Public authorities should help higher education institutions to strengthen their capacity in responding to the needs of a more diverse student and staff body and create inclusive learning environments and inclusive institutional cultures.

Guidelines

Enhancing professional development for diversity in higher education

Public authorities should support and provide adequate means to higher education institutions to improve initial and continuing professional training for academic and administrative staff to enable them to work professionally and equitably with a diverse student body and staff.

Incorporating social dimensions in quality assurance

Whenever possible, external quality assurance systems should address how the social dimension, diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusion are reflected within the institutional missions of higher education institutions, whilst respecting the principle of autonomy of higher education institutions.

Indicators

Public authorities enable higher education institutions to offer training on diversity, equity or inclusion to academic and administrative staff, and students

Public authorities should support the creation of common concepts, frameworks and tools that can be used in the delivery of the training on diversity, equity and inclusion in all higher education institutions. These common tools should be created together with student representatives and higher education institutions. Public authorities should provide funding for the provision of initial and continuing academic and administrative staff and student training on diversity, equity and inclusion (e.g. training on equal opportunities, universal accessibility, universal design, etc.).

Existence of support offered by top-level public authorities to higher education institutions to offer trainings on diversity, equity or inclusion to staff and students

Public authorities should support a mentoring network at the local, regional or national level for both staff and students in order to involve, guide and assist them on how to best interact with the needs of a more diverse student and staff body. Public authorities should provide higher education institutions with tools and other non-financial means of support on diversity, equity and inclusion for students and staff.

Existence of an appropriate body has the mandate to monitor whether higher education institutions offer training on diversity, equity or inclusion to staff and students.

Public authorities should ensure that an appropriate body periodically monitors the quality of initial and continuous staff and student training. Students and staff representatives should be included in this monitoring, including representatives of underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable students and staff. In some national contexts, quality assurance frameworks could be used for the monitoring.

Public authorities issue guidelines and provide financial means to make higher education buildings and infrastructure easily accessible and adjusted to the needs of underrepresented, disadvantaged and vulnerable students and staff.

Public authorities should provide financial support to higher education institutions to ensure universal accessibility of their buildings and infrastructure. Public authorities should monitor the implementation of this indicator, ensuring that the implemented improvements align with established accessibility standards and effectively address the needs of underrepresented, disadvantaged, and vulnerable students and staff.