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Assessment of a Crowdsourcing Open Call for Approaches to University Community Engagement and Strategic Planning During COVID-19

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article
1 Credit CME
Key Points

Question  Is a crowdsourcing open call a feasible approach to engaging the university community in COVID-19 safety strategies?

Findings  This qualitative study evaluated 82 submissions to a university open call for creative solutions from students, faculty, and staff to inform safety in the fall 2020 semester. Solutions were shared with university leadership, and several are being further developed.

Meaning  The results of this study suggest that open calls are a promising approach to understanding university community members’ concerns and identifying stakeholder-driven, innovative solutions for safe university activity during the pandemic.

Abstract

Importance  Reimagining university life during COVID-19 requires substantial innovation and meaningful community input. One method for obtaining community input is crowdsourcing, which involves having a group of individuals work to solve a problem and then publicly share solutions.

Objective  To evaluate a crowdsourcing open call as an approach to COVID-19 university community engagement and strategic planning.

Design, Setting, and Participants  This qualitative study assessed a crowdsourcing open call offered from June 16 to July 16, 2020, that sought ideas to inform safety in the fall 2020 semester at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Digital methods (email and social media) were used for promotion, and submissions were collected online for 4 weeks. Participation was open to UNC students, staff, faculty, and others.

Main Outcomes and Measures  Submissions were evaluated for innovation, feasibility, inclusivity, and potential to improve safety and well-being. Demographic data were collected from submitting individuals, and submissions were qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes on challenges with and solutions for addressing safety and well-being in the fall semester. Data were shared with UNC leadership to inform decision-making.

Results  The open call received 82 submissions from 110 participants, including current UNC students (56 submissions [68%]), people younger than 30 years (67 [82%]), women (55 [67%]), and individuals identifying as a racial/ethnic minority or as multiracial/ethnic (49 [60%]). Seven submissions were identified as finalists and received cash prizes with the encouragement to use these funds toward idea development and implementation. Seventeen runner-up teams were linked to university resources for further development. Thematic analysis of submissions regarding challenges with the fall semester revealed not only physical health concerns and the limitations of remote learning but also challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, such as a lack of mental health support, structural racism and inequality, and insufficient public transportation. Solutions included novel ideas to support mental health among specific populations (eg, graduate students and racial/ethnic minorities), improve health equity, and increase transit access. All 24 finalists and runners-up indicated interest in implementation after being notified of the open call results.

Conclusions and Relevance  This study suggests that open calls are a feasible strategy for university community engagement on COVID-19, providing a stakeholder-driven approach to identifying promising ideas for enhancing safety and well-being. Open calls could be formally incorporated into university planning processes to develop COVID-19 safety strategies that are responsive to diverse community members’ concerns.

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CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

Article Information

Accepted for Publication: March 22, 2021.

Published: May 14, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.10090

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2021 Day S et al. JAMA Network Open.

Corresponding Author: Suzanne Day, PhD, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 130 Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (suzanne.day@med.unc.edu).

Author Contributions: Dr Day had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Day, Li, Hlatshwako, Abu-Hijleh, Han, Deitelzweig, Ramaswamy, Tang, Tucker.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Day, Li, Hlatshwako, Abu-Hijleh, Deitelzweig, Bayus, Tucker.

Drafting of the manuscript: Day, Li, Hlatshwako, Abu-Hijleh, Deitelzweig, Tucker.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Day, Li, Hlatshwako, Han, Deitelzweig, Bayus, Ramaswamy, Tang.

Statistical analysis: Day, Abu-Hijleh, Tang.

Obtained funding: Day, Tucker.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Day, Hlatshwako, Abu-Hijleh, Han, Tang, Tucker.

Supervision: Day, Tucker.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Funding/Support: This work received support from the Carolina Fund, administered by the Development Office of the University of North Carolina.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Additional Contributions: We gratefully acknowledge all participants of the open call and the volunteers who made this project possible as members of our organizing committee, steering committee, and judging team. Organizing committee members were Fouad Abu-Hijleh, BA, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Claire Amon, Lineberger Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Sarah Asuquo, MBBCH, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Vanya Bhat, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Elizabeth Chen, PhD, MPH, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Fairchild Davis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Suzanne Day, PhD, MA, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chelsea Deitelzweig, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Elizabeth DuBose, MPH, Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Larry Han, MPhil, Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Lisa Hightow-Weidman, MD, MPH, Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Takhona Grace Hlatshwako, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and the Department of Department of Global Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chunyan Li, MSc, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Hailey Mason, BA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Sarah Payne, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Audrey Pettifor, PhD, Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Rohit Ramaswamy, PhD, Public Health Leadership Program, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Weiming Tang, MD, PHD, Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH), Guangzhou, China; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project—China, Guangzhou, China; Dermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China; Joseph D. Tucker, MD, PhD, Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH), Guangzhou, China; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project—China, Guangzhou, China; Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Kathryn Wagner, MM, BM, Arts Everywhere, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Steering Committee members: Ada Adimora, MD, MPH, Division of Infectious Diseases and Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Mimi Chapman, PhD, MSSW, School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, MSc, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Center for Health Equity Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; lizabeth Manekin, MA, BA, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Reeves Moseley, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dee Poon, BA, Esquel Group; Barbara K. Rimer, DrPH, MPH, Gillings School of Global Public Health. None of these people were compensated for their work. We also thank Innovate Carolina for their enthusiasm and support of open call finalists and runners-up.

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

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