Data is powerful, but only if it’s put to good use. At the University of Washington Tacoma, Collaboratory data isn’t just collected and stored; it’s actively leveraged to tell the story of community engagement and inform institutional strategy.
Building a Strong Data Foundation
UW Tacoma’s journey with Collaboratory began in 2020, but their commitment to tracking engagement started earlier. A homegrown database served as a springboard, allowing them to migrate existing records into Collaboratory while providing faculty with hands-on support to update and expand their data entries. From the outset, their implementation and roll-out strategy emphasized accessibility, offering in-person workshops, one-on-one consultations, and an extensive outreach campaign to schools and departments to facilitate buy-in and data entry. Over time, their approach evolved. While large-scale workshops became less frequent, personalized engagement grew more targeted. Today, an annual Collaboratory Data Drive encourages faculty and staff to contribute data.
Telling the Story Through Data Visualization
Raw data alone doesn’t engage audiences – but bringing it to life through visualization does. UW Tacoma has leveraged Collaboratory data to develop dynamic, interactive tools that showcase community partnerships and engagement efforts.
These tools don’t just showcase success, they also identify areas for growth. By visualizing gaps in engagement, UW Tacoma can target outreach efforts and better support underrepresented schools and departments in their community-focused work.
Network Maps
These visuals illustrate the depth and breadth of partnerships, demonstrating where academic units intersect in their community connections.
Radar Charts
Offering an interactive look at how engagement is distributed across campus, these diagrams reveal both strengths and opportunities for additional engagement.
Strategic Alignment Dashboards
By connecting engagement data to UW Tacoma’s broader institutional goals, these dashboards ensure community partnerships remain a key strategic priority.
Sustaining Momentum and Institutional Buy-In
Keeping engagement data relevant and actionable relies on both technology and a strong institutional culture. UW Tacoma has prioritized relationship-building to ensure that community engagement remains top-of-mind across campus.
- Annual Reports and Recognition: Regular reports and awards ensure that community engagement data is both celebrated and institutionalized.
- Strategic Goal Integration: Aligning Collaboratory data with campus-wide priorities and strategic plans (including the 2025 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification re-application) underscores its value.
- Professional Development: A growing emphasis on faculty, staff, student and community partner training ensures ongoing adoption and meaningful use of Collaboratory data.
Lessons Learned
Telling the story of community engagement isn’t always straightforward. Assessing impact, particularly the quality of partnerships, requires intentionality. For institutions just starting with Collaboratory, UW Tacoma offers this advice:
- Start small: Identify your early adopters and build relationships and momentum from there.
- Strategically align: Embedding data collection into existing institutional processes helps normalize and sustain participation over time.
- Leverage visualizations: Data storytelling is more compelling when it’s interactive and accessible.
- Strategically expand: Grow engagement thoughtfully, ensuring champions are in place to sustain progress.
For inspiration and insights, check out UWT’s community engagement data visualizations
Want to Harness the Power of Community Engagement Data?
Discover how Collaboratory can help your institution capture, analyze, and leverage community engagement data for meaningful impact. Email us at info@cecollaboratory.com to learn more!
