Engagement Over Exposure: Designing Applied Research Projects for Students

Abstract

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC), and San Diego State University (SDSU) have worked together for more than five years to improve opportunities for residents of City Heights, a low-income neighborhood in San Diego, California. This paper describes how partners, working through the UCSD Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC), engaged students in the design and implementation of an applied research project in the target community.