Engagement and Community service case studies
Significant mutually beneficial outcomes can be achieved when QUT faculties and divisions apply their intellectual, virtual and physical assets to the community. The ten case studies are a selection of projects that have been funded through QUT Community service Grants, followed by projects that display engaged teaching learning and research. Read below for a brief summary of each project or download the Community Engagement Case Studies document which provides comprehensive details on each of the projects. Where possible, supporting websites have been provided below.
Community service grants
Community Digital Project (Strong and Smart in Cherbourg)
From an interview with Mark Newman, Creative
Industries Faculty
During 2002, Mark Newman led a team of researchers and filmmakers on a community project in an Aboriginal community called Cherbourg (three hours north of Brisbane). The team focused on the achievements of the educational programmes introduced to Cherbourg State School by the then principal, Chris Sarra, and his staff. A short film was produced called "Strong and Smart" that was funded
by the QUT Creative Industries Faculty, a QUT scholarship in the Professions Grant and Education Queensland. The film was launched in February 2003.
A further Community Digital Project was subsequently created by staff from QUT Creative Industries and Chris Sarra in response to the success and interest in the Strong and Smart film. More information
Catalyst Youth Project (now Catalyst Youth Arts Inc)
From an interview with Prof Rod Wissler, Division of Research and Commercialisation
The Catalyst Youth Arts Project was originally funded through a QUT Faculty of Arts community service grant in 1997. It received two further community service grants from QUT and has generated over $500,000 in external funding to enable it to continue its work in the Pine Rivers area north of Brisbane. The project was developed to identify and respond to the social and cultural needs of the young people in the Pine Rivers Shire. The project is a good example of significant long term outcomes emerging through the support of QUT. More information
Cabbage Tree Creek Lower Catchment Project (Brisbane North)
From an interview with Wayne Delaforce, QUT
Carseldine
The Cabbage Tree Creek Lower Catchment project in Brisbane North, represents a cross-sectoral education initiative that provides students from the Primary, Secondary, Vocational and Tertiary education sectors in the Northern Corridor of Brisbane with a shared learning environment and context. It is a model which is now being replicated in other sites.
Business and Legal Skills Training and Development in Community Owned Eco-tourism Operations in Rural Fiji
From an interview with Keith Done, Faculty of Law
The project facilitated a team of students from QUT to visit 3 specific ecotourism locations: Bouma Village in Taveuni, Nacula tikina in the Yasawa Island Groups and Nadroga Village on the Coral Coast. The project was to enable a group of QUT students to deliver practical managerial, business, financial, legal advice and training to these communities, to maximise the success of these emerging
industries.
Research projects
The Resilience Project
From an interview with Michael Hardie, Faculty
of Health
The resilience Project was established in 2003 in response to a Health Promotion Queensland call for tenders to address mental health promotion in schools. QUT was the driving force in creating the consortium that developed and subsequently won the tender. The project has added value to schools such as creating stronger community networks and communication channels, highlighting the importance of social and emotional well being to learning.
Carseldine Geographical Information System
From an interview with Wayne Delaforce, QUT
Carseldine
The Carseldine GIS project is an education sector engagement model and information tool designed to benefit the sector and its communities in the corridor north of Brisbane. The project has been a collaboration between the parties and aims to provide cross-sectoral data of the Brisbane North region (e.g. socio-economic information, age demographics, school movements, transport etc) to help the
University and project partners with their decision-making and evaluation process.
Youth Internet Radio Project
From an interview with Dr Jo Tacchi, Creative
Industries
The Youth Internet Radio is an example of Australian Research Council (ARC) funded project that connects creative industries' research with youth and communities and makes the research meaningful. It is a research and application project involving an on-line network (website) as well as new media training for young people (12-25 years). More information
Teaching and learning
Public Health in Vietnam
From an interview with Assoc Prof Michael Dunne, Faculty
of Health
QUT has worked closely with the Hanoi School of Public Health in Vietnam since 2001 to assist in the development of undergraduate curriculum and academic staff research and teaching capacity. The project aims to enhance the capacity of staff in the Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH) to develop and teach high quality curriculum and do scholarly research work that contributes to population
health in Vietnam. It has achieved its objectives and is helping to develop a culture of academic exchange between staff and students in Vietnam and Australia. More information
Business Advantage
From an interview with Joanne Venturato, Faculty of Business
Business Advantage currently involves approximately 250 students about 250 students per semester. It is a voluntary, student-centred program aimed at helping students draw more from their university experience and was launched by the Faculty of Business in February 2004. It is available to all Faculty of Business students and in 2005 was opened up to VC scholars across all faculties. More information
Poona Futures Project
From an interview with Associate Professor Glenn Thomas, Built
Environment and Engineering
Poona is a fishing village east of Maryborough on the coast of the Great Sandy Strait. In early 2005 the QUT School of Design and the Poona Ratepayers' Association collaborated to develop a student learning project for second semester postgraduate landscape architecture and urban design students to explore possible futures for the village and manage the impacts of urban growth on the environmental
and lifestyle. The project work formed the basis of the students' second semester assessment.
Other projects supported by QUT Community service Grants
Projects funded in 2004 round
Caboolture Learning Network Capacity Building Project
Project Leader: Mr Matthew Neil, Campus Administration, Caboolture
The Caboolture Learning Network (CLN) was established in 2003 as a learning community strategy for all members of the Caboolture Shire. The Caboolture Learning Network publishes a calendar of courses 4 times a year for the benefit of local community members. Most of these courses are of low cost/ no cost and are provided by local organisations and individuals through community spaces. The CLN does not, itself, run these courses, but acts as an aggregator of information and coordination service. Assistance to the CLN in the form of staff expertise and in-kind resources has been provided by staff of QUT Carseldine and the Caboolture Community Campus through the Northern Campuses Directorate. FULL REPORT
Study Tour for Ms Nguyen Thi Thu Huong
Project Leader: Ms Jess Burke, Library, Division of Technology, Information and Learning Support
A Vietnamese national was given the opportunity to undertake workplace learning at the QUT Library to access QUT's expertise in Information Literacy and share knowledge and skills obtained upon returning to Vietnam. QUT's Information Literacy Program has been acknowledged as a model for development in Vietnam and has been promoted to potential students and relationships have been built between
the two countries. FULL REPORT
National and International Website Database of Best Practice in Service Provision Children and Young People Who Are At Risk, Incorporating Information Brochure Development By Marsden State High School Students
Project Leader: Dr Lyndal Drennan, Brisbane Graduate School of Business, Faculty of Business
This project forms one stage of a multifaceted pilot project being conducted in the Marsden/Waterford West area at Logan. The debilitating effects of generational disadvantage in this area, are seriously impacting on the well-being of children's lives and on community safety and well-being. As a result many children and their parents have not developed sufficient life skills, educational achievement or the capacity to participate and contribute to their communities in the longer term. A QUT grant was used to fund the development and production of a brochure by senior students at Marsden State High School, for marketing a Student and Community services Centre. The brochure is currently under production. FULL REPORT
Final Production and Printing of the Resourceful Adolescent Program (RAP-A) Indigenous Supplement: A resource for Indigenous communities for adapting and implementing a resilience building program for adolescents.
Project Leader: Aspro Ian Shochet, School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health
This project resulted in the development a publication which aims to promote adolescent well-being and resilience and prevent adolescent depression within Aboriginal communities. The publication was developed in close consultation with Indigenous communities its appropriateness. This resource is currently being used extensively in NSW in a large controlled trial of the program for Indigenous adolescents. FULL REPORT
Young Women in Detention: Visual Performance Project
Project Leader: Ms Sharon Hogan, Creative Industries-Performance Studies, Creative Industries
This project involved the development of a partnership between the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre (BYDC) and QUT Performance Studies (QUT Creative Industries Faculty). The project engaged young women in the forming and delivery of a visual performance, providing an arts based interaction to help reduce the likelihood of young people re-offending following their release. The benefits to the young women in detention included: knowledge, process and skills; new experiences and community contact/interaction; and the development of pro-social competencies and behaviour. A number of QUT students volunteered to work on this project which allowed them to build their facilitation skills in a real world setting. FULL REPORT
Providing an Opportunity for Bereaved Parents to Remember: The use of videoconferencing to link bereaved parents throughout Queensland for a memorial service on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day
Project Leader: Jennieffer Barr, School of Nursing, Faculty of Health
A collaborative project with Women's Health Queensland Wide (WHQW) and Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Support (QLD) Inc (SANDS) provided bereaved families in regional, rural and remote localities the opportunity to participate in a memorial service organised for the International and Infant Loss Day. Through the use of video-conferencing, the service became accessible to these families who would not normally be able to participate in such activities. The memorial service proved to be an emotive experience for all and yet was found to be a comforting way to express sadness and grief over a loss of a pregnancy or infant. From these findings, research is now being planned and prepared for submission to a national funding body to increase the exploration of using video conferencing for other sensitive areas. FULL REPORT
Nutrition Action in Residential Aged Care
Project Leader: Ms Deanne Garskill , School of Nursing, Faculty of Health
This project successfully developed a multimedia educational resource package tailored to the elderly living in RACFs. The resources included: (i) a video, (ii) posters and pamphlets, (iii) an educationally designed learning package to assist all care staff to improve the nutrition management of residents and thereby their general health, independence and well being. The package will be adopted by Blue Care for implementation across Queensland. The resources are currently being used for teaching purposes in Faculty undergraduate and postgraduate courses. FULL REPORT
A Project Designed to Improve Quality, Utility and Effectiveness of a Website Learning Resource for Community Leaders
Project Leader: Dr Lisa Ehrich, School of Learning and Professional Studies, Faculty of Education
In 2002, the School of Learning and Professional Studies and Volunteering Queensland Inc. used a QUT grant to develop a website to support and sustain a set of community leadership programs organised by Volunteering Queensland Inc. Volunteering Queensland also facilitates three units of the QUT Business Advantage Program. QUT students who participate in these units also benefit from use of the website.
Further funding was secured to further develop and improve this website. FULL REPORT