On 25 May 2018, European Ministers of higher education adopted the Paris Communique in which they reiterated their commitment to the goals and policies of the European Higher Education Area, whilst also acknowledging that “further effort is required to strengthen the social dimension of higher education”, since “the student body entering and graduating from European higher education institutions should reflect the diversity of Europe’s populations” and that there is a need to “improve access and completion by under-represented and vulnerable groups.” The InclusiPHE project connects the social dimension of HE with another fundamental pillar of the EHEA - students' engagement - and has as main objective to contribute to creating a more inclusive environment at PHEIs, by creating sets of interventions aimed at increasing non-traditional students’ engagement in the life of their academic institution. To respond to the needs and challenges of wider society students need to obtain key competences for active citizenship. These competences can be developed through students’ engagement to University governance and participation in decision making at various levels, inclusive strategies by student-led organizations, inclusive curricula, participative working methods and partnerships between PHE providers, local communities and civil society organisations. Also to maximise the retention and success of non-traditional students, an inclusive learning environment is central and research has demonstrated that student retention and success is improved through effective student engagement and sense of belonging. InclusiPHE will focus specifically on students at PHEIs who typically attract a more diverse range of students with a higher proportion of non-traditional students compared to more classical universities. There tend to be more adult students, lifelong learners, parent students, students from a migrant background, students with a disability, etc. At the same time, PHE curricula have specific characteristics that influence student engagement which is often overlooked in European and national higher education policy discussions, such as shorter times spent in the institution due to many students studying at shorter courses and considerable time spent on practical placements outside the institution. InclusiPHE will explore the complex engagement of different students in the life of their institutions. The project aims to improve policies, mechanisms and practices for inclusive engagement of all students regardless of their background and circumstances - to engage students in all aspects of teaching & learning learning journey, quality assurance & institutional decision making, within the the life of the institution and student life in the wider sense, and also enabling them to fully embrace the democratic values of HE in their interactions with wider society. More concretely, the project will: · Analyse existing models and patterns within students’ engagement at PHE institutions. · Identify potential good practices and innovative ways of a more inclusive engagement of PHE specific target groups · Develop student-led strategies for creating more inclusive PHEIs and student organisations. · Develop a Capacity building toolkit and pilot inclusive students’ engagement training. The project will result in: • Increased information (quantitative and qualitative) on inclusive engagement of PHE students at European, national and institutional level. • Better understanding of the impact of more inclusive students’ engagement in the governance, internal QA and curriculum development of PHEIs and in the advancement of equality and inclusion. • Increased awareness of students, institutional leaders and policy makers on inclusive students’ engagement in the PHE sector and of the European vision and consensus on students’ engagement and social inclusion. • Enhanced support of PHEIs and students’ organisations in their efforts to increase participation of non-traditional and underrepresented groups within PHE institutional formal and informal systems of students’ engagement. • Provision of instruments, methods and tools PHE institutions and students’ organisations can apply to support the development of an inclusive students' engagement culture within their institutions and organisations, showing how to integrate the concept of inclusive students' engagement into their existing processes and quality managements systems. The InclusiPHE consortium consists of 8 members and is led by Mondragon University (Spain). Other partners are the European Students' Union (Belgium), the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education – EURASHE (Belgium), the Institute for the Development of Education (Croatia), Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Malta), Knowledge Innovation Centre (Malta), Duale Hochschule Baden-Wurttemberg (Germany), University College Leuven-Limburg (Belgium).
The overall objective of the project has been to enhance student engagement in Professional Higher Education (PHE), with a specific focus on inclusivity for non-traditional students. It sought to create tools and strategies to encourage their participation, improve their overall student experience and contribute to success in their studies and life. Specifically targeting PHE Institutions (PHEIs), InclusiPHE acknowledges their more diverse student body compared to traditional universities. PHEIs also feature unique curriculum characteristics, which are often overlooked in policy discussions. The project's goal has thus been to improve policies, mechanisms, and practices for inclusive student engagement of all students regardless of their background and circumstances, encompassing various aspects of the learning journey, quality assurance, institutional decision-making, and student life. More specifically, InclusiPHE aimed to develop resources designed to fill the gaps in knowledge and skills related to student engagement among PHEIs and students’ organisations, empowering them in their role to support the development of an inclusive student engagement culture within their institutions and organisations.
For the past 25 years, the European Higher Education Area emphasised the importance of the social dimension of HE and its role in promoting equity, social inclusion, and active citizenship. Nevertheless, the Paris Communique (2018) stresses the need for more significant efforts to strengthen the social dimension of HE, underscoring the importance of HEIs to reflect the diversity of populations and calls for improved access and completion for underrepresented groups.While discussions on diversity and inclusion in HE often revolve around making curricula and classrooms more inclusive, they often overlook the broader student experience. Student engagement plays an important role in improving how HEIs are governed, influence the student experience, contribute to a sense of belonging and as a means towards the acquisition of life skills.Many student engagement systems are tailored to 'traditional' students,- typically young, white, middle-class, full-time.Non-traditional students (NTS) encounter distinct challenges arising from their diverse backgrounds. Consequently, achieving genuinely inclusive student engagement encounters structural impediments, with many HEIs lacking a comprehensive grasp of NTS' requirements and circumstances.