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© University of South Wales
Developing an Inclusive
Curriculum
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
Inclusivity is not
• About lowering standards.
• More paperwork and hassle
• “Political correctness” or getting into trouble for using the wrong words
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
Inclusive practice in Learning Teaching and Assessment
© University of South Wales
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
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Protected Characteristics
• Age• Disability• Gender reassignment• Marriage and civil partnership• Pregnancy and maternity• Race• Religion and belief• Sex• Sexual orientation
© University of South Wales
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
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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
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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/
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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)
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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!
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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
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A reading problem …
Tob eornott obe
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How does it look now?
Tob eornott obe
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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.
© University of South Wales
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
© University of South Wales
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/
© University of South Wales
For more information
Contact:
Lyndsey Muir – Senior Lecturer in Educational Development