Faculty Resources

Logistical and Legal Guidance

In addition to general university policies (e.g., Code of Conduct, Title IX), the following guidance may be important to consider, depending on the nature of your community engagement:

  • The Swearer Center encourages the compensation of community-based partners as co-teachers and co-researchers; our policy supports payments to individuals or organizations at a maximum rate of $100/hour. Paying individuals and organizations external to Brown is possible after they register as a university supplier. If you are considering providing gift cards rather than payments, see Brown's gift card policy. Gift Card purchases must be pre-approved in writing by the P-card Administrator.
  • Students engaging with partner organizations that work with minors or other vulnerable populations may be required to complete a background check before they begin working. The Swearer Center can provide logistical and financial support for background checks for students in CBLR courses during the early weeks of each semester. Please see detailed guidance here, and also refer students to that page. If you would like this support for a course you're teaching, please email Julie Plaut ([email protected]), Director of Engaged Scholarship at the Swearer Center, with as much advance notice as possible.
  • Release and Waiver/Assumption of Risk form (template from the university’s Office of the General Counsel) for students participating in voluntary field trips/off-campus experiences
  • Institutional guidance on transportation associated with academic field trips, also relevant to required or voluntary course-related activities off campus 
  • University policy on minors in research laboratories, Division of Pre-College and Summer Undergraduate Programs’ expectations for interacting with minors

Local Context

Most students at Brown will not be very familiar with Providence or Rhode Island communities and contexts. In addition to your partners, you might draw on some of the following resources to prepare students for local engagement:

For a longer list of data sources, reports, books, articles, films, podcasts, and more, click here. (We also welcome suggested changes to this list at [email protected].)
 

Resources for Developing Research Proposals with Broader Impacts and/or Engagement

Are you working on a research grant proposal that includes broader impacts components or community engagement activities? The university's Engaged Scholarship and Broader Impacts Working Group offers online resources, workshops, and mock review panels, as well as individual consultations in the following areas:

  • developing broader impact plans for your research proposal - see this 8-minute video, then consult with Edel Minogue (Office of Research Strategy and Development), available Fridays 11am - 12pm
  • developing community partnerships related to your research proposal, identifying opportunities with local partners and/or existing engagement efforts - consult with Julie Plaut (Swearer Center for Public Service), book appointments here
  • collaborating with The Leadership Alliance, learning how it might be able to support your department with competitive research proposals and about its evidence-based Academic Year Workshops for undergraduate students - consult with Taiese Bingham-Hickman (The Leadership Alliance), book appointments here
  • developing diversity equity and inclusion plans for your research proposal - consult with Betsy Stubblefield Loucks (Office of Research Strategy and Development), Calendly Link for booking appointments
  • developing evaluation plans for educational BI activities in your research proposal - see this 12-minute video, then consult with Dana Hayward (Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning), email or send a calendar invite to schedule
  • assistance with 1) drafting a data management and sharing plan (DMP) that highlights sharing data as BI and incorporating the sharing of BI-related outputs in the DMP; 2) developing a digital collection to curate and disseminate research data and Broader Impacts-related outputs; and 3) locating library resources to support research-informed Broader Impacts - consult with Andrew Creamer (University Library), available Wednesdays 1-4pm

Note: if you have materials you'd like reviewed before the meeting, please send them at least 48 hours in advance. 

    The Value of Community-Engaged Collaborative Research Courses