Title of Presentation
Inclusive teaching: Supporting
engagement of diverse students
in higher education
Wednesday 20th May 2016, 1-3.15pm
Rachel Gould Head of Student life team
Tamsin Hinton-Smith Senior lecturer in Higher
Education and course leader, Postgraduate
Certificate in Higher Education
Cindy Newell Policy and Project Manager:
Student Services
Bloom’s taxonomy
Paul Ashwin (2015) Reflective
teaching in higher education
General Teaching & Learning resources
including inclusive teaching
Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and
Collaboratory (HASTAC) on Teaching and Learning, Duke
University and the City University of New York:
https://www.hastac.org/explore/teaching-learning-practices
Centre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford Brookes:
http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/resources/index.html
Pedagogic Research Institute and Observatory
(PedRIO), Plymouth University:
https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/institutes/pedagogic
More resources
• Universities UK (2015) Student mental wellbeing in higher
education: good practice guide
• Equality Challenge Unit (2010) Trans staff and students in higher
education
• Neutrois nonsense Guidelines for non binary identities
• https://neutrois.me/media-guidelines-genderqueer
• Stonewall Workplace resources
• http://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/workplace-resources
• Morgan, H. & Houghton, A.M. (2011) Inclusive curriculum design in
higher education. Higher Education Academy
• Higher Education Academy (2014) Internationalising the curriculum
‘When rights are not enough: What is?
Moving towards new pedagogy for
inclusive education within UK universities.’
‘By working with and learning about the life experiences of people with
‘disability’, society might be better equipped to understand and
respond inclusively. Furthermore, by starting from a platform of
questions, seeking dialogue and understanding for social justice, not
packaged answers to be ‘re-’ and/or mis-interpreted by colonisers and
policy-makers, this may enable a wider social understanding of
diverse lives and positions, creating a foundation where cultures of
difference take centre stage and from where effective inclusive
pedagogic developments may grow.’ (p.10)
Gibson, S. (2015) International Journal of Inclusive Education 19 (8),
875-886.
The 2010 Equality Act
• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
• Religion and belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
‘Pedagogies for diversity: retaining critical
challenge amidst fears of ‘dumbing down’
‘Growing concerns about retention and attrition rates in a mass and
increasingly marketised higher education system have encouraged the idea
that ‘meeting learner needs’ should be a key focus for institutional attention. It
is suggested that this approach is unrealistic, however, because of the extent
of the diversity which it attempts to respond to. An alternative response is to
move away from the individualised focus on needs, deficits and ‘support’,
towards a consideration of ‘activities, patterns of interaction and
communication failures’, in relation to higher education pedagogical
cultures. This move reconceptualises the idea of ‘barriers to learning’,
attempting to understand how more subtle aspects of higher education
pedagogical cultures may themselves be creating conditions which make it
difficult, or even impossible, for some students to learn.’ (p.521)
Haggis, T. (2006)’ Studies in Higher Education 31, 5 pp.521-535.
Inclusive curriculum design in
higher education
An inclusive curriculum as
‘one where all students’ entitlement to access and
participate in a course is anticipated, acknowledged
and taken into account.’ (p.14)
Morgan, H. & Houghton, A.M. (2011) Higher Education Academy
• From elite to mass HE
• From Information processing (IP) (e.g. Schmeck 1977) to
Student approaches to learning (SAL) , e.g. Marton &
Saljo 1976; Ramsden 1987)
• Attributing students’ attainment outcomes to teaching style
and competence rather than ‘natural ability’
• Implies teachers’ responsibility for students’ learning
outcomes
• And increasing recognition of the importance of the relational
dynamics of the T&L context
What we know and what we see…
Skills for inclusivity
Focusing not only on substantive disciplinary content but also on
teaching and assessing more diverse and transferable skills from
wider experience including critical thinking as central to
acknowledging the value and contribution of students from diverse
backgrounds in the HE classroom
(Ashwin, 2015)
This offers the potential to ameliorate feelings of marginalisation
and unbelonging
(Cotterill, P., Jackson, S. & Letherby, G. (Eds) 2007, Challenges and
Negotiations for Women in Higher Education. Dordrecht, the
Netherlands: Springer).
UK Professional Standards Framework
core values 1, 2 and 4:
V.1. Respecting individual learners and diverse learning
communities
V.2. Promoting participation in higher education and equality of
opportunity for learners
V.4. Acknowledging the wider context in which higher education
operates, recognising the implications for professional practice
A joined up approach…
‘If I don’t know who to go to for help with disabilities or
dyslexia … I go to my Personal Tutor and expect her to point
me in the right direction.’ (p.57)
HEA (2012) Compendium for Effective Practice
Two key messages from UniversitiesUK mental health work:
• Good practice for all supports students with mental health
issues
• And refer students on to appropriate institutional experts
Here for you
Help & Advice
Information
Student Welfare
Student Funding
Rules and Resources
Student Life
Practical
issues
Budgeting
Rules
Processes
Resources
Hardship
Reflective
space
Transition
Challenge
Network
Goals
Enabling
Self esteem
Mental
Health
Autistic
spectrum
Trans
issues
English
Language
competency
Race and
Culture
Inappropriate
disclosures
Judgements
about potential
Collaboration
Monitoring
Maintaining boundaries
Reporting and escalating concerns
Securing referral
Liaison and follow-up
Information
for Tutors
Group discussion questions
1. Curriculum Design, Content and Organisation
2. Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Discuss your responses to the questions in groups including but not
restricted to the following:
•
Do you find any of the suggestions problematic in any way?
•
Is there anything else you think should be there that is missing?
•
Any of these areas you feel you already carry out particularly good practice in at
an individual or departmental level that could be shared with others?
•
Anything you might change in your own teaching as a result of reflecting on these
suggestions?
•
Any issues or suggestions that you might raise at a course, departmental or school
level as a result of this?
Take-home reflections?