emilie Rutledge, Merim Baitimbetova

The Open University

Secondary school pupils studying science in a classroom

How to embed outreach into final-year research projects

How to take a proactive approach to ethics approval and use existing university mechanisms to transform outreach into assessed, curriculum-aligned work

Nephtali Marina-Gonzalez

UCL

Students working on a project together in class

Turning final-year research projects into community collaborations

How to embed collaboration with external partners into core research assessment to ease pressure on labs while building core employability skills

Nephtali Marina-Gonzalez, Molly McCabe

UCL

The secrets of successful university outreach

Learn how to create and deliver effective university outreach programmes that get more people interested in and engaged with higher education

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

Why one-way university outreach falls short

If outreach work is only about disseminating knowledge and not about listening, universities risk reinforcing their ‘ivory tower’ reputation. Real impact comes from co-creating knowledge with communities. Pipiet Larasatie explains

Pipiet Larasatie

Virginia Tech

Tour guide showing potential students around university campus

University outreach that works starts with a simple question

When it comes to outreach, are you building a cohort or expanding opportunity? Being clear about your goal can transform how universities design, deliver and assess outreach. Walter Lee explains

Walter Lee

Virginia Tech

Two primary school students doing a science experiment

How to get primary school pupils interested in STEM

Academics often lack the skills to engage with very young audiences, which can make STEM feel abstract. Charlotte Maughan Jones shares tips on using the right language and understanding what’s important to schools

Charlotte Maughan Jones

UCL

Team members place their hands in a circle

The civic university: move beyond symbolism to real responsibility

Is higher education’s civic engagement becoming performative? Here’s how to embed it in teaching, research and governance

Sobia Razzaq

University of Westminster

Muslim college-age female students in discussion

Rethinking how researchers can deliver preventive healthcare outreach

For community outreach to be effective, researchers need to listen to the target group, build trust and connect the health information they share to participants’ daily lives

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Three school children in class with VR headsets on

Make university study tangible with VR

Virtual reality can help bring complex disciplines to life, widen access and build stronger partnerships with schools. Learn how

Stephen Hilton, Blanka Hilton

UCL, University of Kent

New to schools outreach? Here’s how to get started

Tips for delivering outreach experiences that build on existing knowledge and help young people make informed decisions about their future – whether they include higher education or not

Carl Harrington

The University of East Anglia

What co-creation taught us about solving university problems together

Small changes to communication can help students, faculty and graduates engage with each other on the issues affecting higher education today, writes Kawtar Abouhazim

Kawtar Abouhazim

Al Akhawayn University

Noémi Verbőczi, photo courtesy of Semmelweis University

From ballet to dance medicine: how universities can build healthier training cultures

How can we help dance students achieve technical excellence without compromising their health? A former ballerina turned dance medicine specialist discusses how universities can build healthier, more sustainable dance training cultures

Noémi Verbőczi

Semmelweis University

An illustration of students speaking different languages

How language surveys can shape a multilingual university

A biennial language survey changed how one university thought about linguistic diversity – and helped give students a voice. Here’s how

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Students are not just future graduates – they can serve society now

If universities want student service to mean more than an extracurricular activity, they have to care about design, preparation, partnerships, continuity and the institutional scaffolding that supports long-term impact

Chew Han Ei, Mark Chong

Singapore Management University

Female high school student in lab wearing a white coat

From outreach to infrastructure: how academics can support a lasting STEM pipeline

Inspiring future generations of STEM scholars demands more than just a one-time introduction to science or engineering. Lasting impact comes from ongoing learning experiences, mentorship and institutional support, writes Keisha Simmons

Keisha Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Secondary students solving a maths problem on a whiteboard

Widen access to higher education by improving school attainment

With school attainment a key driver of progression to university, outreach must go beyond traditional interventions to widen access. Matthew Lucas offers five evidence-led ways to design educationally robust programmes

Matthew Lucas

UCL

Rethinking the process of patient and public involvement

To get a full picture of the impact of PPI, would it be better to focus on improving the process of involving people in health research as well as measuring outcomes?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

A group of research participants sitting in a circle

A trauma-informed approach to research

Practical strategies for researchers engaging with trauma-related issues and participants with experience of trauma

Helen Anne Nolan, Vicky Panossian

The University of Warwick

How LinkedIn helped me create research collaborations

LinkedIn can help researchers build international collaborations, but only when it is treated as a professional community, not just a digital CV. Follow these tips to grow your profile

Julian C. Pena-Bermudez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

A man reads a book between the aisles of a university library

Making public work count in academia

Practical advice for universities and departments that want to begin including public work meaningfully in hiring, tenure and promotion standards

David Perry

University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Opening doors: how to make work experience work for scientists and school students alike

Giving more secondary school students opportunities to experience working in a research lab means addressing faculty capacity

Kathryn Woods-Townsend, Kate Bartlett

University of Southampton

Library outreach with high school students

Using university library outreach to demystify the transition from high school to higher education

Outreach initiatives can introduce potential students to the support that will be available on campus, develop their research skills and instil a sense of belonging before they arrive. Kealin McCabe outlines different approaches

Kealin McCabe

University of Northern British Columbia

Outreach programmes that lay STEM pathways and strengthen research skills

Help local schools build the foundations for future STEM students, address regional issues and hone your students’ research management skills – all with outreach activities. Here’s how

Cristina Mihaela Nicolescu, Marius Bumbac

Valahia University of Târgoviște

A businessman in a warehouse speaks to a business partner.

Put quality before quantity when building university-industry partnerships

University-industry partnerships must be based on long-term commitment, clear governance and proper resourcing and investment, if they are to have a transformative impact, write Soheil Davari and Vasile Strat

Soheil Davari , Vasile Alecsandru Strat

University of Bath, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest Business School

Where to position pre-16 outreach in the university structure – and why

Pre-16 outreach is vitally important for helping under-represented groups achieve success in higher education. But its positioning within a university structure can make a real difference to its influence. Find out how here

Steve Briggs, Paula Page

University of Bedfordshire

Doctors talking to non-medics around a table

Move beyond tokenism to embed patient insights in medical curricula

Patients often help with medical and healthcare teaching – yet they are rarely involved in designing what students are taught. Find out how one university team worked with patients to co-produce a medical curriculum that strengthened educational quality and public accountability

Amber Bennett-Weston, Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

Students laugh together in front of a blue wall

Build student and community partnerships for safer campuses

Employ the local community and nearby institutions to address student safety issues in a collaborative way. Here’s how

Simon Merrywest

The University of Manchester

What it means to be a university social media director

Social media director is an often-misunderstood role. From the outside, the job can seem as if it revolves around sports highlights, trending sounds and campus beauty shots but those moments represent only a fraction of the work

Riley Phillips

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Young male and female high school students in a chemistry lab

Why investment earlier in the pipeline would strengthen diversity in STEM

Persistent inequities in uptake of science, engineering, technology and mathematics begin before college. Drawing on evidence from K-12 talent development programmes, Keisha Simmons offers practical guidance to strengthen the STEM pipeline

Keisha Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A woman in a lab coat testing samples in a lab

Inspire the next generation of bioengineering lab technicians

STEM outreach workshops can encourage school students to pursue careers as laboratory research scientists. Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso offers advice on creating memorable and engaging experiences

Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso

Imperial College London

The difference between good and bad impact management

How do academics and research managers really feel about impact management? Here’s how it can be done badly, and how to do it right

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Graduate ambassadors can support student employability

Alumna, alumnus, alumni: how can graduates influence current and future students?

Are universities mobilising one of their most impactful tools to boost student recruitment, improve graduate employability and strengthen the student experience: the alumni community?

Nicole Chapman, Jessica Boxall

University of Southampton

Doing outreach with children? Start with bricks, questions and storytelling

When the climate crisis dominates headlines but often feels too large for meaningful action, how can university researchers invite the next generation to engage, imagine and lead? Here, Nadera Assim shares insights from a workshop on composting

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Campus Talks: The value of arts and humanities in higher education

A vice-chancellor-artist and a historian discuss the merits of the arts and humanities and what valuable life lessons and skills can be gained from the study of these disciplines

Michael Scott, Mark Power, Miranda Prynne

The University of Warwick, Liverpool John Moores University

Measuring the value of movement: how universities can capture the benefits of sport and physical activity

With robust, quantitative data, the higher education sector can show how its sporting activities and facilities contribute to both student and staff well-being and national health goals while strengthening the case for future investment

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

Creating a safe space for patients and public in research

How can healthcare researchers ensure that non-researchers feel comfortable to share opinions or ask questions during project meetings?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

How business education can preserve cultural heritage

Strengthen communities and protect cultural traditions by using business education to support artisanal practices. Here are four ways to do so

Ahlam Fakhar

Al Akhawayn University

A meeting takes place around a long table

How to engage with stakeholders for research that matters

For meaningful research impact, stakeholder engagement has to be genuine and built over time. Follow these tips for better collaboration

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Barbed wire and a security camera on a brick wall

What learning behind bars can teach us about the university classroom

A partnership with a prison helped one educator see her university teaching in a different light. Find out how

Sobia Razzaq

University of Westminster

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