Developing an Inclusive Curriculum

Key themes of this session What is inclusivity in learning & teaching? Legislative duties. Barriers to learning and how to overcome them. Reasonable adjustments. Importance of academic standards.

Inclusivity is: To make learning, teaching and assessment accessible to people from a wide range of different educational, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Inclusivity recognises that people are individuals, each with their own strengths and weaknesses

Inclusivity is not only accessibility Aims to make learning, teaching and assessment accessible to disabled people. Inclusivity: Aims to make learning, teaching and assessment accessible to people from a wide range of different educational, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.

Inclusivity is not: About lowering standards. More paperwork and hassle. “Political correctness” or getting into trouble for using the wrong words.

Inclusive practice in Learning, Teaching and Assessment Is about finding practical, common-sense solutions to remove barriers that prevent students from participating and achieving. Benefits all students, not just disabled students or “awkward cases”. Increases retention. Improves degree attainment. Enhances academic standards. Inclusive practice is good practice.

Inclusive practice in Learning, Teaching and Assessment

Inclusive practice in Learning, Teaching and Assessment As lecturers we have a duty under equality legislation not to discriminate (directly or indirectly) or disproportionately disadvantage students on the basis of any of the nine protected characteristics.

Protected Characteristics Age. Race. Disability. Religion and belief. Gender reassignment. Sex. Marriage and civil. partnership Sexual orientation. Pregnancy and maternity.

From reactive to proactive Up to the 2010 Equality Act adjustments for individual students were reactive – reasonable adjustments. The expectation of inclusivity is to take a proactive approach. Teaching staff are required under the Equality Act to anticipate the needs of students.

So how do I do this? How can I anticipate the needs of students I don’t (yet) have? Designing out barriers. Adopting a ‘Universal Design for Learning’ approach.

Designing out barriers What is essential to the course/module learning outcomes and what are tangential? What are the demands of Learning, Teaching and Assessment activities on students’ capacities? Vision and hearing. Speech and language skills. Mobility and dexterity. Concentration and stamina. Cognition and working memory. Social skills and awareness. Race. Sex.

Universal Design for Learning Provide multiple means of representation (the “what” of learning). Provide multiple means of action and expression (the “how” of learning) . Provide multiple means of engagement (the “why” of learning). More information: http://www.udlcenter.org/

What am I trying to teach? If you can articulate what is essential and non-negotiable, you will find ways around barriers when it is possible to do so; and you will be able to say with confidence and with justification when it is not possible. A clear statement of the limits to flexibility is an important part of making a course genuinely accessible.

An example - a traditional lecture Disadvantages the following students: Students with visual/hearing impairments. Dyslexic students (lack of dexterity – writing notes while trying to concentrate on what’s said is a challenge). Students with concentration problems (e.g. ADHD). Students with fatigue issues (e.g. MS, medication, or a long day of work/childcare). Students who struggle with English. Students who can’t attend the lecture (e.g. illness, disability, work, childcare responsibilities).

Addressing the issues Provide lecture notes in advance on VLE or at the start of the class. Build participation/discussion into the lecture: keeps students more engaged and more alert. Allow students to record your lectures. Make use of podcasting/lecture capture. These simple strategies: enhance students’ learning; remove barriers that prevent students from learning effectively or from attending; increase retention and attainment.

An example - mobility A student with a mobility impairment can’t participate in a field trip to the summit of Cadair Idris. Can the course’s learning outcomes only be achieved by scaling this mountain? What are the alternatives? Geological features in roadside cuttings, etc. Alternative fieldwork, e.g. OU’s fieldwork course for students with mobility and visual impairments. Do all the students on the field trip have to do the alternative option? No.

What can I do to make my module and course inclusive Anticipate the needs of your students. Be flexible and adaptable. Be creative. Use common sense. Make reasonable adjustments to enable students to participate fully – but better to do it before it gets to this stage. If you’re not sure how best to support a student, then ASK! Ask the student, ask the Disability and Dyslexia Service, ask CELT.

Virtual Learning Environments Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) must: Meet accessibility standards like W3C Web Accessibility Initiatives and the British Standard for web accessibility (BS 8878:2010). Fit with existing solutions for accessibilty. Be open to updating.

Creating inclusivity Creating an “equally rich learning experience” for all students. Myths and misconceptions Inclusive websites are not attractive. You can add inclusivity at the end of the production process. There is a lack of information about inclusivity online.

A reading problem Tob eornott obe?

How does it look now? Tob eornott obe?

When using text When using text it is important that users have some element of control in how they use it. Users should be able to: Change the font. Change the size. Change the colour of both the text and the background. Access the meaning of text when formatting, such as bold or italics, is removed. Access the meaning of text transmitted in another format, such as an image.

When using images When using images as content it is important that learners are able to access the intended meaning. Users should be able to: Access the image when it is magnified or scaled. Access a text or audio description of what the image signifies in respect to the intended learning. Understand the learning intended regardless of any information imparted by the use of form or colour.

For more information CELT Inclusivity webpage: http://celt.southwales.ac.uk/ip/ Contact: Lyndsey Muir Senior Lecturer in Educational Development lyndsey.muir@southwales.ac.uk

Sources and References CELT, University of South Wales – Inclusive Curriculum – http://celt.southwales.ac.uk/ip/ Centre for the Universal Design for Learning - http://www.udlcenter.org/ Curriculum Design Guide - http://celt.southwales.ac.uk/media/files/documents/2014-01-30/CURRICULUM_DESIGN_GUIDE_final_2013.pdf. Equality Act 2010 - http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/legal-and-policy/legislation/equality-act-2010. Equality and Human Rights Commission - http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/ Equality Challenge Unit - http://www.ecu.ac.uk/. Higher Education Academy – project report - https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/sites/default/files/InclusiveLearningandTeaching_FinalReport.pdf. JISC TechDis - http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/. University of Sheffield – Inclusive Learning and Teaching Handbook - http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.18989!/file/The-inclusive-learning-and-teaching-handbook.pdf. University of Wolverhampton – Learning to teach inclusivity project - http://www.wlv.ac.uk/about-us/internal-departments/centre-for-academic-practice/projects-archive/learning-to-teach-inclusively/.