The Guideline Toolkit for setting up an IDEA office is designed to be a supporting framework, which post-secondary institutions may also apply to evaluate and improve on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access activities. University College Dublin (UCD) and the University of Zadar have been the primary leads developing this report, together with the IDEA-net project partnership. The guideline is the product of an extensive desk review and multiple workshops and sessions with IDEA practioners to test its usefulness across borders and cultures. It is neither prescriptive nor exclusionary. Local expertise will be vital in ensuring that the Guideline Toolkit can be adapted as appropriate.
The nine steps
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- Identify need and underrepresented groups.
- Identify inclusion activities over the student life and employee cycle.
- Establish principles.
- Identify governance structures/prerequisites to enable success.
- Identify stakeholders.
- Source funding and resources.
- Identify an optimal IDEA structure.
- Develop a system for measuring impact.
- Engage students and staff as partners.
Providing clarity of purpose from the outset is a core message to develop an understanding of when, where, and how interventions and activities can be most appropriately made. The steps outline an ambitious plan for post-secondary institutions to celebrate change and diversity. Recommendations are specifically attentive to IDEA-conducive activities as well as intra- and inter-institutional cooperation while generic enough to be beneficial in meeting different benchmarking systems, where based on principles of equity or equality.
Challenges and possible solutions
Feedback gathered in the development of the guideline highlighted the need to address conservative opposition. The importance of working with each other has been stressed, with concrete actions suggested in the guideline to avoid polarisation and “taking sides”.
Fear of saying the wrong thing often fuels resistance to IDEA. By following the nine steps above, education institutions would be taking a crucial step towards agreement on what is and is not within the remit of the IDEA office with all relevant collaborators.
Suggestions for securing institutional management buy-in are included. Where the opening an IDEA office is not possible in the short-term, starting small – from wherever it is possible to start – is beneficial towards a “plus one” approach. This attitude ensures appreciation and the opportunity for small changes to make a significant impact.
