Frequently Asked Questions

• What type of data do we collect?
  We collect data related to UC Davis public engagement activities that involve, serve, or positively impact the general public. This includes but is not limited to outreach and public service, student run clinics, research studies that involve the public, partnerships or collaborations with government agencies or non-profits, financial sponsorships, internships or academic courses that involve a non-university entity. We're working to better understand the breadth of public engagement taking place at UC Davis, so if you think your program/opportunity fits, please enter it. As we get a better sense of the university's activity, we will consider a more stringent criteria for inclusion. 
  
  Still not sure if your program/opportunity belongs in the database? Feel free to email ucpe@ucdavis.edu with any questions.
• Why do we collect it?
  Some of the information entered into the database will display publicly, allowing anyone from policy makers to non-profit leaders to community members learn more about UC Davis impact in their zip code. It can also help UC Davis students identify opportunities for community-based learning or service, allow faculty and staff to further amplify their public engagement work, and empower colleges and schools tell the story of their community impact. Internally, the information collected will be used to meet university reporting requirements – like the University of California Accountability Report or UC Legislative District Maps, and can help with applications for institutional awards and designations, like the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification or The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)'s C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award.  
• What information will I need to provide about my public engagement program/opportunity?
  Within the database, we capture:
     • Name and email of the submitter who will enter and update program and opportunity information as needed
     • The type of program/opportunity (e.g. grant/award, sponsorship/partnership, course, etc.)
     • The UC Davis college/school/department leading the program or opportunity
     • Start and end date, intended audience, and an estimated annual participation range 
     • The focus of the program/opportunity (e.g. social justice, education, agriculture)
     • The primary engagement audience and estimated number of people served annually
     • A brief description and related website
     • Location and contact information
  
  Some of this information will display publicly, while other data (like submitter's contact information, department, start/end date, and estimated participation) is collected is for internal tracking and will be kept confidential. You can get a better sense of all the information we collect by taking a look at the database. 
• What is my EPPN listed in the submitter information?
  When you log in through CAS, your EPPN (eduPersonPrincipalName) will auto-populate as you start the application. If it is missing for any reason, enter your Kerberos ID followed by @ucdavis.edu.
• Who can enter and submit a program or opportunity? Can my external partner or an outside organization do it on my behalf?
  The submitter does not have to be the program contact; for example, you can designate one submitter for all programs and opportunities within your department or unit. However, the database is CAS authenticated, so an individual can only submit or edit programs and opportunities if they have a UC Davis Kerberos login. 
• Does each program or opportunity submitter have to be unique, or can it be one person from my department that submits everything?
  You can assign one individual as submitter for all of the programs or opportunities within your department or unit, as long as they have the information needed to enter and update entries.
• My program or opportunity is a collaboration between multiple departments or colleges. Can I select more than one?
  To ensure programs and opportunities map correctly within the database, you must identify only one department or unit and only one college or school. We recommend selecting the department/unit and school/college where the program lead is housed, but you can reference the collaboration within the short description, or be sure it's made clear somewhere in the program website you list.
• I'm not sure my program or opportunity fits within the listed types or focus categories, what should I do?
  Select the type(s) and categories you feel best captures the intent of your activity (you can revisit the definitions page for more details). You can use the description space to further clarify your program/opportunity and point users to your website for more information. If you have a suggestion for a program/opportunity type or focus category we have not yet included, please let us know through this webform. Our database evolves and improves based on user feedback.
• I would like to enter courses offered by our department/college, but they are not offered regularly. What should I put for the start and end date?
  You can list the start date when the course was first offered, or will be offered next. Please choose an end date sometime in the near future; the system will automatically email the submitter close to the listed end date reminding them to review and update information. If the course is still available, you can edit accordingly. Otherwise, the course will be archived.
• What should I include in the short description?
  The short description is limited to 800 characters, so we suggest including a few sentences about the program or opportunity that an interested student, staff, faculty, or member of the public would like to know – for example: what is the purpose or goal, who is served, who can participate and how?
• My program or opportunity is administered in multiple locations, how should I enter the address?
  To avoid repeated manual entry of the program/opportunity information, you can enter it once and then add multiple locations. Once you save a program/opportunity, a new tab will appear to the top portion of the webform titled, Additional Locations. This will allow you to enter as many addresses as needed. The records will be linked so edits to any record will impact all linked records. If you need to change more than just the address (like program title or contact information), use the Copy feature instead, which is located at the bottom of the saved record. 
• My program or opportunity is administered in multiple locations, but I want to update one of the locations. When I go to My Program Entries, I see there are multiple links. Which one do I update? 
  You may choose to update any of the entries. Making an update to one entry (given the same Program Title) will update all of the other entries you see listed.
• My program or opportunity is a partnership with an external organization – can I list them as the public contact?
  Sure. The contact information at the bottom of the form will display publicly, so it can be a general phone number and email address, as long as a member of the public can use that contact information to learn more about the program or opportunity. The submitter information must be a UC Davis contact, however, because access to the database requires CAS authentication.
• Our submitter is no longer employed by UC Davis, how can I access our programs or opportunities listed in the database?
  Through a filtered search, you can find and edit all previously entered programs or opportunities – just be sure to update the submitter information.
• Our college/school/unit has multiple submitters for different programs or opportunities. How can these entries continue to be updated when a submitter leaves? 
  Submitters can enter an end date before their departure. The system will automatically email the submitter close to the listed end date reminding them to review and update the information. The current submitter can then ask the new submitter to update the entry with their email in the submitter information and provide a new end date for the program or opportunity.
• My program or opportunity is no longer active, what should I do?
  When you entered the program or opportunity, you included an end date upon which your entry will automatically archive. If the end date is now sooner than anticipated, you can edit that by choosing “Update Existing Entry” from the icons below the dashboard, or by selecting “My Program Entries” from the drop-down menu in the navigation.
• My program or opportunity was dropped from the database but it’s still active, what should I do?
  Don’t worry, unless a program or opportunity is deleted, it is automatically archived upon its listed end date. Submitters will be reminded in advance of the listed end date to review and update information. If you missed the reminder but still want to update your program or opportunity so it appears in the active database, you should be able to find it under “My Program Entries” or by doing a search that includes archived programs.
•  Is there anything else I should know?
     • We have included a definitions page to explain the different terms and fields used within the database.
     • There may be some program/opportunity types or categories that overlap or are difficult to differentiate; please use your best judgment.
     • The submitter will be prompted annually to review and update any data entered.
     • Our database evolves and improves based on user feedback, which we encourage you to provide through our webform.

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