Liberating the curriculum Alaa Elaydi – NUS Policy Officer

Overview In this session we will look at: What liberating the curriculum means Why it is important Making the arguments Solutions: campaigns and good practice examples What you can do about it

What do we mean? Liberation: ‘working to challenge and reverse the effects of structural oppression in society which manifest themselves in higher education in numerous ways.’

What do we mean? Equality: ‘all individuals and groups of people are able to contribute and fully experience areas of life and education.’

What do we mean? Diversity: ‘recognising , valuing and taking account of people’s different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, needs and experiences.’

What do we mean? Syllabus Learning environment Delivery of course and support provided Assessment

Why is it important: curriculum content   ‘Race for Equality’ - 42% of Black students said the curriculum did not reflect issues of diversity, equality and discrimination. 33% of Black students they did not feel able to bring their perspectives as Black students in to lectures, seminars and tutorials. ‘Beyond the Straight and Narrow’

Why is it important: educational environment 23% of Black Students described there learning environment as clique, 17% as isolating and 7% as racist. Disabled people consistently report being less satisfied with their education than non- disabled people (NSS) One in 10 trans students never feel comfortable to speak up in class. Almost one in four women do not feel confident to speak up in the classroom. 16% of incidents of sexual harassment occur in a learning environment

What is it important: support Black students - teachers did not provide the same level of attention or encouragement they would to non-Black students Many disabled students face learning disadvantages if they don’t get appropriate support.

Why is it important: assessment Black students report low levels of satisfaction with assessment and feedback. Need for anonymous marking Inaccessible/ poor communication of standards or criteria used for assessment ‘Inclusive Assessment’  

Why is it important: attainment There is currently a 16.1% gap between the numbers of 2:1 or higher degrees awarded to BME students. More non-disabled people achieve a first/ 2:1 than disabled qualifiers

Making the arguments It will help institutions retention strategy. Improve retention for students most likely to drop out: mature students, BME students, students with low UCAS tariff scores.   It will help institutions to meet obligations under the Equality Act 2010   Help combat provide a more balanced and diverse curriculum – which will help the development and learning of all students

Key resources Research reports NUS - Hidden Marks NUS – That’s what she said NUS - Beyond the Straight and Narrow NUS - Race for Equality ECU – Equality in Higher Education: statistical report 2014 Training resources/ toolkits Course rep hub - Liberation training for Course Reps The student engagement partnership (TSEP) Liberation, Equality and Diversity in the curriculum briefing

What can you do? Gather evidence on your campus Review/ audit your course curriculum and assessment processes. How inclusive are they? Do you have an inclusive curriculum? Do you have anonymous marking? Use student feedback forms on the curriculum to identify whether students are satisfied with course content and why? Consider surveying students to see how satisfied with their course content/ learning experience/ assessment process

What can you do? Identify key stakeholders Utilise course reps as a key ally Work with key societies and liberation officers with an interest in this. Think about all the groups of students outlined here. Which academics might you engage? Who holds influence within your department/ within the wider institution and who might you approach first?

What can you do? Identify key instruments to influence: Education charter and/ or partnership agreement as a tool to lobby for students to co-design the curriculum Training programmes - Do you know if staff have training in how to challenge discrimination and harassment in the classroom? Do they receive training in equality and diversity?

Exercise: think about your strategy You want to ensure the curriculum at your institution is diverse and inclusive. Think about: Who would you need to influence? How would you influence? What might the potential barriers be and how would you overcome them? What outcomes would you want to achieve?

Summary ‘Liberating education [is] through dialogue, the teacher of the students and the students of the teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with students- teacher’ – Paulo Freire

Any questions?

Campaigns and good practice #Why is my curriculum white? BME attainment gap institutional improvement programme The Space project Sparqs Students as Partners in the Curriculum Developing and embedding inclusive policy and practice in HE’

Thank You For more information, e-mail: Alaa.Elaydi@nus.org.uk