Community, civic or social engagement is emerging as a third mission-core activity in European higher education. This trend reflects the increasing pressure on HEIs to provide evidence of their accountability, impact, contribution, and relevance to society (Godonoga & Sporn, 2022).
Developing support mechanisms, frameworks, and policies for social engagement is necessary to assist HEIs in institutionalizing their collaboration with the community, as stated by Schmidt (2020). In addition, developing support resources for social engagement will enable HEIs to address societal challenges better and demonstrate to policymakers the importance of such engagement.
The third mission is also a crucial element for German HEIs. In 2020, Berghaeuser and Hoelscher identified three central dimensions of third mission activities in German HEIs: knowledge and technology transfer, further education/lifelong learning, and societal engagement. These three dimensions align with the existing literature about Germany (Henke et al., 2016; Hachmeister et al., 2016). However, the research also showed that most HEIs emphasize knowledge/technology transfer and economic impact and pay less attention to connecting with society. Furthermore, three trends in the mission of engagement with society are the most visible in Germany: service learning (SL), CS, and consolidation of networks supporting engagement.
Compared to other European countries, SL in Germany has a recent tradition. As mentioned by Schröten (2011), service learning was introduced by the Freudenberg Foundation in 2001 as a pedagogical approach to combine the teaching of specialist knowledge and fostering civic and democratic values. The aim was to achieve more youth participation in their communities and that they acquire knowledge and skills into practice (Schröten, 2011). Nowadays, many universities have support units organizing SL at the institutional level as a co-curricular activity. For example, the University of Kassel is a leader in SL (UniKasselTransfer, 2021) by integrating this perspective in about 30 courses, awarding ECTS to the participants, embedding this practice in diverse fields of study, and implementing partnerships with external organizations.
In the SC field, according to Science Europe (2018), thousands of SC projects are being carried out in Germany. The cooperation of the DACH countries (D-Germany, A-Austria, CH-Switzerland) has consolidated a model offering guidelines, such as the Citizen Science Strategy 2030 for Germany (Bonn et al., 2022). SC is a modality of research in which citizens participate in one or several stages of a research project by achieving specific tasks. Farnell (2020) mentioned that in Germany, community-based research (research-driven the necessities of the communities) often relates to the social sciences and to public health, while SC projects are predominantly in the life sciences (biology, ecology, ornithology, astronomy, meteorology and microbiology).
The country has created diverse mechanisms to advance social engagement. First, observatories and networks at the EU and national levels, such as the European Observatory of Service-Learning in Higher Education-EOSLHE and Hochschulnetzwerk Bildung durch Verantwortung (Higher Education Network on Societal Responsibility). Next are internal support structures that plan, advise and develop independent activities, such as creative labs and living labs (Creative Lab Ruhr, Edible Cities Network, etc.) or science shops (Wissenschaftsladen Bonn, etc.). Other institutions have a section for social engagement embedded in the knowledge transfer or entrepreneurship units (SL at the University of Kassel). The HEIs also offer courses focused on social engagement, such as:
-Case 1 - Module Service-Learning International: Engage, Connect, Reflect (University of Fribourg): In this co-curricular module, students get involved in their local community. They volunteer in intercultural teams, support projects in local NGOs, contribute to local solutions for societal challenges and expand their networks. The module includes theoretical framing, practical experience, and peer advising.
-Case 2 - UNIAKTIV - Centre for Social Learning and Social Responsibility (University of Duisburg-Essen): This unit centralizes service-learning and social engagement opportunities, projects, resources, orientation, seminars and all the support students need to engage with their communities effectively.
Want to know more? Consult DiCE Project. (2023). Digital Community Engagement. Perspectives from Five Countries: Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7920413
