Impact Assessment of Community Outreach Programs Run by Higher Education Institutions: Students’ Perception

Abstract

Outreach is the process of addressing gaps in Government services for the unreached, integrating them into the mainstream society. Higher education institutions play a crucial role by reaching communities directly, counseling and implementing policies with the help of youth and resources. These initiatives not only enrich research but also provide real-time learning opportunities to students. HEIs are increasingly recognizing the importance of integrating social responsibility and community engagement into their vision and mission to enhance teaching, research and service quality. Developing institutional mechanisms for community engagement as part of the curriculum is crucial for achieving socio-economic goals. Despite the available literature, comprehensive surveys on HEIs' outreach programs in Haryana's State Universities are lacking. This study seeks to fill this gap by assessing students' perceptions, satisfaction levels and institutional avenues for community engagement programs. About 158 student volunteers from 5 State Universities in Haryana, were surveyed using structured questionnaire and most respondents were supportive to HEIs' community outreach expressing satisfaction with institutional engagement activities. Gender, age, and duration of association don't influence opinions, nor does varying engagement time affect satisfaction levels significantly.