Mike Wray

Inclusive teaching and learning at York St John

23rd March 2012

Projects

•HEA Inclusive culture programme

•YSJ collaborative project

•Students as researchers project

Barriers to entry

•Increased victimisation and hate crime lower employment rates (EHRC, 2009)

•48% vs 28% level 1 qualification (DRC, 2006)

•2x more likely to have no qualification (DRC, 2006)

•Half as likely to gain entry to HE (DRC, 2006)

Within HE

•Attainment similar (Richardson, 2009)

•AGCAS – deaf graduates

BUT

•Dyslexia/multiple – lowest attainment

•Mobility difficulties – lowest employment

Transition

•Difference in systems (May et al, 2000)

• Support

• Funding

• Terminology

•Disclosure (Piggott & Houghton, 2004)

Transition contd;

•Information (Elliott & Wilson, 2008)

• DSA

• Differences between levels

• Passing on info

•Teaching styles (Wray, 2010)

Barriers to learning

•Unhelpful teaching staff

• Not facing deaf student

• No handouts

•Lack of support from allocated tutor

•Assessment

Enablers

•Extremely helpful teaching staff

•Departmental office staff

•Support services

Disability Code Number of Students % Nationally

Autism Spectrum 17 2.3 1.5%

Visual impairment 15 2 2.1%

Hearing impaired 29 4.2%

Unseen 77 10.5 15.8%Mental Health 74 10.1 6.7%

SpLD 378 51.5 51%

Mobility problem 20 2.7 3.3%Other Disability 75 10.2 10.1%

Multiple 49 6.7 5.1%

Total 734

Number of hours support delivered per month 2012

Percentage of support hours by type of support in 2012

Inclusive culture at York St John University

•To be an inclusive and accessible university

•Welcoming, openness, friendly, warm, accepting?

•Equality, level playing field, multi-cultural, empowering?

Students as co-researchers

•20x interviews

•10 disabled/ 10 non-disabled

•2x autobiographical accounts

“My first impression of the environment of the university has been validated. It is a safe and

reassuring place”.

“ The majority of the academic staff are very approachable and friendly”.

“Another lecturer, had a habit of making her students cry. She threw one student’s work in

the bin in front of the class”

“The atmosphere in DeGrey is unpleasant. The rooms are too narrow and cramped and

the unpainted walls are ugly”

Collaborative project

•Develop inclusive practice alongside a range of colleagues

•Re-validation documentation/process

•Library development

•Converge report/workshop

HEA programme

•Bottom-up/middle out change

•Assessment strategies

• Mit circs

• Marking guidance

• Inclusive assessment

Traditional assessment of disabled students

•Additional arrangements

•Adjustments/accommodations

•Alternative

•Combinations

Inclusive assessment

•Considers the needs of all students

•Not bolt-on/course design stage

•Range of assessments

“The opportunity to respond creatively in some modules made a nice change from the usual methods of assessment”.

Inclusive assessment

•Normative position

•Impossible to administer

•Not possible in our subject area