Benchmarks

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> Introduction
> Vision
> Benchmarks
> Role of Facilitator
> Historical Context
> Anti-oppressive Practice
> Social Role Valorization
> Facilitation Tools
​> Conclusion

The work of inclusion is both complicated (understanding the rhythms and routines of student life) and complex (understanding how negative devaluing beliefs can pull students away from an authentic experience). The work does not have a defined work plan or instruction manual, it is work with real people in the real world.  This comes with all kids of opportunities and challenges and when we are honest with ourselves, we actually do not know how to achieve the vision of inclusion all that well.  This is where benchmarks come it.  The following benchmarks, developed by Inclusion Alberta, are based on over 25 years of grounded experience working within post-secondary contexts.  The bench marks help to guide us forward and ensure that we are constantly evolving and ensuring a quality of practice over time.  As mentioned, the work is countercultural, so when left unchecked we are vulnerable to slip back into ways of supporting students that reproduce barriers to inclusion. 
As an inclusion facilitator, you should refer to these benchmarks often, discuss them with co-workers and find critical friends who can point out your own blindspots.

Benchmarks:

1. Students are fully engaged in class learning experiences
2. Student belongs to their class
3. Students pursue a coherent course of study
4. Students benefit from and contribute to campus life
5. Students pursue an inclusive life-path after graduation
6. Families provide leadership for inclusive post-secondary education and life-long inclusion
7. The initiative is embedded
8. The initiative is safeguarded
9. The initiative supports an authentic student experience

The full benchmarks are described in the following evaluation tool at the bottom of this page.

Some examples of questions that come up when we review the benchmarks are provided as examples here:

1. Students are fully engaged in class learning experiences:
   1. Effective initiatives work to ensure that students have the same learning experience in class as their fellow students.” 
      1. Does this ring true in the work we do?
   2. Do we encourage students to participate in all of the learning experiences the course offers?
      1. If not, why?
      2. What is the difference in 'meaning' between learning and being present?
2. Students belong to their class
   1. Instructors should take responsibility for their student as they would for any other student.
      1. Does this happen?
      2. How can we make this happen more often?
   2. How do we influence instructors/classmates to see the student as a full member of the class?
      1. What value do students bring to classrooms?
      2. How do we find out what is going on in classrooms?
   3. How do we build and maintain connections between instructors and other faculty or admin?
      1. Who are the allies you've found on your campuses?
   4. How do we avoid the class seeing students as guests or 'special' or charity?
      1. Is the classroom address about inclusive post-secondary education useful or harmful?
      2. What tactics do you use?
   5. Remember: Dealing with problems together is a powerful way to build alliances
3. Students pursue a coherent course of study
   1. Convocation conversation
      1. Where are we at on all the different campuses?
   2. What is the connection between being embedded in a department and the way it shapes your identity?
      1. What does this mean for the alumni experience?
4. Students benefit from and contribute to campus life
   1. Students belong when they take part in campus activities and build friendships and social connections and communicate their belonging back to their community in their choice of activities, dress, and language.
      1. What are examples of this on your campus
   2. What is the “standard” for education?
      1. How do we measure this?
5. Students pursue an inclusive life path after graduation
   1. For graduates, how is this working out?
   2. For soon-to-be/new graduates what are we doing to set this up?
   3. How does our current funding situation play into this?
6. Families provide leadership for inclusive post-secondary education and life-long inclusion
   1. How can we work to engage families more?
   2. What is working so far?
   3. Have we asked why families are not engaging?
7. The initiative is embedded
   1. What are the pros/cons of being embedded?
   2. How does this work in your community?
   3. What allies are helpful for this?
8. The initiative is safeguarded
   1. If we disappeared, would there be other allies who support it?
   2. How do we ensure this doesn't turn into a human service model?
   3. How does the initiative meet human service models and minimize their effect?
9. The initiative supports an 'authentic' student experience
   1. What IS an authentic student experience?
   2. How do we ensure we're not normalizing?

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Next: Role of the Facilitator