WAHEN Global Communities
Connect with other education professionals
Our WAHEN Global Communities will bring together members to share knowledge, hear from experts, new researchers and innovation in policy practice to forge collaborations together. The forums will be led by leading organisations in that particular equitable access and success field. They will benefit from the global reach of WAHEN to act as the driving force of professional practice in equitable access and success in higher education. The first meetings will take place in 2025.
Inequalities in access and success in higher education: What does research and data show?
The research and evidence base where equity in higher education is concerned is a growing field encompassing academics and policy oriented researchers. However, opportunities for this work to be shared and the essential dialogue to occur that is at the heart of research need to be developed. This group will be a space where evolving research can be shared, thematic sessions curated, theory discussed, and those all-important international research collaborations built. The group will also support the development of a WAHEN research agenda.
Equity and diversity in higher education: Understanding policy approaches across regions and countries
The evidence produced by WAHEN and its partners suggests that, while there may be a significant amount of policy interest in higher education, there is a real need for a greater discourse regarding the implementation of these policies. Unless equitable access and success is more prominent in how it is supported by policymakers then our ability to progress this work will always be limited. This group will provide a space where different policy approaches across the whole spectrum of the equity field will be examined, different countries will share practice and the evidence on policy effectiveness will be examined.
University leadership and strategy for equitable access and success
Effective university leadership and a comprehensive organisational strategy for equitable access and success are key for an institution to ensuring that all potential and existing students can benefit from higher education. Leadership plays a crucial role in uniting stakeholders around a common goal and enabling people to take the actions that are required. This group will bring together leaders and senior managers responsible for the development of strategies to discuss and share the steps they are taking within their own institutions to enable equitable access and success. By sharing both their achievements and their challenges, the group will inspire actionable solutions that make a tangible difference and enable leaders to identify further opportunities to address equity issues effectively within their organisations and in the communities where they are based.
Supporting low income and first-generation students to achieve their potential: Best practice from across the world
To propel equity in access to higher education forward, how students at the pre-entry stage are prepared and supported to enter and progress is fundamental. It is being increasingly accepted around the world that universities have a huge role to play working with schools, children and older learners before they enter and, right from younger ages, helping them achieve at school, understand the course and the institutional options available to them, as well as helping them to overcome the cultural barriers that HE presents to them. It is essential that a group like this exists. It will bring together those in universities from every continent who are working collaboratively with schools, colleges and community groups on attainment raising, mentoring and outreach. The group will also look at how admissions practices can be used to support equity and how financial support/scholarships can be used the most effectively.
