Engaging Communities through Educational Precincts

Poole ME¹*, Garnett PJ¹* and Quin R¹*

1. Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Engagement is a two-way process, relying on a mutual exchange of ideas between a university and the various communities in which it is located. Edith Cowan University (ECU) has developed an approach to community engagement that reflects this concept, but which also recognises the competitive environment in which universities operate.

ECU’s community engagement is based on the OECD concept of a learning community and consistent with Longworth’s definition – “a city, town or region which goes beyond its statutory duty to provide education and training and creates a vibrant, participative, culturally aware and economical buoyant human environment” (Longworth, 1999, p. 112).

ECU is developing its three campuses using a unique precinct approach which strongly encourages community engagement. The term ‘precinct’ has the advantage of pointing to more than just the facilities of the university. The term reflects the need for planning to encompass not only the campuses themselves, but also their surrounding regions and key stakeholder relationships. ECU’s vision, focusing its activities around its three precincts, has facilitated the University’s development across the broad range of university activities and underpinned the University’s growth and implementation of its strategic plan.

This case study will demonstrate the effectiveness of ECU’s precincts approach in building stronger links with the local community, its success in developing strategic relationships with its precinct partners, a recognition of the different community needs of the regions in which the campuses are located and the importance of the unique identity which is being developed for each campus.

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