ACT Book (Open Access)
Palmén, Rachel, and Jörg Müller, eds. 2022.A Community of Practice Approach to Improving Gender Equality in Research. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003225546
The publication reflects on the use of Communities of Practice (CoPs) to further gender equality in research and innovation organisations and higher education institutes throughout Europe, based on the practical experiences and lessons learned in setting up and supporting eight CoPs as part of the H2020 project ACT (2018–2022). Read the full book in open access on the Routledge platform.
CoP Facilitators Resources
As part of the ACT project, we produced different resources to support the work of the Communities of Practice (CoP).
The ACT Co-creation Toolkit compiles a variety of participatory methods and tools useful for Communities of Practice to successfully operate and develop. The toolkit offers methods and practices for members of a Community of Practice to work collaboratively for advancing gender equality, spreading expertise and promoting effective institutional change.
During the project lifetime, the crucial role of Community of Practice Facilitators has been underlined. Facilitators are key not only during the initial setup of a Community of Practice but also for their well functioning. The following one-page documents summarize some of the main needs as well as findings from the ACT Facilitator training. These are meant to ease the work of future CoP Facilitators, especially those working with CoPs for gender equality.
ACTonBias Transition to Independent CoPs Participatory Modeling
Gender Equality Audit and Monitoring (GEAM) tool
The Gender Equality Audit and Monitoring (GEAM) tool is an integrated environment for carrying out survey-based gender equality audits in academic organizations. Its core instrument is a flexible questionnaire framework based upon the Athena Survey of Science, Engineering and Technology (ASSET) and on existing measurement scales in the scientific literature. It comprises a collection of questions that cover most aspects of gender equality in academic organizations, providing high-quality data for designing and implementing gender equality measures and assessing their impact over time. To-date (Sep 2021), the GEAM has been used by 21 organizations, generating ~2600 full responses.
Policy Briefs
The ACT Communites of Practice have developed several recommendations which summarize their findings and experiences gathered during their activities in ACT.
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ACT European Policy Brief
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Gender Budgeting to challenge gender biases in decision-making of Research Performing Organisations. Policy brief created by GenBUDGET Community of Practice.
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How to support Communities of Practice for driving institutional change towards gender equality. Policy brief elaborated by Alt+G, LifeSciCop, and Strategies CoP.
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Reflections on scaling-up Communities of Practice. Policy brief created by Kathrin Rabsch and Claartje Vinkenburg in collaboration with ACT CoP Facilitators.
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Towards More Equal, Diverse, and Inclusive Research. Policy brief created by GEinCEE CoP. |
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