© university of south wales developing an inclusive curriculum

© University of South Wales

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

• 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


Inclusivity 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• Disability• Gender reassignment• Marriage and civil partnership• Pregnancy and maternity• Race• Religion and belief• Sex• Sexual orientation


From reactive to proactive

• Up to the 2010 Equality Act adjustments for individual students had been 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 their 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)

• Source: 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 for dyslexic students)

– Students with concentration problems (e.g. ADHD)

– Students with fatigue issues (MS, medication, or a long day at work if evening lecture)

– Students who struggle with English.– Students who can’t attend the lecture (e.g.

because of illness, disability, work, childcare responsibilities)


An example - a traditional lecture

• 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/course inclusive

• Anticipate the needs of your students.• Be flexible and adaptable• Be creative• Use common sense• Make reasonable adjustments to

enable a student to participate fully in the learning/assessments – 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

Digital Learning Environments (DLE’s)

• meet accessibility standards like W3C WAI and the Section 508–guidelines

• fit with existing solutions for accessibilty

• are 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 learning intended.•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


Sources and References

• CELT, University of South Wales – Inclusive Curriculum - http://celt.southwales.ac.uk/does/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/


For more information

Contact:

Lyndsey Muir – Senior Lecturer in Educational Development

[email protected]

© university of south wales developing an inclusive curriculum

Documents

learning teaching

assessment slide

learning approach slide

demands of learning

people inclusivity

good practice slide

inclusive curriculum

coursemodule learning