Enhancing Access through a focus on Equity (EquNet)
EQUNET is a 3-year project aiming at increasing access to Higher Education for all marginalized and non-traditional groups based on a principle of equity. The best and worst practices will be highlighted in the project, together with the focus on understanding the barriers to entry to Higher Education, and the incorporation of stakeholders to help propose solutions. Based on this research, the project aims to give implementable recommendations as to how to improve accessibility to Higher Education.
Project Profile
Achieving true equity within Higher Education, despite being high on the education policy agenda for years, continues to remain a significant challenge for policy makers, who, despite years of initiatives, have not yet managed to make large enough inroads into the problem.
The EquNet project started in 2009 with the specific goal of enhancing access to Higher Education through a focus on equity, by means of intertwining activities of research and networking. To this aim the project brings together a consortium of renowned research organisations and stakeholders' organisations in the Education and Training sector to ensure a sound methodological base for its conclusions and a wide audience amongst the European E&T community to ensure its impact.
Although there is a substantial literature advancing theoretical arguments, often based on practical observations, the empirical evidence on issues of efficiency and equity in European Higher Education is meagre at best. (Analytical report accompanying the EC Communication: Efficiency and Equity in European E&T systems). Thus, in its first year the consortium has carried out research and analyzed existing sources, including the definition of an indicator on equity in HE which will be used to analyse the sector in following years. The network will also identify best practices, formulate them as key messages to policy makers at yearly intervals, and aggressively promote them throughout the project, particularly through annual thematic conferences
The network seeks to tackle barriers due to:
- Educational background (issues mainly of recognition of non-formal and informal education, or non-traditional types of formal learning (access for home schoolers, distance learners)
- Socioeconomic conditions (issues such as access for people with a job, family commitments, from various income groups, independent or dependent upon parents etc)
- Structural problems in HE (issues such as curricula, governance structures, admissions standards, funding policies etc)
It analyzes the degree and nature of these barriers for individuals from the following target groups:
- ‘traditional' students (i.e. 18-22s)
- migrants
- continuing learners (professionals building upon a degree)
- adult learners (without a degree or changing profession)
- ‘post-professionals' i.e. those at the end of the LLL curve
Services by SCIENTER
SCIENTER is responsible together with MENON for project coordination, including monitoring of the project work plan implementation and its quality, both in research and networking activities.
