Lecturers and community partners can use the TRES II tool to build, strengthen and evaluate the relationship between all involved parties. TRES II offers prompts and questions that provide insight into the current and desired state of collaborations.
As university educators, we want our work to extend beyond the classroom walls. Our students engage with the community, applying their learning in real-world contexts. At the heart of these interactions lies the relationship between campus and community. These connections— between students, faculty, community partners, and local residents—shape the societal impact of our work. When these relationships are robust, reciprocal, and rooted in shared decision-making, they become catalysts for positive change.
To help build, sustain, and strengthen these relationships, we provide the TRES II tool, to foster dialogue and understanding within the partnership. The tool is based on the Transformative Relationship Evaluation Scale II (TRES II). The current and desired state within ten domains of community-campus relationships (e.g. goals, roles, communication) are addressed in the scale, but it is also possible to just focus on the aspects relevant to your situation.
You can use this tool individually or together with other members of the partnership to:
- Assess relationships: Understand the quality and dynamics of campus-community partnerships
- Generate actionable learning: Translate reflections into concrete actions to deepen relationships
- Intervene purposefully: Use the Framework to foster deeper connections
Through a series of prompts that guide critical reflection on relationships, structured by the DEAL Model of Critical Reflection (Describe, Examine, and Articulate Learning), the tool provides an opportunity to look at and critically examine the quality of a relationship and evaluate where it has been and where it can go.
Watch the instruction video below to find out how to use the TRES II Tool.