Cornel Hart, PhD
Dr. Cornel Hart is a research associate in community development at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and previously served as program coordinator for the Community Development (CD) Professional Degree and Evaluator for the Scholarship of Engagement Framework at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). She continues to supervise postgraduate students at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across South Africa and supporting them with their CD program development, offerings, quality assurance and reviews. Dr. Hart specializes in program evaluation and micro-macro level community well-being assessments’ alignment to national and international development drivers (e.g. AU Goals, SDGs). Since 1999, she provided extensive training in CD, Logical Frameworks and Research Methodology; from community-based organizations to public sector departments of several African countries. Dr. Hart assists HEIs (nationally & internationally) with CD Practice, Service-Learning, Community Engagement (CE) and Scholarship of Engagement (SoE) to monitor and evaluate their Societal Impact (i.e Broader Impacts).
Courses Taught
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning
Select Publications
Hart, C., Daniels, P. and September-Brown, P. (2025). Democratizing Higher Education: Navigating Public Accountability for Equity, Inclusivity, and Social Justice. South African Journal of Higher Education, 39(4):91-107. https://dx.doi.org/10.20853/39-4-7502
Hart, C & Smith, M.E. (2025). A Sustainable Community Development Framework for Environmental Citizenship Empowerment. Southern African Journal of Social Work and Social Development (2025) Special Edition: 22-pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/18132
Hart, C. (2023). Legislation and policy frameworks associated with community development in South Africa. In Community Development in the 21st Century: Empowerment for breaking the cycle of poverty. 7th ed. F. De Beer & M. De Beer. Eds. Juta and Company ltd. 473-495.
Hart, C. (2023). Professional community development practice. In Community Development in the 21st Century: Empowerment for breaking the cycle of poverty. 7th ed. F. De Beer & M. De Beer. Eds. Juta and Company ltd. 529-546.
Hart, C., Daniels, P. and September-Brown, P. (2023). A model for scholarship of engagement institutionalization and operationalization. South African Journal of Higher Education, 37(1): 224-242. https://dx.doi.org/10.20853/37-1-5677
September-Brown, P., Daniels, P. & Hart, C. (2022). (Accepted). Decentralized Systemising of Scholarship of Engagement (SoE) in Higher Education (HE) toward Societal Impact.
Hart, C & De Beer, F. (2022). Community Development Practitioner Profiling for Occupational Professionalisation, Skills Development and Continuous Quality Assurance. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk Journal, 58(4):501-519. https://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pub https://doi.org/10.15270/58-4-1078
Hart, C., (2022). Book Review: Does community development work? Stories and practice for reconstructed community development in South Africa. Community Development Journal.
Hart, C. & De Beer, F. (2022). A Community Level Well-being Assessment Tool for Integrative Partnerships in Community Development. JJDMS Special Edition: New Institutionalization Designs for Community Development and Environmental Conservation. XISS. (ISSN 0973-8444)
Hart, C. (2017). Supervision Policy framework for Social Services. National Department of Social Development. Government Printers: Pretoria.
Select Presentations
Hart, C. (10 September 2025). IACD Webinar: From Standards to Accountability: Using Community Development Norms and Standards for Reflective Practice and Citizen Empowerment. https://youtu.be/XYCju41yLDU?si=vEk3iSPt1IBCNGb7
Hart, C. (15 May 2025). UPEN: Panelist for International Webinar: Science advice at a time of crisis: Are we better prepared, or is more still to be done?
Hart, C. (14 October 2021). Keynote Address: UniZuly Teaching and Learning 5th Annual Conference. Scholarship of Engagement that Represents the Expected Innovations from Higher Education.
Hart, C. (2 September 2021). Keynote Address: SUN DSI Annual Social Impact Symposium: Cross Sectoral Engaged Partnerships: Transformative Power of Higher Education to Deliver Effective Societal Impact.
Hart, C., Daniels, P. & Lawack, V. (11 May 2021). Developing Country and Global Contextual Diversity Specific Graduate Attributes. ARIS BI 2021 Summit https://researchinsociety.org/summit-2021-schedule-presentations/
Hart, C. (9 December 2020). ARIS International Webinar Impact Series: South African Impact Strategies; Aligned to National, Regional and Global Development Drivers.
Hart, C. (29 October 2020). Drafting a Multi-Level CE Stakeholder Partnership (MLCESP) Model. Prof Andipatin’s CHS Faculty Webinar Series. University of the Western Cape.
Hart. C, Bheekie A, Van Huyssteen M & Coetzee R. (24 September 2020). Community Engagement Pharmacy Practice Multi-Level Stakeholder Partnership Model: A Framework for Monitoring & Evaluation. [Poster presentation]. The Network Towards Unity for Health (TUFH 2020).
Hart, C. (5 December 2019). A Community Engagement Model for Higher Education Institutions to Measure and Present their Societal Impact. SAHECF Conference 2019. Mpumalanga.
Research Interests
Integrative community development, well-being and social capital assessment
Sociology of professions
Community development program evaluation studies
Teaching and learning program evaluation studies
Higher education community engagement and scholarship of engagement
Education
- PhD, Development Studies, University of South Africa
- MRec, Social Science Research Methodology, University of Stellenbosch
- PGDip. Programme Management, Stellenbosch School of Business
- BS Social Science, University of Johannesburg
