Stakeholder engagement in an online community education project via diverse media engagements

Marg Rogers
University of New England, Australia
Amy Johnson
Central Queensland University, Australia
Jo Bird, Pep Serow, Ingrid Harrington and Vanessa Bible
University of New England, Australia

Effective stakeholder engagement is vital for the success of community education projects to secure funding from philanthropic organisations or government bodies, and is often used as a measure of success in reports. Online services such as websites, digital media engagement, and social media platforms can be utilised to engage with stakeholders who are geographically dispersed. This discussion is framed by key components of stakeholder engagement and how they contribute to successful projects concerning the stakeholder-based project management model. The discussion uses these tools to view how an exemplar online community education research project engaged with stakeholders, applying dialogic communications theory as a lens. The benefits and challenges of these services are discussed and situated within the literature.
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Authors: Dr Marg Rogers is a lecturer in early childhood education in the School of Education, University of New England, NSW, Australia. Her research interests are in families, military families, professionalism, creative arts education, early childhood technology, communication and language development. Marg teaches in the areas of families in early childhood, communication development and creative arts education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6775-178X Email: mbaber@une.edu.au Dr Amy Johnson is a lecturer in journalism and public relations in the School of Education and the Arts, Central Queensland University, Qld, Australia. She researches Australian military families, defence engagement and social media. She is an advisor to the Australian Government's Council for Women and Families United by Defence Service. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4228-6265 Email: a.johnson2@cqu.edu.au Dr Jo Bird is a senior lecturer and course coordinator in early childhood education in the School of Education, University of New England, NSW, Australia, with research interests in children's technology-supported learning, play and early childhood leadership. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3345-1815 Email: jo.bird@une.edu.au Professor Pep Serow, School of Education, University of New England, leads education and development projects in the Pacific Region. Pep researches ICT as a teaching tool in mathematics classrooms, curriculum development in developing countries, international partnerships, and building capacity in Pacific Island countries. Pep is the Research Coordinator for UNE's School of Education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6775-178X Email: pserow2@une.edu.au Dr Ingrid Harrington, School of Education, University of New England, has taught at all levels from K-12 and consults for the NSW Department of Education (DEC) and the Catholic Schools Office (CSO). She leads PD sessions for teachers on classroom behaviour management strategies and inclusive practice. She is well-networked in collaborative research projects in Germany and Malaysia. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1898-4795 Email: iharring@une.edu.au Dr Vanessa Bible, School of Education, University of New England, is a multidisciplinary scholar of the environmental humanities and works primarily within history and peace Studies. She is currently the Research Assistant and Project Officer for the Early Childhood Defence Programs project. Vanessa is also currently studying to become a history schoolteacher. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9516-2154 Email: vbible3@une.edu.au Please cite as: Rogers, M., Johnson, A., Bird, J., Serow, P., Harrington, I. & Bible, V. (2021). Stakeholder engagement in an online community education project via diverse media engagements. Issues in Educational Research, 31(2), 626-643. http://www.iier.org.au/iier31/rogers.pdf