What is Collaboratory?
Collaboratory captures an institution’s community-based activities and organizes them into a framework that institutions (and the faculty and staff within them) can leverage for reporting, storytelling, and community-level change.
It is important for faculty and staff to capture their engaged work in Collaboratory as a way to showcase their efforts and connections to community, while also being a part of their institution’s larger story of engagement.
Because there is no one standard way to engage with community, Collaboratory encourages faculty and staff to enter all of their community engagement and public service activities, recognizing that the ways individuals, groups, and institutions engage in community varies greatly. Read more about what data can be entered in Collaboratory.
Collaboratory Glossary
The Glossary provides clear definitions of key terms and concepts used within Collaboratory, helping users navigate and understand its features. Whether you're new to Collaboratory or seeking to refine your usage, the glossary serves as a valuable resource for accurate terminology and consistent application.
What is a Proxy?
A Proxy is a faculty, staff, or student who creates a Collaboratory activity on behalf of someone else (i.e., activity lead). While anyone at an institution can serve as a proxy, proxies are usually students or administrative staff members who have knowledge of engaged activities within their institution and/or campus unit. This role is important because it ensures that valuable engagement activities are accurately captured and recognized, even when the primary activity lead is unavailable or pressed for time. Proxies help maintain complete, high-quality data that highlights the full impact of the institution’s community engagement efforts.
All content contributed by proxies must be claimed by the faculty/staff activity lead before it is made public. After the activity lead claims the content, proxies may continue to edit the content and submit it to the activity ahead for further review and publication, or the proxy may submit the activity directly to the portal for moderation once all required fields are complete.
Additional information about activity publication is available HERE.
Activities as the Core Unit of Analysis
Collaboratory’s central unit of analysis is the activity - what faculty, staff, and students are doing in/with community. Activities capture who is involved, what issues are addressed, and what outcomes are achieved. When proxying activities, consider:
What is the faculty, staff, or students doing with community?
Who are the partners and populations served?
What is the intended purpose and impact?
Proxy an Activity
Step 1: Log in
Log in to your institution’s Collaboratory (top right corner of homepage).
Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and click “Proxy Activities.”
Step 2: Identify the Intended Activity Lead or Clone
Click “Select” next to “Intended Activity Lead” to choose the faculty or staff that will own the activity.
Or, choose “Continue and Invite Later” to enter activity data first and assign the lead later.
If selecting a lead, search for the faculty/staff member in the activity lead modal.
If the person does not appear in search, they have not yet logged into Collaboratory.
You can invite them to register using the link in the top right corner, or return to continue and invite later. Inviting someone will close the modal and send them an invitation. Once they log in, they will appear in the modal as selectable.
To duplicate a previous activity, select “Clone an existing Activity.” Read more about how to clone activities.
Step 3: Complete the Decision Tree
Answer 4 questions to confirm the activity belongs in Collaboratory.
You’ll then be directed to complete the activity entry form.
Step 5: Fill Out the Activity Form
Work through the sections of the form.
Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required for activity publication, but not required for proxies to complete. However, entering as much information as possible saves the activity lead time and effort.
Save progress at any time by clicking “Next” at the bottom of the page, or “Save + Exit” on the final step.
Drafted activities are stored in “My Activities”, accessible via your dashboard.
Select “Submit Activity” on the final step when you are ready to send the activity to the identified activity lead for review and publication.
Tips for Strong Entries:
Title Clearly: Avoid generic names like “Internship” or “Course Project”.
Description: Concisely state the purpose and focus of the activity (2-3 sentences).
Add a Visual: Upload an image to make the activity engaging.
Connect Partners: Identify each community partner and their role.
Link Coursework: If connected to a course, add the section(s). For ongoing work, add new sections each term.
Select Target Populations + Focus Areas: Only choose those directly addressed.
Align with Campus Initiatives: Tag relevant programs or institutional priorities to connect your work to larger institutional goals.
Show Outputs + Outcomes: Document what you expect vs. what was achieved.
Additional information and a video tutorial can be found HERE.
Considerations when Entering Activities: One Activity or Many?
When proxying activities, a key decision is whether to track each activity individually or combine similar experiences into a single entry. Deciding whether to proxy one activity or multiple activities depends on how similar the work is across partners, populations, and outcomes. The choice affects the level of detail in reporting and analysis.
Proxy One Activity if:
The engagement is unified (e.g., same partner(s), same goals, same populations
Example: A recurring health clinic with the same partners and purpose
Example: An annual campus food drive serving the same community partners
Proxy Multiple Activities if:
Different groups or projects have distinct goals, partners, and/or focus areas
Example: Faculty research projects with different community partners
Example: A class where student groups each work with different nonprofits on different issues
This principle applies broadly - whether the engagement is course-based, research-focused, service delivery (e.g., clinics), or another type of community collaboration.
One or Many Course-Based Activities?
Consider: Did all students do the same work with the same partner(s) and pursue the same learning objectives?
Yes → One Activity
Example: The entire class organized a single food drive with one community partnerNo → Multiple Activities
Example: Individual students each worked with different organizations on distinct issues
One or Many Internships, Practicums, + Teacher Placements?
Choose the level of granularity that balances accuracy and efficiency for your context.
Enter Each Placement Individually → Detailed view of partnerships
Example: 30 students placed at 30 K-12 schools = 30 separate activitiesGroup Similar Placements → Faster, simpler entry
Example: 20 students at 5 firms = 5 activities (grouped by firm)
Additional information about capturing one vs. multiple activities can be found HERE.
Need Help?
In-App Chat: Use the Collaboratory chat feature for quick answers from the Collaboratory support team.
Institutional Administrators: Reach out to your campus’ Collaboratory administrator(s) for support.