The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: observations from a European projec

Andrew Dainty (1258524)

Sarah Barnard (1250649)

Tarek Hassan (1258917)

English

Loughborough University Institutional Repository

The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: Observations from a European Project  Sarah Barnard, Andy Dainty & Tarek Hassan, Loughborough University, UK Overview • Context of gender inequalities in HEIs across Europe • Gender Equality Plans • National and institutional contexts Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 About the GenderTime project Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 • Partners in France, Austria, Italy, Sweden, France, Serbia, Germany, United Kingdom, and Spain  Work Packages 1. Coordination 2. Implementation 3. Monitoring 4. Knowledge transfer 5. Independent evaluation 6. Methodology for structural change  7. Dissemination   The project approach to AP process management Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Supporting AP design & implementation Monitoring AP implementation Knowledge Transfer and Change Agents Gender Equality Field of practice Introducing ‘Transfer Agent’ concept (Thaler, Karner & Wicher) Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Idea: to implement gender equality knowledge in a strategic and sustainable manner – to involve individuals in powerful and relevant positions, who are committed to the idea of gender equality in science and research, and support the implementation of the gender equality plans = Transfer Agents - relevant institutional stakeholders. E.g.  – heads of institutions, – human resources managers or  – equal opportunity officers  • their involvement is activated and supported by GenderTime but goes on afterwards  institutionalise gender equality in science and research  Meet some of the TAs Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Jürgen Suschek-Berger is Director of the IFZ, Austria Sanja Vranes is Director General of IMP, Serbia Colette Guillopé  is Gender Equality Officer at UPEC, France Marina de Rossi  is Delegate of the Rector for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities Adam Crawford is the Operations Manager Supporting and Monitoring AP design and implementation  Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 • Methodology adopted broadly revolved around CoP: exploring and reflecting on experience and enhancing competence. Mapping  Pairing Exercises  Collaborative Workshops  On-site visits Reflection Recommendations for AP design   Monitoring Tools: examples (Peterson & Dahmen) Monitoring tool Approach Performance indicators Target  group Content  Significant results Operational Process Monitoring Tool Qualitative Report template GT members and TA Implementation progress - objectives Supporting factors and hindering factors Self-Assessment of Change Agent Role Qualitative Qualitative questionnaire template for individual use GT members and TA Change drivers Resources for Change Agents Incremental Transformation Process Monitoring Tool Qualitative/ Quantitative Workshop GT members, TAs Indicators, goals and impact Step by step achievements Peer Consultation Reflection Session  Qualitative Workshop GT members, TAs Implementation process How to overcome challenges and use supporting factors Learning from each other through institutional pairings Examples of activities focused on:  • system for collecting gender disaggregated data  • conducting focus groups  • homeworking policies and practices  • academic career models and how careers develop in the institutional context Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Pairing of institutions to build greater mutual support and more in-depth information sharing Sharing challenges and success through World Cafe workshops  Development of a culture of reflection at institutional level  Identified challenges that require additional support.   A space to create a common vocabulary across the different institutions (and nations),   Specify methods for evaluation and ways to consolidate commitment from decision makers.   Openly discuss challenges and successes in a confidential and supportive format Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Self-assessment of Change Agent Role (Peterson & Dahmen) • Purpose: Identify success and support factors and resistance and challenges  • Qualitative questionnaire template • Six questions:    Which factors have strengthened/supported you as a change agent? Which factors have hindered/challenged you as a change agent? What motivates you as a change agent for gender equality? What makes a change agent for gender equality efficient and successful? What could further strengthen you in your change agent role? What are your recommendations for efficient change agency?  Environmental and Individual Resources for  Change Agents(Peterson & Dahmen)    Change agent Organization  National Policies  Academic culture  Networks Position Funding Time Gatekeeping Gender competence Commitment /Support What we found useful • Exploring and reflecting on experiences and enhancing competence in AP implementation in a cross-national context based on socially situated learning and knowledge exchange Image: Design by Connection by Dave Grey, Flickr Creative Commons Licence Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Communities of Practice Theory CoP has been defined as   ‘groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an on-going basis’   (Wenger et al., 2002; Wenger, 2011) Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 CoP strengths and limitations • Strengths – Recognition of how knowledge is socially and culturally situated – Movement from apprentice to expert through participation • Limitations – Language, definitions and categorisations – Power relations – Geographical distance Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Knowledge Exchange: your experiences https://padlet.com/sarahhelenbarnard/ECU   • What techniques have you used to facilitate AP implementation? • What kinds of activities are better suited to building communities around gender equality work? (both intra and inter institutions?)   Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Key observations • Importance of understanding policy context • Supporting communication key to implementation and monitoring of APs • Transfer and Change Agents’ role crucial in knowledge transfer • A strong sense of community benefits AP implementation Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016 Forthcoming papers in GenderTime International Conference proceedings Equality Challenge Unit conference, Nottingham, 29-30 Nov 2016  Knowledge transfer agents as catalysts for changing gender policies and practices in research. Anita Thaler, Sandra Karner & Magdalena Wicher, (IFZ, Austria)  Trying to do the impossible: Monitoring gender equality action plans in seven European institutions. Jennifer Dahmen (Univerisity of Wuppertal, Germany) & Helen Peterson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)  Using communities of practice to support the implementation of gender equality plans: lessons from a cross-national action research project. Sarah Barnard, Tarek Hassan, Andrew Dainty (Loughborough University), Lucia Polo, & Ezekiela Arrizabalaga (Tecnalia, Spain)   Thank you for your attention!  The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: Observations from a European Project  Email: S.H.Barnard@lboro.ac.uk Further information: www.gendertime.org  

The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: observations from a European project

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The development of a cross-national approach to gender equality in higher education institutions: observations from a European project

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