During March and April 2022, the XENIA Consortium carried out the pilot study of the XENIA Index in Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. The pilot study aimed to identify and correct potential defects and drawbacks of the XENIA tools and Index before replicatingthe test on a larger size.
Staff responsible for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 44 students, and 13 faculty and administrative/technical workersfrom 4 Higher Education Institutions contributed to the project’s pilot phase. Participants tested the XENIA tools (matrix or survey, depending on their academic profile), reportingon their institutions’ inclusiveness across five categories: Institution, Policy & Programmes, Pedagogy and Academic Programming, Support Services, and Academic Life. Then, they were asked to evaluate the user-friendliness of the XENIA toolsand the overall ability of the XENIA Index to capture the dynamics of inclusiveness within the Institutions.
In general, in all participating countries,the pilot attracted considerable interest from the target audiences. The tools were mostly considered very good and useful to assess how the Institution is doing in relation to equality based on sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. As a result of the pilot phase, a small number ofminor amendments have been made.The more extensive test of the Index is now ongoing.All the results will be released in November 2022.
The “XENIA: Higher Education Inclusiveness Index” is three-year project, aiming at turning Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) into inclusive places that promote social dialogue irrespective of gender and sexual orientation and lower (potentially eliminate) organisational and operational barriers for equal opportunities. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU and it is implemented by a consortium of 7 partners from 5 countries, with DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner, responsible for two workpackages and participating in all activities.
To stay up-to-date on the progress of the project, please visit our website: www.xeniaindex.eu
For more information on XENIA and other DAISSy projects & activities:
- Website : https://daissy.eu/projects/xenia/
- Facebook : @DAISSyResearchGroup, @XENIA Erasmus+ Project
- Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/
- Twitter : https://twitter.com/daissy_research
- Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
- Email : info@daissy.eap.gr
