Scholarship of Engagement Conference 2025

About the conference

Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) is hosting a Conference on Scholarship of Engagement (SoE) under the umbrella of the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum (SAHECEF)

Conference Theme: “Bridging the knowledge gap in advancing the Scholarship of Engagement for maximum societal impact.”

Venue: Coastlands hotel, Musgrave, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

Date: 18-20 November 2025

Format: Hybrid (in-person & virtual participation)

Call for Abstracts

The 1^st MUT Conference on SoE aims to bring together leading academics, researchers, students, policy-makers, civil and private organisations to exchange and share their experiences and research results on all aspects of community engagement and SoE for maximum societal impact, as well as approaches, practical challenges, and the role of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS). Abstracts of not more than three hundred words (including workshops proposals) are welcome in line with the theme, subthemes, and the broader SoE.

Abstracts submission guidelines

All submitted abstracts should not be more than 300 words, and should follow the guidelines provided below:

Title: The title should be concise and aligned to theme/subthemes and overall SoE.

Author(s): Start with Surname and follow by Name and affiliations
Keywords: Maximum Five
Introduction and Problem statement. Provide a brief introduction and statement of the research problem or gap in literature.
Methodology: Describe research design adopted for the study.
Results/findings and Discussion(s). Present findings of the study with discussion(s).
Conclusions and Recommendations. There should be a summary of the research, and how it applies to policy on the adoption of SoE.

Abstracts review process and publication

All abstracts will go through a blind peer review process, and authors will be provided with the assessment score. Assessment shall be based on the originality (there shall be a plagiarism check), completeness (based on guidelines above), clarity, and how it relates directly/indirectly to the theme of the conference.

A certificate of presentation will be made available to conference participants on conference day. There shall be awards for all best session papers, posters, and workshops based on criteria such as content relevance, engagement, innovation, and audience feedback.

All extended papers may be published in the following journals:

African Journal of Higher Education Community Engagement

South African Journal of Higher Education

Anticipated outputs of the conference

Journal articles
Books of abstracts
Presentations (slides or posters)
Workshops
Case studies
Community Engagement projects and programmes
Artifacts
Media and press releases

Important dates

Presentation options

Options for both oral and poster presentations are available; and
Options of ONLINE presentations with Zoom/Teams and OFFLINE presentations with recorded voice, are also available.

Conference sub-themes

Sub-Theme 1: Conceptual and Multidisciplinary Perspectives on the Scholarship of Engagement

Community engagement and community development
Social and societal impact discourse
Universities and their historical mandate for community engagement
STEM perspectives to the subject of scholarship of engagement
Art and humanities’ perspectives to scholarship of engagement
Social sciences perspectives to the subject of scholarship of engagement
Medicine and health sciences perspectives to the subject of scholarship of engagement
Interdisciplinary collaboration and the importance of integrating diverse disciplinary approaches to address complex societal issues

Sub-Theme 2: Practical Approaches for the Implementation of SoE for Maximum Societal Impact

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches / case studies
Service -Learning as an effective pedagogical approach for SoE
Evidence-based approaches of scholarship of engagement for societal impact
Wicked problems of society: the basis for multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approaches to scholarship of engagement
Lessons from Ernest Boyer’s model for scholarship
Towards a model framework for the analysis and implementation of scholarship of engagement
Scaling successful initiatives to demonstrate how small-scale efforts can be expanded to create a broader and more significant impact

Sub-Theme 3: Practical and Implementation Challenges of Integrating CE into TL&R

Perceptions of faculty members towards CE and its implementation
Challenges in adopting and integrating CE into TL & R amid environmental, economic, and workload demands
Enabling faculties to adopt SoE for societal impact: Institutional support structures and policy frameworks for integrating CE into TL & R
Promoting student volunteerism to foster responsible citizenship and drive societal impact
The role of scholarship of engagement in achieving the sustainable development goals
Strategies for overcoming resistance to the adoption of Scholarship of Engagement
Assessment criteria for scholarship of engagement for societal impact
Standardizing tools for the monitoring and evaluation of scholarship of engagement

Sub-Theme 4: Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and their Role in Enhancing SoE

Understanding IKS and their relevance to contemporary community engagement
The role of IKS in addressing local and global community challenges
Collaborative approaches to blending indigenous and academic knowledge for effective adoption of SoE
Case studies of successful community projects that integrate IKS and modern academic approaches

Sub-Theme 5: Community Engagement as a Vehicle Towards Community Development

Empowering Communities : From Engagement to Action
Bridging Gaps: Building Inclusivity and Equity through Community Engagement
Strengthening Social Capital: Collaboration as the Key to Sustainable Development
Youth at the Forefront: Engaging the Next Generation for Development
Digital Engagement: Harnessing Technology for Community Development
Health and Well-being: Community Engagement for a Healthier Future
Cultural Sustainability: Promoting Local Heritage through Community Engagement
Local Solutions, Global Impact: Scaling Community Engagement for Broader Change
Inclusive Governance: Strengthening Community Leadership through Engagement
Economic Empowerment: Creating Jobs and Livelihoods through Community Engagement
Environmental Stewardship: Engaging Communities for a Sustainable Future
The Power of Storytelling: Communicating Change through Community Narratives
Resilience through Engagement: Preparing Communities for the Future
The integration of academic research and grassroots community development.
Strengthening community development through capacity-building and multi-stakeholder collaborations