University Social Responsibility: The impact of student involvement in training/audit projects on their social, civic/political and professional development

University social responsibility (USR) is currently a central concern of higher education institutions, both in terms of thinking about their internal practices (e.g., promoting the access and progression of mature or immigrant students) and their interaction with the surrounding community (e.g., through the provision of services or engagement in social change projects). This dual nature justifies the recognition of their potential impact in terms of the academic, civic and professional capacities of students engaged in USR projects, especially in the context of an increasingly diverse Europe.
This study explores the participation of students from three European universities (Edinburgh, Porto and Kaunas) in an Erasmus+ project that involves experiential training in a social responsibility audit process. A mixed methodology will be used with a longitudinal design in order to perceive the changes in the students over time and, simultaneously, to map the current practices in different universities. In this paper, we will specifically focus on the experience of students from the University of Porto who participated in audits in the University of Edinburgh and the University of Kaunas.