Collaboratory is a tool campuses use to better understand how their faculty, staff, and students engage in/with community. Data captured in Collaboratory assists community engagement professionals to generate increased support for community engagement relationships, resources, activities, and outcomes.
Whether providing direct services at a nonprofit organization, teaching professionals and residents of a community, conducting research collaboratively with community partners, or anything else done in/with community, Collaboratory allows all faculty, staff, and students to document and display their engagement and public service activities in a centralized and publicly accessible place.
QUESTIONS? For additional information about the type of data Collaboratory collects, please refer to What Data Can be Entered in Collaboratory?
It is important for engaged faculty, staff, and students to be a part of their institutional story of engagement and showcase their work and connections to community. Learn how to create activities in Collaboratory:
Step 1: Navigate to Add Activities
Log into your institution's Collaboratory in the top right corner of the homepage.
Scroll down to the bottom of your Collaboratory homepage and select "Add Activities".
Step 2: Create
To contribute your own activity from scratch, select "Create".
See Be a Proxy for information about creating activities on behalf of other faculty and staff.
To clone one of your existing activities, select "Clone an existing Activity." For more information about cloning activities, see Cloning Activities.
Review the introduction and select "Begin".
Step 3: Decision Tree
You will be asked a series of 4 questions to confirm your activity belongs in Collaboratory and then to categorize your project as either community engagement or public service. Answer them to the best of your ability.
Once you have answered all 4 questions, you will be directed to the activity entry form which contains 6 sections, culminating in your e-signature.
Step 4: Complete the Activity Form
Advance through each of the 6 steps within the activity form and enter all required data. Required data fields are those marked with a red asterisk.
To save your progress, click Next at the bottom of any step, or "Save & Exit" on Step 6. You can always access all drafted activities in your "My Activities" table, found within your Collaboratory dashboard.
NOTE: When you submit your activity it is forwarded to an administrator for review. You will receive a notification of your activity's approval or denial. Once it has been approved, it will be made public in your institution's Collaboratory.
Tips to Assist with Activity Creation
Center the Activity
Collaboratory is a relational database that centers the activity - what is happening in community - as the core unit of analysis. Putting activities at the center of the data allows faculty and staff to connect their engagement activities to a variety of other data points. Rather than centering data around a course or program, think about what you, or your students, are doing with community.
Title it Appropriately
Distinguish it from other activities at your institution. Avoid using only course or community partner names.
Keep the Description Short and Sweet
Share 1-2 sentences that helps the public understand the activity's purpose.
Add an Image
Give your activity visual appeal!
Connect it to Campus-Wide Programs and Initiatives
Associate your activity with campus programs and initiatives so your work is appropriately recognized.
Recognize your External Partners
Identify activity partners in Step 2. If you work with partners who play multiple roles (e.g., provide funding and co-educate students) add those partners as community organizations and identify their roles.
Funders are those who only provided monetary support.
Select the Target Populations and Areas of Focus
Identify and select the populations and areas of focus that your activity specifically seeks to address. Do not select tangential data points.
Connect Coursework
If your activity involves course section(s), connect them on Step 4. For ongoing activities, add new sections every semester.
Identify Expected and Achieved Outputs, Outcomes, and Impacts
Illustrate the impact of your one-time or ongoing activity.
"Expected" indicates what you hope or plan to accomplish.
"Achieved "indicates a goal was completed.
Video Tutorial: How to Create an Activity