Dr Val Chapman (NTF) and Will Bowen Jones

Developing Inclusive Curricula

NADP ANNUAL CONFERENCE

July 2009

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As a result of engaging with this session you should be able to…

Critique the impact on academic staff of the Appreciative Inquiry approach

Discuss the issues and opportunities arising from the project and decide if the approach would be of use in your own practice

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Key features of project (Sept 2007- Sept 08) as defined in the HEA bid

Development of innovative staff development package

Supplementary resources to support academics

Further development of the SCIPS web based resource (www.scips.worc.ac.uk)

Embedding in institutional policy and practice

Piloted with the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Worcester (UW)

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Key research question

How can we engage the interest and

commitment of staff to further develop

their inclusive practice in learning and

teaching?

Selection of an Appreciative Inquiry approach

Appreciative Inquiry Based on David Cooperider’s (1999) doctoral work

at Case Western Reserve University Eschews former Organization Development (OD)

deficit models Espouses a positive approach to change that builds

a vision for the future based upon what already works well within an existing system

self-empowering philosophy ‘4-D’ process (Discover, Dream, Design and

Destiny) Focus on collaborative working of all stakeholders Engages all stakeholders in systematic participation

in a jointly constructed vision of an organization’s future

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Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process

AIworkshop

(students) Students’

Post-it activity

Student’sinterviews

(VI)

Focus group interview

Generation ofadjectives

Briefing on inclusion

and AI

Generation ofpropositional statements

Focus group interviewquestions

Inaugural ISESstaff/student

research summit

Studentpresentation

Staff response

Prioritisationmeeting

Further planning

& embeddin

g

Inclusion

surveyDREAMDESIGNDESTINY

DISCOVERY

START

Pre-workshop activity

Staffdevelopme

nt

Roll out model to additional

departments

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Discovery phase (Jan/Feb 08)

Selection of student researchers Pre-workshop activity AI workshop Data collection by student researchers

Post it exercise Disabled student interview Focus group interview (conducted by student member of

project team) Answers to reflective questions (pre-workshop activity)

Development of propositional statements

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Dream phase (Jan-Mar 08) Inaugural Institute of Sport and Exercise

Science (ISES) staff/student research summit

Student researchers’ presentation Audience:

Vice Chancellor Guest speaker – Chief Executive, British

Paralympic Association ISES staff Departmental Learning and Teaching (L&T)

representatives

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Post-it data from student lectures Adjectives (n=265):

Enjoyable Interesting Challenging Fun

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Student researchers’ experiences of learning

Personal accounts Inclusive practices Challenges successfully overcome Engagement of staff

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Propositional statement 1All students make a positive contribution to the learning of their peers.

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Propositional statement 2Students value the School’s strong sense of community and being made to feel part of it.

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Propositional statement 3Students love it when staff support and celebrate their achievements.

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Propositional statement 4Staff inspire students through being role models.

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Propositional statement 5Students really enjoy learning through doing.

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Propositional statement 6 The Institute of Sport and Exercise

Science (ISES) offers students a ‘ticket to their future’; it gives them the opportunity to ‘do things for themselves’, ‘become more independent’, to ‘reinvent themselves’ and ‘be their own person’. It offers a ‘liberating’ and transformative experience.

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Design phase (Apr 08) Prioritisation meeting with ISES team to

determine: Individual priorities Draft priorities for referral to departmental

Learning and Teaching Committee Staff survey – ISES staff confidence ratings

in inclusive practice (via survey monkey, 78% response rate) Analysed to determine staff development

priorities

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Destiny phase (Ongoing) Supplemental resources

SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study) www.scips.worc.ac.uk

(used 24/7, page ranked by Google 5/10) Implementation of innovative staff

development package Embedding inclusive policy and

practice in existing departmental structures and systems e.g. peer observation

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Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting

Share innovative practice; champion good practice; act as advocates for recruitment of disabled ISES staff and students;

Use peer observation to focus on inclusion;

Ensure effective screening to identify disabled/dyslexic students/issues;

Monitor retention & achievement in order to identify issues;

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Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting

Identify support strategies for part time/mature/ overseas/’living at a distance’ students;

Integrate inclusive practice throughout all modules rather than just focus in Sport and Disability module (inclusion strategy);

Adopt a more coherent approach to inclusion across the whole school.

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Goal…

Within the next two years,the ISES team will have

aninternational reputation

asleaders in the field ofinclusive practice in sportand exercise science.

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Individual Inclusivity Profile - aspects covered:

Admission/induction Course content and

design Course delivery Teaching styles Assessment/ examinations Feedback to students Physical environment

Technology/ e-learning Learning resources/ course materials Course Monitoring Staff development Academic Support Work placement

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Individual Inclusivity Profile (example)

n= 19 (76%) response rate (H: High; M: Medium)

Admission/inductionVC

When I am involved in admissions, I know what to do in the eventof someone disclosing a disability. [e.g. Who to contact; How tomaintain appropriate levels of confidentiality; What adjustmentsto the process might be necessary.]

H/M

Course content and designVC

I fully understand what a competence standard means asdescribed by the Disability Discrimination Act

H

Our course team can translate learning outcomes into nondiscriminatory competence standards.

H/M

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Opportunities (value added)

Provides evidence of UW’s commitment to provide ‘excellent, inclusive education’ as stipulated in its Mission Statement

Review and revision of Open Day practice

Research informed teaching Students as researchers Raised external profile, e.g. ‘360

degree’ conference presentation

Opportunities (value added)

‘Step by Step Guide to AI’ (for staff and students)

AI as an approach to identifying and sharing good practice at UW

AI Guide distributed to other HEIs in UK and South Africa

Appointment of a dedicated researcher

AI now being adopted by researchers

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Issues Student involvement proved labour

intensive for project staff Pressurised timescale Ethics and responsibilities Associated costs Alternative formats for disabled

student researchers Roll out

Developing propositional statements

1. From the given data sets, identify key words or phrases

2. Transcribe onto post-its and categorise into themes

3. Draft 3 propositional statements about staff development – these should be a distillation that captures the spirit of the responses