University Social Responsibility Technology-Based Model Through Social Appropriation of Knowledge

Abstract

University Social Responsibility has the objective to not only demonstrate social and environmental impact of higher education institutions, but also provoke Social Appropriation of Knowledge at universities’ network level. The social impact of universities can be reflected back on the relations they have with governments, non-profit organizations, communities, industry, and in environmental initiatives. Most of universities’ interaction with the actors aforementioned are through service-learning, community-oriented projects, technology transfer, incubators, governments and non-profit organizations, amongst others which, through knowledge, benefit not only the students, but directly impact the actors as well. USR reports tend to concentrate on planned and directed actions to fill in reports, however the dynamics of the university lead to SAK spill over on other actors, and it must be seen as a fundamental part of USR. This research proposes a technology-based platform generated by a mixed methods and concurrent triangulation research developed in two phases. The first phase, QUAN-qual, will allow a base design which captures the dynamics of SAK in the context of USR, while the second phase, quan-QUAL, concentrates in the validation of the proposed prototype. The project aims to answer how different levels of information exchange, negotiation, and knowledge transfer occur in the SAK development of a dynamic Social Responsibility in university environments mediated by a technology-based platform.