This story was originally published on TheConversation.com/us. License: Creative Commons - Attributions/No Derivities[1] -------------------------------------------------------------- Public Engagement in Decision-Making By: [] Date: 2020-04-28 17:10:41+10:00 The right for communities to participate in public decision-making is one that is enshrined in many modern democracies. Governments, statutory authorities and corporations all facilitate the involvement of communities in their work, motivated either by legislative requirements or a genuine desire to be transparent and accountable to their communities, resulting in better strategy and policy. This public engagement course will introduce you to the key theories, concepts and approaches in community engagement. This course will consider the historical context as it relates to involving the community in public decision-making. It will explore participatory and deliberative democratic theory and principles for practice. The practice of involving the public has expanded considerably as a result of increasing legislative requirements, increasing demand from communities, increasing complexity of public issues, and the desire to manage risk. The practice has expanded beyond the public sector and now includes the private and not-for-profit sectors and is considered a specialist area with its own skills and competencies. The practice methods have become more sophisticated, no longer just public submissions and public meetings; they also include online methods, deliberative methods and co-design methods. This public engagement course will provide you the opportunity to gain knowledge of key techniques and develop practical skills in the design, delivery and evaluation of engagement processes. ENROL NOW Course information Duration 4 session (32 hours in total) Dates Mon 22 Mar - Tue 23 March & Thu 22 Apr - Fri 23 Apr, 2021 Time 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Venue Online via a live video link Cost $2,875 (GST Free) Course content This public engagement course will cover the following content: Theory and Principles of Participatory and Deliberative Democracy Key concepts and theory in of participatory and deliberative democracy. The development of public engagement practice and key principles. Public engagement principles in practice. Public Engagement with first peoples. Context of Public Engagement Legislative drivers and Public Institutions. Participation infrastructure (eg. places, technology, media) that is needed to foster and enhance public engagement. Design and Delivery of Public Engagement Best practice evidence to explore the practicalities of designing and delivering engagement. The design-based process for developing approaches to public engagement. The role and practice of facilitation, including group decision making. The opportunities and challenges of online engagement and key concepts and types of evaluation used in public engagement. Professional Practice and Future Trends The role of the practitioner and their importance in public engagement processes. How public engagement may continue to develop into the future. Learning outcomes At the completion of this public engagement course you should be able to: Identify, examine and evaluate literature, concepts and arguments which are informing contemporary public engagement practice. Critically reflect and develop new ideas in relation on the challenges and opportunities in delivering public engagement, considering a wide variety of contextual factors such as communities, public institutions, legislative environments. Apply advanced understanding of theories and debates to the identification and evaluation of an innovative public engagement process. Critically reflect on their own views and values that relate to public engagement. Effectively communicate understanding of key concepts and their complexities. Who is this course for? This public engagement course is suitable for professionals working in or with government and other public institutions, who are seeking to enhance their understanding and skills in community engagement. About the presenter Dr Helen Christensen is a community engagement specialist with skills in training, research, process design and facilitation. She works as an independent consultant and regularly delivers training for the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) where is also the Chair of the Research Committee. Helen is an Industry Fellow at the UTS Institute for Public Policy and Governance where she has recently completed a PhD exploring the practice and professionalisation of community engagement in Australian local government. Having worked for over 15 years in local government and consulting, Helen has considerable experience in: planning, delivering and reporting engagement; training people from a variety of sectors to plan and deliver engagement; building organisational capacity to better engage communities and stakeholders; and, leading the development of frameworks and strategies. Delivery style This public engagement course will be facilitated through an interactive live video link. Registered participants will be able to connect to the video link using Zoom (available free) and a reliable internet connection is required. Video connection details will be made available to each participant prior to the course via Canvas, the UTS LMS. Course materials, surveys and/or readings will also be made available to participants within Canvas LMS. In-house training solutions This public engagement course can also be customised and/or delivered in-house. Find out more. Course registration ENROL NOW Course prerequisites This public engagement course has no prerequisites and is open to all members of the public. Contact us Need more information? For all course related enquiries, including future dates or in-house training enquiries email us or call +61 (2) 9514 7884. This short course is presented by the university's Institute for Public Policy and Governance. Learn more about the Institute's research, industry collaboration, postgraduate programs and short courses. [1] Url: https://theconversation.com/au/events/public-engagement-in-decision-making-9227