Community Engagement

Introduction:

Community Engagement is the heart and soul of my teaching philosophy. My research on risk /crisis communication is also motivated by how the can community be engaged during the time of a disaster.

My current community-based project is funded by the ACLS Digital Justice grant in partnership with the Center for Refugee, Displacement, and Migrant Studies. This project uses participatory action research and knowledge justice theory to develop a targeted website and mobile-based application to address the complexities of obtaining citizenship. Read more here

Likewise, I have partnered with the student affairs at Virginia Tech, Literacy Volunteers of New River Valley, Blue Ridge Literacy, Code for Nepal. My students at Virginia Tech have developed various user based documentation for the refugee and immigrant communities here at Virginia Tech. You can see the website here. These resources are used by Literacy Volunteers of New River Valley in their classes to teach basic digital literacy. I have published about this work.

Publications:

  1. Baniya, S., (2023). Rethinking Access: Recognizing Privileges and Positionalities in Building Community Literacy. Community Literacy Journal, 17(1), 49-64 (Invited). URL:
  2. Baniya, S., Brien, A., Call, K., Kumar, R., (2021) Serving Internationally: Enhancing Digital Literacy in Rural Nepal amid a Pandemic. Reflections. Accepted
  3. Baniya, S., Brien, A., Call, K., Rethinking Service Learning in Technical Communication via Global Engagement in the Post-Pandemic Context. Programmatic Perspective 2021 Special Issue, Administering TPC Programs in Times of Crisis. November, 2021
  4. Baniya, S., Kumari, A, Johnson, GP., Doan, S., Schwarz, VM., (2021). Building an International Coalitional Listserv for and by Graduate Students: The Critical Digital Literacies of nextGEN. Computers and Composition. December, 2021
  5. Baniya, S., Edwards, J, Sano-Franchini, J, & Walwema, J. (2022) Revisiting Service Learning in Technical and Professional Communication through Social Justice and Intercultural Frameworks: Findings from Survey Research. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Fall 2022
  6. Baniya, S. (2023). Community Engagement. In J. Tham (Eds), Keywords in Design Thinking: A Primer For Makers, Designers, & Technical Communicators. Parlor Press.
  7. Baniya S., & Weech, S. (2019). Data and Experience Design: Negotiating Community-Oriented Digital Research with Service-Learning. Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement, 6,11–16. https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284316979
  8. Kumari, A, Baniya, S., & Larson, K. (2020). The Necessity of Genre Disruption in Organizing an Advocacy Space for and by Graduate Students. Xchanges, 15 (1), 1-8.
  9. Baniya, S; Diab, K; Hendrickson, B; Grayson, M.L; Holly, H; Kumari, A; Larson, K; Messina, C.M; Paul, G; Ruiz, I. (2019) “Where we Are: Dialogue and Disciplinary Space.” Composition Studies, 47 (2): 203–210.

Grants:

Office of Engagement, Purdue University

  • Service-Learning Grant for Business Writing Class. Fall 2018 ($3400)
  • Service-Learning Grant for Rhetorics of Service-Learning. Fall 2018 ($1850)
  • Service-Learning Grant for Business Writing Class. Spring 2018($1500)

Awards:

Purdue University Graduate Pedagogy Showcase Award 2019

  • Baniya, S., Auckely, D., Harber, J., (2019) Engaging with Community via Digital Communication Practices: A Reflection on Service-Learning Oriented Business Writing Class. Best of the Showcase