The inclusive learning and teaching handbook

i

The inclusive learning and teaching handbook

by ElenaRodriguez-Falcon•MarieEvans•ClaireAllam•JohnBarrett•

Dav

eFor

rest

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Page

Acknowledgements.....................................................2

Background................................................................3

1.Whyyoushouldreadthishandbook:Introduction..5

2.Hintsandtipsforinclusivelearningandteaching....7a) Simplestepsforeffectiveinteractionwith

students.............................................................9

b) Producingaccessiblehandouts.........................11

c) Introducingcriticalthinkingtostudents...........13

d) Understandingindividualneeds.......................15

e) Presentationsthatwork...................................16

f) Assessmentmatters.........................................18

g) Theinclusiveclassroom....................................21

h) Languageinlectures........................................22

i) Engaginglectures............................................24

j) Makingonlinematerialsmoreaccessible..........26

k) Planningyourteaching....................................28

l) Exploringdiversityissues..................................30

m)Hintsandtips:Gettingstarted..........................31

Page

3.Casestudies..........................................................32

a) Learningwithpeoplefromthecommunity.......34

b) Enhancinginclusivepolicesandpractice...........36

c) Developinginclusivepracticeguides.................38

d) Introducinglearningandthinkingstyles...........40

e) Closingthefeedbackloop................................42

f) Involvingstudents:Creatingasenseofbelonging........................................................44

g) Developingasenseofcommunity....................46

h) Inclusivestudentrepresentation.......................48

i) Useofdigitalaudioinlearning.........................50

j) Welcomingdiversity.........................................52

k) Supportingthetransitionintouniversitylife.....54

l) Casestudies:Planningahead...........................56

4.Studentengagementandpartnership...................57

5.Bringingaboutchange:Keyfactors.......................61

6.Afterword:Andso,whatnow?.............................65

7.Furtherreading.....................................................67

Contents

Theinclusivelearningandteachinghandbook

ByElenaRodriguez-Falcon,MarieEvans,ClaireAllam,JohnBarrett,DaveForrest

IllustrationsbyChrisGlynn

PublishedbytheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProject,UniversityofSheffield

Copyright©TheUniversityofSheffield2010

ISBN:978-0-9567228-0-5

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/inclusive

TheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectLearningandTeachingServices205BrookHillSheffieldS37HG

2 3

Thishandbookbearstestamenttotheexpertise,supportanddedicationofarangeofcolleaguesandstudentsfromacrosstheUniversitywhopursuetheattainmentofatrulyinclusivelearningandteachingenvironment.

Itcouldnothavebeenachievedwithoutthemandwewishtoexpressourgratitudeto:

ClaireAllamGaryAlbuttRyanArmitageKathrynAxonJohnBarrettAndreaBathSimonBeecroftGarethBraidTomBramallHenryBrunskillAprilDawsonSueDavisonAlexErdlenburghAngharadEvansMarieEvansKevinFarnsworthChrisFirthDavidForrestDeborahFowlerAngelaGascoyneJamesGoldingayJackieGreshamAlisonGriffinKatherineHarrellJenniferHastingsAliHaywardTimHerrickChrisInceSajeevJeganathanGlynisJonesBobJohnstonPlatoKapranosRichardKelwick

TerryLambMarkLimbJamesLittleAngelaMarronGrahamMcElearneyDannyMonaghanMichelleMooreDavidMowbrayMarikaPanayiotouAnnePeatAlanPhillipsDavidPhillipsAdrianPowellTomRhodesElenaRodriguez-FalconAnthonyRossiterJennyRowsonEmilySavageCarolynShelbournSharahShreeveJaneSpoonerPatsyStarkBrendanStoneJulietStoreyAnnaSymingtonHollyTaylorKatrinThomsonRebeccaWatsonDarrenWebbPaulWhiteWendyWhitehouseLouiseWoodcock

thinkers.Moreover,theactiveparticipationofstudentsintheirlearninghelpsbuildasenseofidentityandcommunitythatfurtherempowersthem.

The Inclusive Learning and Teaching Handbookwillhelpyoutogetinvolved.Wehopeyouwillfinditbothusefulandinspiring,aresourcethatcanbedippedintoratherthanreadfromfronttoback.

TheInclusiveLearningandTeaching(ILT)Projectwaslaunchedin2007asoneofthestrategiclearningandteachingprioritiesoftheUniversityofSheffield.

ThedistinctiveapproachoftheProjectwasitsscope,whichwasnotlimitedtoworkingwithspecificgroupsofstudents,suchasdisabledstudents,butwhichhadavisionof:

‘AUniversityofSheffieldlearningculturewhichenablesall our students fromwhateverbackgroundtoachievetheirfullpotential’.

Duringthelifeoftheprojectover500studentswereconsulted;over400staffengagedindebatesandconversations;over1500academicstaffandteachersreceived‘hintsandtips’forinclusivepracticefromstudentsand11academicdepartmentsranspecificILTprojects.

Thishandbookistheculminationofthiswork.Manypeople,staffandstudents,tookpartandwewouldliketosharesomeofwhatwehavelearnedwithyou.Theenthusiasmandpositiveengagementofstudentshasinformedanddirectedmuchofouractivity,ithasalsodemonstratedthatraisingourawarenessofinclusivelearningandteachingandmakingchangestoourpracticecanhelpstudentsmakethebestoftheirtimeatuniversityandsupporttheminbecomingindependentlearnersandcritical…andalltheotherstudentsandstaffwho,bysharing

theirexperience,influencedandsupportedthisproject.

BackgroundAcknowledgements

54

Whyyoushouldreadthishandbook:Introduction

Atatimewhentheworldfacesoneofthemostseverefinancialchallengesever,climatechangethreatensmankindindifferentways,andlackofresourcesbegintoaffectourlifestyles,weturnforsolutionstoourgovernments,researchorganisationsandeducationinstitutions.Butaretheseorganisationsreadytotakeonthechallenges?Areweabletokeepupwiththepaceatwhichthesechallengesareoccurring?Dowehavethecapabilitiestogeneratesolutions,producecapableandadaptableprofessionalstodealwiththesethreats?

Inhighereducationinstitutionswehavetheacademiccapabilitiestodevelopideasandgeneratesolutionsthroughourresearch.Researchersandscientistsbattlewiththeproblemsofthiseraonaday-to-daybasis,seekinginnovativeapplicationsofcurrentandemergingtechnology,discoveringnewtreatmentsforillnesses,findingalternativemethodstogenerateenergy,orevenestablishingnewapproachesforwealthgenerationandjobcreation.

Allofthis,however,requiresasoundintellectualeducationthatchallengesconventionandpromotesinnovationandcreativity.Allofthisneedspeopletoundertakethechallenges–peoplefromdifferentbackgrounds,ideals,beliefs,abilitiesandwaysofthinking.Itrequiresaninclusivelearning,teachingandresearchattitudeandculturetoenablestudents,staffandstakeholderstodeveloptheirfullpotentialandultimatelycontributetothechallengesofthisday.

Beinginclusivewithinthiscontextalsorequiresunderstanding,preparednessandresourcestoenableustodealwithanincreasinglydiversesetofstudentbackgrounds,abilityandattainmentandlargerclasseswhilstendeavouringtoprovideanexcellentlearningexperience.Alldoneatatimewhenpublicexpendituremeansresourcesaretobespreadmorethinly!Sowhattodo?

Thishandbookaimstoaddressthisissuebyprovidingitsreaderwithsomeideasandexamplesofpracticalstepsthateasilycanbetakentominimisethebarrierstolearningandincreaseparticipationofourstudentsintheireducation.First,however,weneedtounderstandwhatwemeanby‘inclusivelearningandteaching’asitcanbeasomewhatnebulousconcept.Workingwithineducation,teachingandlearningarefamiliarterms.Onitsown‘inclusion’iseasilyunderstood.Whenyoucombinethemtogetherandcreatetheconceptof‘inclusivelearningandteaching’itismuchhardertodefine.Thisisbecausethereisnosingledefinition,itsmeaningisdependentonthespecificnatureofasituation–practicewhichincludesoneperson/studentmayexcludeanother.Theonlyconstantisitspurpose:thatallareabletoachieve.

Thisisaboldaspirationbutthematerialinthishandbookalsohighlightsthekeyfactors,identifiedbytheUniversityofSheffield’sInclusiveLearningandTeachingProject,whichensurethatallstudentsareabletoachieveandcontributetoafuturethatishappyandsecure,bothforthemselvesandforfuturegenerations.Anidealthatwecan,andmust,allsubscribeto.

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2Hintsandtipsforinclusivelearningandteaching

Here,practicaladviceandsuggestionscombinetoprovideacollectionofpointersthataredesignedtoencouragea‘smallsteps’approachtoinclusivelearningandteaching.Beitcreatingeffectivepresentations;designingassessments,orutilisingnewtechnologiesinteaching,thereisawealthofadvice,drawnfromstudents’experiences,tohelpyou.

Forfurtherinformationgoto:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivel&t/hintsandtips.html

Thehintsandtipsoverviewa) Simplestepsforeffectiveinteraction

withstudents.........................................................9b) Producingaccessiblehandouts.............................11c) Introducingcriticalthinkingtostudents...............13d) Understandingindividualneeds...........................15e) Presentationsthatwork........................................16f) Assessmentmatters.............................................18g) Theinclusiveclassroom........................................21h) Languageinlectures............................................22i) Engaginglectures................................................24j) Makingonlinematerialsmoreaccessible..............26k) Planningyourteaching.........................................28l) Exploringdiversityissues......................................30m)Hintsandtips:Gettingstarted..............................31

Glossary

ThemajorityofourreaderswillbefromtheUniversityofSheffield.Forthosewhoarenot,thefollowingmaybehelpful:

MOLE(MyOnlineLearningEnvironment)istheUniversity’svirtuallearningenvironment.

MUSE(MyUniversityofSheffieldEnvironment)isaportalgivingaccesstotheUniversity’sonlineresources.

uSpace:anonlinecollaborativeenvironmentprovidedbytheUniversityofSheffield.

TASH(TheAcademicSkillsHub)resourcesforskillsdevelopment:www.tash.group.shef.ac.uk

LeTS(LearningandTeachingServices):www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets

CICS(CorporateInformationandComputingServices):www.sheffield.ac.uk/cics

9

a

Name: Rita

We love our personal tutor; don’t be afraid to let us know who

you are!

Our tutors and lecturers are a great source of help. Please

make clear to us your office hours so that we know when best to

contact you.

• Keepyouronlineuniversityprofileuptodatesothatstudentscanfindyourcontactdetailseasily.

• Makeinformationavailabletostudentsaboutwhenitisbesttocontactyou(e.g.yourofficehours).

• Understandthemake-upofyourstudentbody,andthinkabouthowyoucansupporttheirdiverseneeds.Goodsourcesofinformationare:thestudentenquirysystem(viaMUSE),yourdepartmentalsecretary,yourdepartmentaldisabilityliaisonofficer,teachinginternationalstudentsresourcesat:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/thinkglobal

• Whenyoufirstmeetyourstudents,introduceyourself,talkaboutyourresearchinterests,makeitclearhowyouwanttobeaddressedandexplainhowyourroleaslecturerorpersonaltutorsupportstheirlearning.

• Thewinnersofthe“IlovemyPersonalTutor”campaign(aninitiativefromtheStudents’Union)alltookalittletimeto“valuetheneedsofstudents.”Trytogettoknowyourstudentsalittlebetter.

• Explainclearlyandmakeavailabletostudentsinformationaboutyourtutorialsystem.

Simplestepsforeffectiveinteractionwithstudents

8

Makeyouroffic

ehourscle

ar

1110

Planning:• Releasinghandoutsatthestartofamodule

givesstudentstimetoprepareandthinkcriticallyaboutthesubjectmaterialandcanincreasestudentengagementinthelecture.

• Thinkaboutdifferentwaysyoumightdisplaytheinformationinyourhandouts.Apicture,chartortablemaybemorepowerfulthanaparagraphoftext.

• Producingahandoutatthestartthatdetailsthedifferenttypesofassessmentyouwillbeusingwillhelpallstudentstoseewhatisexpectedofthemandhighlightareasofstudyskillssupporttheymayneedearlyon.

Whendesigninghandoutsaskyourself:• HaveIusedanaccessiblefontsuchArial,Tahoma,

Futuraoranothersans-seriffontsothatthetextisclearlydefinedandspaced?

• Isthefontsize12+forprintedhandoutsand28+forpresentations?

• HaveIusedafontcolourthatishighlyvisibleandcontrastswiththebackground?

• HaveImovedtextawayfromunderlyingbackgroundimages,patternsortextures?

• HaveIalignedthetexttotheleft,ratherthanjustifiedit,sothatitiseasiertoread?

• Formoreinformation,havealookatTechdis’sexcellentAccessibilityEssentialsguidescoveringWord,PowerPointandmore:www.techdis.ac.uk

Print-outs:• Ifyourdocumentneedstobeprintedoncoloured

paper,chooselightblue,creamoryellowratherthangreen,pinkorred,whicharelessaccessiblefordyslexicreaders.

• Ifprintingdouble-sided(whichsavespaper)usedecentqualitypapertominimiseprintshowingontheotherside.

Publishonline:• PuttinghandoutsonlinethroughMOLEallows

theintegrationofaccessibilityfeaturesandgivesstudents24/7flexibleaccesstolearningcontentandletsstudentsreadattheirownpace.Thisisespeciallyhelpfultointernational,matureanddisabledstudents.

Name: Derek

If you provide notes (online or hard copy) before classes it makes

your lecture more accessible to all your students.

Please give handouts that are clear and highly visible.

Please tell us the different types of assessment you will be using.

b

Producingaccessiblehandouts

1312 13

cIntroducingcriticalthinkingtostudents

Name: Nicole

Please explain what critical thinking is, and break us in gently!

Please point us in the direction of study skills support.

CriticalthinkingCriticalthinkingisawaytoexploreanddiscovertheunderpinningmeaningorimplicationsofideas,conceptsanddisciplinespecificknowledge.Developingcriticalthinkingskillsequipsstudentswiththeabilitytodrawoutmorereasonedargumentsandunderstandthewiderimplicationsoftheirknowledge.

Whenthinkingaboutcriticalthinking:• Considerthemanydefinitionsofcriticalthinking.

Somearemoreaccessibleandrelevanttoaparticulardisciplinethanothers.

• Introducecriticalthinkingintoassessmentandteachingexercisesgraduallyoverthesemester,perhapsasearlyasyearone.

• Helpstudentsbyexplainingsimpleapproachestocriticalthinkinge.g.P.E.E• Point(makeapoint,statementorsuggestanidea

aboutthesubjectmaterial).• Explain(explainyourpoint,ideaorstatement).• Evidence(reinforceyourpointwiththeoretical

knowledgeorexamplesfromthesubjectmaterial).• Highlighttostudentsthecriticalthinkingelementsof

assessmentsatthestartofamodule.Thiswillgivestudentstimetoconsidertheircriticalthinkingskillsandwhethertheymayneedtoaccessstudyskillssupport.

TASH(TheAcademicSkillsHub)hasasectiononcriticalthinkingwithlinkstomoreresources:www.tash.group.shef.ac.uk

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TheUniversityofSheffieldwelcomesstudentsfromallsectorsofsociety,creatingavibrantlearningenvironmentfilledwithdifferingexpectationsanddiversestudentneeds.Approximately6.5%ofstudentsatthisUniversityhavedeclaredadisability,that’saround1,700students.

Whatkindsofsupportmightstudentsneed?• Studentsmayneedextrahelpwithstudying.Lookat:

www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivel&t/support_for_students.html

• TheDisabilityandDyslexiaSupportServicehasproducedthe‘DDSSHandbook’whichisalsoanexcellentexampleofaccessibledesign.Downloadablefrom:www.sheffield.ac.uk/disability

Howtoidentifysupportneeds• Trytogettoknowyourstudentsalittlebetter;itwill

helpyoutoidentifyparticularneeds.See‘Simplestepsforeffectiveinteractionwithstudents’(page9foradvice.

• Beawarethatstudentsmayhavemultiplesupportneedsandnotalldisabilitiesmaybe‘visible’.

• Yourdepartmentaldisabilityliaisonofficer(DLO)willbeabletogiveyouadviceaboutidentifyingandmeetingyourstudents’supportneeds.

Howtomeettheneedsofstudents• Designhandoutsandpresentationstobeasaccessible

aspossible–lookatotherhintsandtipssuchas‘Producingaccessiblehandouts’(page11).

• Thinkabouttheinternationaldimensionstoyourcourse:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/thinkglobal

• Becomefamiliarwithreasonableadjustmentstoexaminationsandassessments.Examplesofcommonreasonableadjustmentsaregivenbelow:

• Flexibleexaminationtimetabling.

• Additionaltimeinexaminationandrestbreaks(typically15minutesextrafordyslexicstudents).

• Allowingstudentstouseacomputerinexaminations,forspellcheckeranddictationsoftware.

• Theuseofanamanuensis(scribe).

Wheretogoformoreinformation• Acopyof‘SupportingourStudents–AGuide’canbe

requestedfromtheStudentServicesInformationDesk:www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssid

• Disability&DyslexiaSupportService:www.sheffield.ac.uk/disability

• EnglishLanguageTeachingCentre:www.sheffield.ac.uk/eltc

• TheOpenUniversityprovidesguidanceonmeetingtheneedsofstudents:www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching

Understandingindividualneeds

Name: Rajiv

Smile! It makes it easier for us to approach you and explain how

our disability might affect the way we learn.

Please don’t make assumptions. Two students with dyslexia might

have different needs.

d

Smile!

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e

Presentationsthatwork

Name: Nabila

Please make presentations visible to all by following basic

presentation guidelines.

OHP’s can be an excellent alternative to Power Point in some

lectures, but only if the transparencies are really clear and

there are some relevant notes available online.

DesigningPowerPointandoverheadprojectorpresentations•Useafontsizeof28+•UseanaccessiblefontsuchArial,Tahoma,Futuraor

anothersans-seriffontsothatthetextiseasytoread.

•ForOverheadProjector(OHP)acetatesheetsuselargeandclearhandwriting,oralternatively,printedacetatesheetscanbeamoreaccessibleoption.

•Useafontorpencolourthatishighlyvisibleandcontrastsdistinctivelywiththebackground(e.g.blackorverydarkblueagainstawhitebackground).

•Makesurethatanydiagrams,figuresorchartsarelarge,readableandclear.Beawarethatsomediagramsmaygivelessinformationtored/greencolourblindstudents.

•KeepslidesandOHPacetatesheetsclearofunnecessaryclutter,suchasexcessivetext.Keepingthecontentofeachsliderestrictedtothreemainbulletpointsoronediagramwillmakeiteasierforstudentstofollow.

•ConsiderengagingyouraudiencebyintegratingaccessiblemultimediafeaturesintoyourPowerPointpresentationssuchassound,video,(animated)diagramsorpicturesorbymakingthemintoscreencasts.LearningandTeachingServices(LeTS)offerinformation,adviceandaspaceforyoutotrythesetechnologies:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/techno/media/diy-suite.html

Formoreinformation,havealookatTechdis’sexcellentAccessibilityEssentialsguidescoveringWord,PowerPointandmore:www.techdis.ac.uk

PowerPointprint-outsandpublishingonline•Beforeprintingoutremoveanyslidebackground

coloursthatmakethetextdifficulttoread.Thisisespeciallyproblematicifprintinginblackandwhite.

•Ensurethatslidesarereadable–donotprintmorethansixslidesperpage.

•Thefontsizewhenprintedoutshouldbeaboutsize12fortext.

•PublishingPowerPointpresentationsonlinegivesstudentsflexibleaccesstolearningcontentandallowsstudentstouseanyaccessiblemultimediafeaturesthathavebeenintegratedintothepresentation.

•PublishingPowerPointpresentationsonlineallowsstudentstoreadthenotesatthebottomofthepage,wheremoredetailcanbeaddedtotheinformationontheslide.

Formoreinformationaboutaccessiblehandouts(onlineandoffline)see‘Producingaccessiblehandouts’(Page11).

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Accessibleassessments•Beexplicitaboutthemethodsofassessmentyouare

using.Makeitcleartostudentswhatwillbetestedindifferenttypesofassessment,andhowandwhy,atthestartofthemodule.

•Explainclearly,perhapswithmodelanswers,whatisexpectedofthem.

•Reasonableadjustmentscanbemadetoalltypesofassessmenttomakethemmoreaccessibletostudents.Seeour‘Understandingindividualneeds’(page15)hintsandtips.

•Considerspreadingoutassessmentstominimiseperiodsofintensepressure.

•Usingarangeofappropriateformsofassessmentenablesstudentstoexpandtheirabilitytothinkcriticallyanddevelopabroaderskillset.Thisskillsetisakeyelementofthedistinctivenessofthe‘SheffieldGraduate’:www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate

Accessiblefeedbackshouldbe:•Frequentandprovidedquicklyenoughtobeuseful.

Makeitclearwhenstudentscanexpecttoreceivefeedback.Ideallyfeedbackshouldbereturnedearlyenoughforstudentstoidentifyareastheycanimproveonforthenextassessmentandhelpthemtoself-correct.

•Focussedonlearningratherthanmarks.Itshouldprovideopportunitiesforstudentstocriticallyreflectontheirprogress.

•Linkedtotheassessmentcriteria/learningoutcomes.•Understandable.Differentformsoffeedbackcan

begiven,forexample,onlinefeedback,afacilitateddiscussionbetweenlecturersortutorsandstudentspart-waythroughamodule,peerfeedback,MP3recordingsetc.

Whatisapassmark?•Students,especiallyinternationalstudents,mayhave

hadverydifferentpreviousassessmentexperiences.Forexample,theymayhavehadassessmentsconsistingonlyoftaughtcontentexams,routinelyachievingmarksbetween75and100.Itcanalsobeashockthatagradeof60isagoodmark!Explain

f

Assessmentmatters

Name: Lee

Please set hand-in dates as flexibly as possible to avoid clashes.

Please don’t make assessment just about exams, we can show our

talents in different ways. Please give feedback part-way through

the module, not always at the end.

What is a pass mark? International students often have different

expectations of what is required to pass.

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tostudentsthatonlyonrareoccasionswilltheyachieveagradeof75–100fortrulyexceptionalwork.Youmaywanttoexplorewiththemwhattheseexperienceshavebeen.

CasestudiesandinitiativesTheUniversityhasadoptedsix‘principlesoffeedback’asstandardpractice:www.sheffield.ac.uk/content/1/c6/08/79/71/Principles-of-Feedback.pdf

CaseStudiesWikiTheCaseStudiesWikiisanexcitingcollaborationbetweenacademicsandstudents.Assessmentandfeedbackissuesareexploredthroughrealcasestudyexamples:www.good.group.shef.ac.uk/wiki/index.php/Assessment_and_Feedback

TASH(TheAcademicSkillsHub)hasasectiononassessmentwithlinkstomoreresources:www.tash.group.shef.ac.uk

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g

LearningstylesWealllearndifferently,influencedbythecombinationofourpasteducationalexperiences,studypracticesandpersonalapproachtospecifictasks.Thiscanbedescribedasourlearningstyle,definedas‘particularwaysofgathering,processingandstoringinformationandexperiences’(Cuthbert,P.F.,2005).Itisreasonabletoassumethatstudentswillperformbetterintasksthatreflecttheirparticularstyleoflearning,soknowledgeofyourstudents’learningstylesandincludingavarietyoftaskswillmakeyourteachingmoreinclusive.

Introducinglearningstylestostudents•Atthestartofacourseexplainideasaboutlearning

stylestoyourstudents.•Alearningstylequestionnairecouldbehandedout

atthestartofacoursetoencouragestudentstoexploretheirownlearningstyleandtoinformyouaboutthelearningstylesofyourstudents.

TheILTwebsitehaslinksandresourcesincludinglearningstyletests:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivel&t/learningstyles.html

HowtoaddressdifferentlearningstylesStudentslearnbetterwhenpresentedwithinformationthatisconveyedinawaythatbestsuitstheirlearningstyle.Toaddressthesedifferentlearningstyles:

•Conveyinformationindifferentwayse.g.diagrams,speech,text,discussion,practicaltasksetc.

•Usemultimediatechnologiessuchasvideos,podcastsandscreencastsinlecturesandmakethemavailableonMOLE.LearningandTeachingServices(LeTS)offerinformation,adviceandaspaceforyoutotrythesetechnologies:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/techno/media/diy-suite.html

Setactivitiesthatenablestudentswithdifferentlearningstylestoengageandprogresssuchas:

•Encouragingsubject-relateddiscussionsinsmallgroupsoracrossalecturetheatre.Thediscussionsmayalsohighlightareasstudentsfinddifficult.

•Formativeorsummativeassessmentsthatpromotegroupworkcan:createasafeenvironmentforstudentstointegrateandparticipate,helpstudentsgettoknoweachother,buildagroup–notanaudience,allowdifferentstylesofcontributiontobevalued.

Theinclusiveclassroom

Name: Sue

Please include a variety of teaching/learning methods in lectures and

tutorials.

Please encourage discussions in your class and try to involve all

students, it will help you to understand which areas we find difficult.

Do group work for projects and promote integration in groups.

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Planningtouseaccessiblelanguage•Planhowtoexplain,atthestartofacourse,the

learningobjectivesinclearandjargon-freelanguagetoyourstudents.

•Useclear,unambiguouslanguageforassessments.Considerprovidingalistofworddefinitions,see:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/projects/internat/resources.html

• Avoidusingabbreviationsinquestionsunlesstheyareexplained.

•Practiceyourlectureinfrontofacolleaguetoensurethatyourlectureisrelevant,engagingandusesaccessiblelanguage.Theseconsiderationsshouldalsoformpartofpeerobservation.

Usegoodpresentationtechniques:• Speakclearlyandnottooquickly.• Useclearandconciselanguage.• Donotuseunexplainedcolloquialisms/slangas

internationalstudentsmaynotunderstandthem.• Avoidusingacronymsorabbreviationsasfar

aspossible.Ifyouhavetouseacronymsorabbreviations,clearlyexplainthemeaningofthemtoyourstudents.

•ConsiderprovidingarunningglossaryoftermseitherinlecturesoronMOLE.

Languageto‘engage’•Allocatetimeattheendofeachlecturetoallow

studentstoaskquestions.• Whenastudentasksaquestionacrossthelecture

theatre,repeatthequestionoutloudsothatallstudentscanbenefitfromthequestionandyouranswer.

Whentalkingdirectlytostudentswithmobilityaids:•Donotmovetheirmobilityaid(walkingstick/frame,

wheelchairetc.)withoutexplicitconsentfromthestudent.Avoidcrouchingorleaningoverthem.Respecttheirmobilityaidandviewitaspartofthestudent’spersonalspace.

•Ifpossibletalktostudentswithamobilityaidattheirlevel.Sitdownifyoumust,tomaintaineyecontact.

h

Languageinlectures

Name: Nadeem

Please get a student or colleague to check how user-friendly your

lecture is.

Please don’t talk too fast and please use accessible language –

explain colloquialisms and acronyms.

Give us a chance to ask questions, we like to show off how interested

we are in the subject.

EnglishlanguagesupportforacademicsandstudentsTheEnglishLanguageTeachingCentre(ELTC)offersarangeoflanguageadviceandsupportservicesincluding:

• Awritingadvisoryservicetohelpimproveacademicwritingskills.

•Fullandpart-timeEnglishlanguagecourses.•Dyslexiasupport.

Formoreinformation:www.sheffield.ac.uk/eltc

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“Effectiveteachers:(a)presentmaterialinaclearandengagingmannerand(b)focusontheinterpersonalfactorsthatcharacteriseclassroomsandestablishrapportwithstudents”(Goldstein, G.S. & Benassi, V.A., 2006).

PreparingtoengageReflectonwhetheryourteaching:

•Motivatesyourstudents•Sparksinterest•Createsalearning-friendlyenvironment•Feeds-backandfeeds-forwardonprogress•Providesrelevant,real-lifelearningopportunities•Rewardsengagement•Encouragesself-motivation

Inspireandmotivateyourstudents•Explorelectureideasandconceptsincontext.Use

lotsofinterestingexamples.•Illustratethebroaderrelevanceandimplicationsof

lectureconcepts.(Acharacteristicof‘TheSheffieldGraduate’istounderstandthewidersocial,culturalandeconomiccontextoftheiracademicknowledgeandskills-base).

•Paceyourlecturesothatallstudentshavetimetowritedownimportantnotes.

•Avoidshowingnegativitytowardsdifficultconcepts.Ifappropriate,usehumour.

•BreakuplecturesbyintroducingQ&A(questionandanswer)orshort‘partner-work’sessions;useanelectronicgroupresponsesystem:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/techno/services/egrs.html

•Considertheexistingknowledgeneededforyourlectureandexplainthistoyourstudentsatthestart.Thiswillallowstudentsofalllevelsofabilitytoidentifyareasofbackgroundknowledgethattheyneedtofocuson.

•Allocatetimeinyourlecturetoallowstudentstodiscussoraskquestionsabouttheideas,topicsandconceptsraised.

i

Engaginglectures

Name: Elinor

Make lectures a joy by keeping the subject interesting and engaging –

use lots of examples.

Make lectures accessible to students of all levels of ability.

Please give us time to write down key information.

“Tell me, and I forget. Show

me, and I remember. Involve

me, and I understand.”

(Chinese proverb)

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For101tipsonhowtoengagestudents:www.smartteaching.org/blog/2008/08/100-motivational-techniques-to-take-learning-to-the-next-level

Forideasaboutthequalitiespossessedbyengaginglecturersread:Goldstein,G.S.&Benassi,V.A.(2006)Students’andInstructors’BeliefsaboutExcellentLecturersandDiscussionLeaders.Research in Higher Education46,685–707.

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WhatcanIpublishonline?• Handouts:see‘Producingaccessiblehandouts’

(page11)formoreinformation.• PowerPointpresentations.• Screen-casts(automatedpresentationswith

audionarration).• Guidedweb-basedtutorials.• Videosandpodcasts.• Linkstocarefullyselectedwebsites.• Interactivecontentandfeaturesthatenablestudents

tosharetheirlearningexperience:• Creatediscussiongroups.• Createablogandallowstudentstopostentries.

WherecanIpublishonline?• Youcouldcreateyourownwebsiteorblog:

www.blogger.comwww.webs.com

•Thesafestmethodofpublishingonlineisonanintranet,e.g.MUSE/MOLE/uSpaceattheUniversityofSheffield.

Whichstudentsbenefitfromonlinecontent?•Allstudentsbenefitfrom24/7worldwideaccessto

learningresources.•Accessibilityfeaturessuchasscreen-readersmake

onlinecontentmuchmoreaccessible.Thisisofgreathelpinremovingbarrierstolearningfordyslexicanddisabledstudents.See:www.skillsforaccess.org.uk/index.php

• Internationalstudentsmayspendperiodsoftimeintheirhomecountries.Accesstoonlineresourcesprovidestheflexibilitytoworkfromanywhere.

•Mature,internationalanddisabledstudentsmaynotalwayshaveeasyaccesstothelibrary.Onlinedeliverygivesstudentsflexibleaccesstolibraryandcourseresourceswhereevertheyare.

jMakingonlinematerialsmoreaccessible

Name: Daniel

We would like to connect to our study materials 24/7, anywhere in the

world. Using MUSE and MOLE can make this happen.

Online resources help those of us who cannot easily access the

library. Online learning really benefits students with disabilities,

mature and international students.

Whocanhelpmedesignandpublishonlinecontent?LearningandTeachingServices(LeTS)offerinformation,adviceandaspaceforyoutotryarangeofmultimediatechnologies.See:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/techno/media/diy-suite.html

CorporateInformationandComputingServices(CiCS)offersupportonhowtouseandpublishonlinecontentusingMUSE/MOLE:

• FormoreinformationaboutMOLE:www.sheffield.ac.uk/mole/news.html

• FormoreinformationaboutMUSE:www.sheffield.ac.uk/cics/muse

TheStudentServicesDepartmenthasproducedguidelinesaboutdesigningstudentfriendlyonlinecontent:www.sheffield.ac.uk/ssd/web/design.html

27

2928

Accessiblefromthestart–inclusivebydesign“Greatoaksfromlittleacornsgrow”.Smallchangesmadeattheplanningstagehaveasignificanteffectonremovingbarrierstolearningforallstudents.

Simplestepstoaccessibleplanning1.Designingthecourseframework•Thinkaboutthelearningobjectivesofyourcourse.

Doyourlearningobjectivesrepresentwhatyouwouldlikeyourstudentstogainfromyourcourse?Canstudentswithdifferentlearningstylesmeetthoselearningobjectives?

•Whatskillswillyourcoursehelpstudentstodevelop?Arethoseskillsimportantindeveloping‘TheSheffieldGraduate’?www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate

2.Thinkaboutyourstudents•Whatbackgroundknowledgedoyouexpectyour

studentstohave?Thinkaboutthesupportservicesandresourcesyoucanrecommendtostudentsthatdon’thavethespecificpre-requisiteknowledgeyouhaveinmind.Canyoumakeyourteachingmoreflexibletoadapttochangingstudentneeds?

3.Designingcoursecontent•DoyourPowerPoint,OHPslidesandhandoutsfollow

basicaccessibilityguidelines?•Haveyouconsideredhowtomakeyourlearning

contentmoreaccessiblethroughtechnologyandpublishingonline?

•Haveyouthoughtabouthowstudentscanengageandinteractwithlearningcontent?Planopportunitiesforstudentstohavediscussionsandaskquestions.

•Thinkabouthowtomakeassessmentsaccessible.Whatreasonableadjustmentscanbemadetoassistdisabledanddyslexicstudents?

4.Check•Communicatewithcolleagues,especiallythosewho

willbeteachingonthecourse.Worktogethertoensurethatyourcourseisaccessible.UniversitystaffinLeTS(LearningandTeachingServices),DisabilityandDyslexiaSupportService,CiCS(CorporateInformationandComputingService)andtheStudentServicesDepartmentwillbemorethanhappytoassist.

k

Planningyourteaching

Name: Melanie

Please communicate with other staff teaching on your module so you

give us consistent messages.

Please use available technology, to add some variety.

Have you ever used video or audio in your lectures? Some students

learn better that way.

Whobenefitsfromaccessibleplanning?•Planningtobeaccessiblewillsaveyoutimeand

allowstudentstofocusonenjoyingthelearningprocess.HappystudentswillleavegoodfeedbackintheNationalStudentSurvey;feedbackthatwillpositivelyreflectbackonyouandtheuniversityasawhole.

TheOpenUniversityhasproducedagoodintroductiontotheprinciplesof‘UniversalDesign’forlearning.See:www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/universal-design-for-learning.php

3130 31

HowdiverseistheUniversityofSheffield?TheUniversityofSheffieldisanincreasinglydiversecommunityofindividuals,eachwithdifferentneedsandexperiences.Embracingdiversitywillprovidearicherlearningexperienceforallourstudentsandenablethemtograduatewiththeabilitiestheyneedtosucceedintheworld.

In2008/9TheUniversityofSheffieldconsistedofastudentpopulationof24,319.

•21%ofthispopulationwereNon-EUinternationalstudents.

•11%offull-timestudentswereagedbetween25and59yearsold.

•Themale:femaleratioofstudentswas48:52.

•TheUniversityofSheffieldhasstudentsfrom125countries.

HowcanIadaptmyteachingtomeettheneedsofadiversecommunity?•Useexamplesthatstudentsofdifferentgeo-cultural

backgroundscanrelateto.

•Considerhowyourcoursecanbeadaptedtoenableyourstudentstobemoregloballyandculturallyaware.

•Designlectures,handouts,assessmentsandonlinecontenttobeaccessible.

University‘diversity’projects•Internationalisation

LeTShasproducedanexcellentresourcebasethatenablesacademicstoexploreandcontributeideasaboutinternationalisation:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/thinkglobal

•TheSheffieldGraduateAusefulframeworksettingouttheattributesthatenableourstudentstogetthemostoutoftheirtimewithus,ensuringthattheyarereadyforfurtherstudy,employmentandengagementwiththewiderworld:www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate/

•TheUniversityofSheffieldEqualityandDiversitypages:www.sheffield.ac.uk/equalityanddiversity/

ExternalDiversityResources•BournemouthUniversityexploresthequalities,

knowledgeandvaluesofastudentwitha‘globalperspective’:www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/the_global_dimension/global_perspectives/global_perspectives.html

•OxfordBrookesUniversityhascompiledarangeofresourcesoninternationalisation:www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/ioc/resourcekit.html

Name: Tomasz

Students aren’t all the same. We come from many different countries

and backgrounds. Please think about this before teaching a module.

Where you can, please use examples that are relevant to us.

Consider teaching about diversity issues (where relevant) by using

a range of examples.

l

Exploringdiversityissues

m

Hintsandtips:Gettingstarted

Small changes really do make a difference to your

students!

Asastartingpoint,belowisasummaryofthecentralthemesandprinciplesthatunderpinthehintsandtipsinthischapter.Smallchangesreallydomakeadifferencetoyourstudents!

• Handouts,presentations,andassessmentsshouldn’tjustbewrittenorexpressedclearly,theyshouldbeorganisedclearly.Thismeansusingreadablefonts,unclutteredtext,thecorrectcoloursandcleardiagramsandimages.

• Studentsrespondpositivelytopersonalengagement.Gettoknowthemandmakeyourselfavailabletothem.Makestudentsawarethatyouknowwhotheyare.

• Explaintheprocessesandstructuresofassessmentandfeedback.Don’tsimplyassumethatastudentknowswhata2:1means.

• Digitalandwebtechnologiesofferawealthofnewpotentialsinlearningandteaching.Ifyouarelackingconfidenceintheseareas,thereexistmechanismsofsupportthroughouttheUniversity(CICS,LeTS)thatcanhelptogetyoustarted.

• Reflectonyourteachingpracticeandstrategies.Howinclusiveisyourteaching?Whatknowledgeandexperiencedoyouexpectfromyourstudents?

32

3

Casestudies

33

AcademicdepartmentsfromacrosstheUniversityofSheffieldworkedwiththeInclusiveLearningandTeachingProject.Includedherearesummariesofadiverserangeofcontributions:fromanartsandcommunityprojectintheSchoolofEnglish;totheintegrationofscreencastingandpodcastinginitiativesintheSchoolofLaw;tothedevelopmentofasupportivecommunityforstudentswithintheDepartmentofSociology:notwoapproachesarethesame.

Inkeepingwiththeethosoftheproject,academicchampionsworkedwiththeirdepartmentstoidentifythespecificareasinwhichstructuresandpracticecouldandshouldbemademoreinclusive.Inalmosteverycase,studentparticipationwascentralinguidingthedepartment-ledprojects,firsthighlightingtheneedforchangesthentakinganactiveroleintheirdelivery.

WehopethatthesecasestudieswillinspireyoutoconsiderInclusiveLearningandTeachingasanecessaryconceptthatcanbeappliedtonumerouslearningenvironments.Eachexamplehighlightstheprocessesofconceptualisationanddeliveryaswellascriticalreflection,whicharecrucialinthepursuitofeffectivelearningandteachingpractice.

TheCasestudiesoverview:a)Learningwithpeoplefromthe

community.......................................34StoryingSheffield:settingupanewmoduleinwhichUGstudentsworkalongsidepeoplefromthecitytoproducenarrativesaboutSheffieldlifeandtheirexperiences

b)Enhancinginclusivepolicesandpractice.............................................36IdentifyingwaystoenhancetheinclusivityofpoliciesandpracticeintheSchoolofEducation

c) Developinginclusivepracticeguides................................................38Developingsimple,readilyaccessiblebestpracticeguidesoninclusivelearningandteachingandupdatingdepartmentalinformationonstudentsupportintheSchoolofLaw

d)Introducinglearningandthinkingstyles.................................................40IntroducinglearningandthinkingstylestonewstudentsintheDepartmentofMaterialsEngineering

e)Closingthefeedbackloop...............42Astudent-ledprojectintheDepartmentofMechanicalEngineering

f) Involvingstudents:Creatingasenseofbelonging.....................................44CommunityandinvolvementofstudentsfromtheSchoolofNursingandMidwifery

g)Developingasenseofcommunity..... 46DevelopingasenseofcommunityintheDepartmentofSociologicalStudies

h)Inclusivestudentrepresentation........ 48InclusivestudentrepresentationinTheInstituteofLifelongLearning(TILL)

i) Useofdigitalaudioinlearning.......... 50UsingdigitalaudiointerventionstoenhancethestudentlearningexperienceintheDepartmentofAutomaticControlandSystemsEngineering

j) Welcomingdiversity............................ 52DevelopingaWelcomeDiversitymodelintheDepartmentofArchaeology

K)SupportingthetransitionintoUniversitylife....................................... 54SupportingthetransitionofLevel1studentsintoUniversitylife

l) Casestudies:Planningahead............. 56

Learningwithpeoplefromthecommunity

34 35

What’stheissue?TheSchoolofEnglishrecognisesthatthelackofsocialdiversityamongitsstudentbody(studentsarepredominantlywhite,femaleandmiddleclass)mayhaveanimpactonstudents’learningandtheirpreparationforlifebeyondtheUniversity.ItalsofeelsthatthismightdiscouragepeoplefrommorediversebackgroundsfromapplyingtostudyattheSchool.

Whathappenednext?Undergraduatestudentsbeganamoduleinwhichtheyworkedalongsidepeoplewhohavetendedtobesociallyexcludedandwhosevoicesarelesslikelytobeheardandstudied.Thisyear,the‘non-undergraduates’havebeenlong-termusersofmentalhealthservices.TheUniversitywaivedtheirfeesandtheywereregisteredasstudentsforthedurationofthecourse.

Therewere32studentsstudyingonthemodule:17shortcourse(externalparticipants)and15long-course(undergraduates).Initialsessionscoveredmanyareas:narrativeasaresearchmethod;listeningskills;representinglifestoriesusingcreativemeans;usingimagestorepresentnarrative;tellingstoriesthroughobjects;andthehistoryoftheimagination.These

sessionswereledbyawidevarietyofspeakersfromwithintheUniversity,providingshort-courseandlong-coursestudentswiththesameacademicinput.

Afterthis,bothsetsofstudentsworkedtogethertoproduceworksofnarrativedrawnfromthelivesandimaginationsoftheexternalparticipants.Outsideoftheseminars,theundergraduatestudentsorganisedandpromotedanexhibitionatwhichthecreativeworkwasshowcasedandtheshort-coursestudentsreceivedtheiruniversitycertificates.www.storyingsheffield.comhasbeensetuptotellthestoryofthemoduleandtohoststudents’work.

Whatdidthestudentssayaftertheproject?

Shortcoursestudents:

Storying Sheffield: setting up a new module in which UG students

work alongside people from the city to produce narratives about

Sheffield life and their experiences.

Brendan Stone (School of English) and

Juliet Storey (Learning and Teaching Services)

a

Longcoursestudents:

Whatcanwelearn?• Itiscrucialtoconsultcolleaguesinavarietyof

academicandprofessionalareas,particularlyinmentalhealthservices.

• Itisdifficultlogisticallytoregisterstudentsonshortcourses.Makesureaprocedureisinplace.

• ThereshouldbearoleforaKeyWorker,whohasapre-existingrelationshipwiththeservice-usersonthecourse,inordertoprovidesupportandexpertise.

• Undergraduatestudentsshouldfeelpreparedfortheunstructuredapproachtothecourse.Theyneedtherightlevelofguidanceattheoutsettoensurethattheycanapproachtheirworkcreativelywhilebeingreassuredthattheyareontherighttrack.

“We value the opportunity to study in a very different way from the majority of other modules – in particular, the creative and group work aspects of the module.”

“This course really allows you to think without limitations creatively…you’re

not told off for the way you think, you’re praised for it.”

“The course has removed some of the stigma about mental health for me. It

helped me to realise that they are people just like anyone else.”

“We developed skills that make us more employable, especially putting on the exhibition. We can show that we are organised, can think for ourselves and

can lead a group.”

“Working with people from very different backgrounds from ourselves and with very different experiences to

our own, was a challenging but valuable learning experience.”

“It’s helped me to start to mix again.”

“This experience has given me the confidence to do a counselling course.”

“University gives young people confidence and a bit of that confidence

has rubbed off on us.”

“Gets you out of a rut of being down – helps you to realise that creative aspects

exist in you.”

“Made me think differently and look at Sheffield differently.”

“Having a student card was another boost to your confidence; a feather in your cap.”

“Storying Sheffield has given me the confidence to apply for jobs and I have

been successful. I start my new job three days after the exhibition. It’s been six

years since I last worked.”

36 37

What’stheissue?Thereareexamplesofgoodpracticeinsomeprogrammesrelatingtoinclusionofdisabledstudents,thesecouldbesharedacrosstheSchool.WewantedtogatherevidencefrompaststudentstoprovideabasisonwhichtoidentifygapsandareasforimprovementintheSchool’spoliciesandpractice.

Inaddition,theSchooloffersaFoundationDegreeprogramme,inWorkingwithCommunities,whichattractsstudentsfromadifferentsectorofthepopulation–manyofwhomexperiencefinancialbarrierstostudy.Wewantedtounderstandthetypesofsupportthatthesestudentsaccess,andwhatotherareasofassistancemightbebeneficialtoenablethemtocompletetheirstudiesandprogresstotheBAHonoursDegree.

Whathappenednext?ThefirststrandexploredtheexperienceofPGCEstudentswhohadadeclareddisabilityfromthepointofapplicationthroughtoenteringtheworkplace.BetweenMarchandMay2009,researchersinterviewedstudentsfromthepastthreeyearsandtheresultswerecollatedandanalysed.

ThesecondstrandlookedatissuesandfinancialbarrierstostudyamongststudentsontheWorkingwithCommunitiesFoundationDegree,usinganon-linesurveyforthecurrentcohortofYear1andYear2students.Studentswereaskedtoindicatethetype(s)ofissuesthataffectthemduringtheirstudies,suchasunemployment,redundancy,lowincome,childcarecosts,fundingproblemsandillhealth.Thesurveyalsoexploredwhattypeofsupporttheyaccess,whohelpsthem,whatadditionalsupportmighthelpandwhethertherewerebarrierstothecontinuationoftheirstudies.

ThefindingsfrombothprojectsweresharedwiththeSchool,alongsidesomesuggestions–madebystudents–fortheenhancementofthestudents’experience.

Whatdidthestudentssay?

PGCEstudents:

Identifying ways to enhance the inclusivity of policies and

practice in the School of Education.

Terry Lamb, Michelle Moore (Educational Studies)

and Andrea Bath (Learning and Teaching Services)

Enhancinginclusivepolicesandpractice

b

WorkingwithCommunitiesFoundationDegreestudents:

Whatcanwelearn?• Departmentalstafftimeandsupporttimeis

vital–withoutthefundingwewouldnotbeabletocollecttheinterviewdata.

• Dyslexicstudentsfeelthatpeersandsomestaffinpartnerschoolspoorlyunderstoodtheirdisability.

• FinancialissuesarethemainchallengeforstudentsontheWorkingwithCommunitiesFoundationDegreeandthisimpactsontheirlikelihoodtocontinuewiththeiracademicstudies.

“I didn’t know whether to disclose my disability at the application stage.”

“My dyslexia makes it difficult for me to express myself during group work, and when

I’m writing on the board on placement.”

“Before I applied, it was really helpful when a member of staff gave me specific advice about

getting experience in different schools.”

“It was good to get an information sheet that gave a clear breakdown of

what to expect.”

“When I applied for jobs the support was brilliant.”

“We want to know what support is available and how to access it, both

financially and for the course.”

“I would like to stay on for a BA course, but finances will be difficult.”

“I’m not sure I’d be able to balance a BA with my job.”

“I’ve got children at home, and childcare costs a lot.”

38 39

What’sthisissue?Thewayinwhichteachingmaterialiscommunicatedtostudentsisanobviousareafordevelopment.MostteachingmaterialsareavailableonlineviaMOLEbutinmanycasestheyareinlimitedformats,forexample,onlinehandoutsorpublications.Usingpodcastsandscreencaststoaddtotherangeofteachingmethodswouldallowstudentstochoosehowtheyaccessthematerial.Thisapproachwouldbenefitallstudentsbyraisingaccessibilityandtakingintoaccountindividuallearningstyles.

TheSchoolofLawdecidedtoreviewitsmethodsofteachingdeliveryaswellasitsstudentsupportmechanismstoensurethattheyareasinclusiveaspossibleandinlinewithbestpracticeforthesector.

Whathappenednext?Anauditwascarriedouttoestablishwhatlearningandteachingmethodswerealreadybeingusedandhowmuchacademicstaffknewaboutthesubject.

TheprojectteamthensetaboutresearchingtheinclusiveteachingstrategiesinotherRussellGroupuniversities,withtheOpenUniversitybeingidentifiedforitscomprehensiveandsympathetictreatmentof

thesubject.DetailsoftherelevantlinkstotheOpenUniversitywebsitewereincludedinthematerialmadeavailabletotheSchoolofLaw.

Materialwasmadeavailableinbothelectronicandhardcopyformatanditwasagreedthatthreebookletsshouldbeproducedfordistributiontoteachingstaff,onthesubjectsofinclusivelearningandteachingmethods;podcasting;andscreencasting.

MembersofstaffintheSchoolwerebriefedontheuseofscreencastingandpodcastingbyDrKateCampbell-Pilling(SchoolofLaw)andDrGrahamMcElearney(LearningandTeachingServices).Thestaffwereimpressedbytherelativelyeasymeansofintegratinganddeployingthesemethodsintotheirteaching,andidentifiednumerousbenefitsfortheirstudents’learning,particularlyonissuesofclarificationandrevision.

DrAdrianPowell(LearningandTeachingServices)thenledademonstrationofanewsoftwaresystem,Echo360,whichcapturesalectureatthetimeofdeliveryandmakesitavailableinanumberofformats.StudentscaneitherwatchorlistentothelectureagaininconjunctionwithanyPowerPointslides,ortheycandownloaditasapodcast.

Developing simple, readily accessible best practice guides

on inclusive learning and teaching and updating departmental

information on student support in the School of Law.

Carolyn Shelbourn (School of Law) and

Angela Marron (Learning and Teaching Services)

Developinginclusivepracticeguides

c

Whatdidthestudentssay?Whatcanwelearn?• TheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectis

abenefittoallstudents,notjustthosewithdisabilities.

• Bepreparedtoencounteroppositioniftryingtochangetheestablishedteachingmethods.

• Beflexibleandrealisticaboutwhatyouaretryingtoachieve.

• Bringingtogetheracademic,technicalandsupportstaffallowsforacollaborativeexchangeofskills.

• Web2.0hasmanybenefitsforlearningandteaching;itisimportanttokeepupwiththelatestdevelopmentsintechnology.

• Thegreaterthevarietyofteachingmethods,themoreinclusiveteachingbecomes.

MoreInformation:www.sheffield.ac.uk/letspodcast

“I find screencasts really useful for reminding myself of

key points from lectures.”

“Podcasts are an accessible and engaging way of learning.”

“Using these methods is really helpful for revision during the exam period.”

40 41

What’stheissue?Studentsarriveatuniversitywithvastlydifferingeducationalexperiencesandweneedtotakeamorepro-activestanceinmanagingthetransition.Weneedtohelpstudentstosettleinbybeingclearaboutwhatisexpectedofthem.Akeystrategyistogetstudentstoengagewiththeideaoftakingresponsibilityfortheirownlearning,offeringthemarangeofmeanstodeveloptheirstudyskills.


“We want to see our needs and concerns reflected.”

Whathappenednext?PlatoKapranos,alecturerintheDepartmentofMaterialsEngineering,hadbeenofferingaquestionnairetostudentsonhismodulestohelpthemdiscovertheirlearningandthinkingstyles.However,manyofthestudentswhotookpartwerealreadyinLevel3andhewantedtointroducetheconcepttostudentsatthestartoftheiruniversitycareerandextendthequestionnaireacrosstheDepartment.

TheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectheldafocusgroupforstudentswhohadalreadycompletedthequestionnaire.Theyconfirmedthatitwasbeneficialandofferedmorepointsofinterest.Aftertheconsultation,itwassuggestedtoacademicstaffintheDepartmentthatthereshouldbeasessiononlearningandteachingstylesforallincomingstudentsduringtheinductionperiod.

PlatoledashortsessionduringInductionWeekwhichintroducedkeyideasandthenfollowedupwithalongersessionduringtheDepartment’sStudySkillsWeek,laterinSemester1.

Whatdidthestudentssayaftertheproject?

Introducing learning and thinking styles to new students in

the Department of Materials Engineering.

Plato Kapranos (Department of Materials

Engineering), Claire Allam and Jane Spooner (Learning and Teaching Services)

Introducinglearningandthinkingstyles

d

Whatcanwelearn?• Studentsneedsupportduringthetransitionfrom

schooltouniversity;theyneedguidanceinthewaysthattheycantakeresponsibilityfortheirownlearning.

• It’simportantthatstudentsareabletoperceivetheconnectionsandthevaluetobederivedfromthisexercise.

• Studentsthriveonbeinginvolvedintheirowneducation.

• Studentswelcomebeingconsultedabouttheireducation.

• Anactivedialogueaboutlearningandteachingbetweenstaffandstudentscanhelptoavoidmisunderstandingsandcreatecommonaims.

Moreinformation:www.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/projects/inclusivel&t/learningstyles.html

“We would like to test these ideas with ‘hands on’ activities.”

“It’s good to have ‘learning and thinking styles’ included in Skills Week.”

42 43

What’stheissue?Thebiggestdangerinaskingstudentsforfeedbackisnotdoinganythingwithit,ordoingsomethingbutnotcommunicatingtheactionsbacktothestudents.TheDepartmentofMechanicalEngineeringhastraditionallylookedforwaystoclosethefeedbackloopi.e.emailstudentstheactionstaken,etc.However,studentsoftenfeelremovedfromtheprocessandthereforedisinclinedtospeakout,believingthatnothingcanbedone.Thevalueoffeedbackmustbethatitaffectschangeorreflection,thereforewhenwe,asadepartment,askforfeedbackwemustbeseentobeactinguponit.


Whathappenednext?HenryBrunskill,afinalyearMEngstudent,initiatedastudentforum,withtheaimofcapturingstudents’feedbacktoenhancetheinclusivelearningandteachingenvironmentintheDepartment.Studentswereinvitedtodropintotheforumandleaveanycommentstheyhad.Theforumcapturedthethoughtsofover70studentsinaperiodoftwohours,withatotalofover120comments.Thecommentswerewrittenupanddividedbetweeninclusivelearningandteachingissuesandcurriculumissues,andweredistributedtotherelevantcommittees.Actionstakenwerecommunicatedbacktostudents.UndertheleadershipofDrJenRowson,andinpartnershipwiththestudents,some‘spin-out’activitiesemerged.Classshout-outstookplaceregularlywherestudentrepresentativesencouragedtheirpeerstoprovidefeedbacktotheDepartment,andinturn,letthestudentsknowtheresponses.StaffwerealsoencouragedtoclosethefeedbackloopbypublicallycommunicatinganyactionstostudentsontheDepartment’splasmascreenandduringlectures.

A student-led project in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Jenny Rowson (Department of Mechanical

Engineering), Henry Brunskill (Student –

Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Elena

Rodriguez Falcon (Director, Inclusive Learning

and Teaching Project)

Closingthefeedbackloop

e

Whatcanwelearn?• Closingthefeedbackloopincreasesdialogue

betweenstudentsandthedepartment,enablingmorestudentstocomeforwardtohelpimprovetheirlearningexperience.

• Havingastudentworkingonaprojectofthisnaturefromthestart–likeHenryBrunskill–showsthepowerofthestudentvoiceandenhancesengagement.

• Studentsthriveonbeinginvolvedintheirowneducation.

• Creatinganactivedialogueaboutlearningandteachingbetweenstaffandstudentscanhelptoavoidmisunderstandingandcancreatecommonaims.

“We value knowing what actions have been taken in response to our feedback and if no action has been taken we want to know what the reasons are.”

44

What’stheissue?TheSchoolofNursingandMidwiferywantedtolearnmoreaboutitsstudents’relationshipswiththeUniversityandtheirperceptionsofwhatithastooffer.TheSchool’sstudentsaren’ttypicaloftheUniversity;manyofthemareinwork,ofteninmid-career.Asaresult,themodesofstudyarepart-timeorcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment.Inaddition,theSchoolislocatedinanon-centralposition.Naturally,thesefactorsmaycontributetoafeelingofexclusionforNursingandMidwiferystudents.Withthisinmind,theSchoolwantedtoknowwhattheirstudents’expectationsare,andwhetherabettersenseofcommunitycouldbedevelopedwithintheSchoolandwiththeUniversity.


Whathappenednext?Focusgroupsweresetupwithtwodifferentsetsofstudents.TheylookedtofindoutwhatstudentswantedfromtheirtimeatSheffieldandtriedtoidentifybarrierstostudentparticipationintheSchooland,morebroadly,withinthegovernanceoftheFaculty.TheoutcomeswerecollatedandtheSchoolconsideredpossibleactionpoints.

Webprovisionwasdevelopedtoenablepart-timeand/ordistancelearningstudentstoengagewithstudentrepresentationandgovernanceactivities.Furtherstudentconsultationstookplacetodeveloptheresource.

TheresourceholdskeyinformationandcontactsandhasauSpacepagespecificallyforpart-timestudents,incorporatingagendasandminutesfromkeycommitteesintheSchool,anddiscussionthreadsandfeedbackontopicsimportanttothestudents.Thesecomponentsareadaptableandcanbedevelopedandenhancedtomeetnewchallenges.

fInvolvingstudents:Creatingasenseofbelonging

Mark Limb (School of Nursing and Midwifery) and

Angela Gascoyne (Learning and Teaching Services)

Community and involvement of students from the School of

Nursing and Midwifery.

45

Whatcanwelearn?• Differenttypesofstudentsneeddifferentsupport.• Assumptionsshouldnotbemadeaboutwhat

studentsdeemasimportantorseeasissues.• Studentswelcomebeingconsultedabouttheir

educationandbeingactivelyinvolvedinshapingtheirlearningexperiences.

• TheUniversitystillhasworkhastodoincommunicatingtostudentshowitoperatesandhowtheycanbeinvolved.

“We don’t see ourselves as ‘typical’ students.”

“We feel remote from the rest of the University. It feels like the University

facilities and information are for full-time, main-campus students.”

“If our feedback is having an impact we will get more involved.”

“We would be interested in participating in discussions about how the School is governed.”

“A web resource – with information about our courses and the support that

is available – would be very useful.”

46

What’stheissue?Aspartofabroaderdrivetoimprovethequalityofthelearningexperienceforitsstudents,theDepartmentseestheneedtodevelopanunderstandingofwhatmakesstudentsfeelpartofacommunity.Buildingonchangesalreadyundertaken,itisidentifiedthatoneofthewaysinwhichthiscommunitycanbedevelopedisthroughtheintegrationofmorecontacttimeforLevel1studentsthroughseminars.

Whathappenednext?Focusgroupswereinitiatedinordertoidentifyrequiredchangesandrecognisethesuccessofexistingexamplesofgoodpractice.

Therespondentswereengagedonanumberofissues:induction;contacttime;personalsupportanddissertationsupervision;studentmentors;learningandteachingandassessmentmethods;greaterchallengesinLevel1;asenseofcommunity;changesalreadyundertakenwithintheDepartment.TheresponsestotheseareaswerecrucialininformingtheDepartment’sapproachtoinclusion.


g

Developingasenseofcommunity

David Phillips, Kevin Farnsworth (Department of

Sociological Studies) and Sue Davison (Learning

and Teaching Services)

Developing a sense of community in the Department of

Sociological Studies.

47

Whatcanwelearn?• Seminarscanbeincreasedtofosterasenseof

communityfromstafftostudents.• Inductionsareimportant;usingthemto

encouragecommunitybetweenlevels1,2and3studentscanbereallybeneficial.

• StudentmentorscanbecrucialinsmoothingthetransitiontoUniversitylife,butconnectionsmustbemadeearlyandfrequently.

• Learningandteachingmethodscanbedeployedtogetstudentsworkingtogetheranddevelopcommunityinacademicinteractions.

• Studentambassadorscanbecreatedtoworkoninductionand‘welcome’activities;encouragingpeer-to-peersupportandengenderingcommunityfromtheoutset.

• Postgraduatescanplayakeyroleinsupportingundergraduatestudents.

• Personaltutorsshouldcontactstudentsassoonaspossiblepriortointroweek.

• Personaltutorsshouldsetouttheirroleearlyon,andlettheirstudentsknowwhattheycanoffer.

• Personaltutorscanencouragetheirstudentstomeeteachother,holdingsmallsessionstoencouragesocialandcommunalaspectsofinduction.

“Registration wasn’t a good introduction to University life. It was a very busy time and

we had to queue for hours.”

“I know that a mentoring system exists, but I’m not sure what it is

supposed do.”

“We want to be challenged in Level 1. Sometimes we do less work than at A level.”

“More can be done to create community; I didn’t know we had a

common room.”

“We want seminar absences to be followed up by the department, so

that everyone contributes.”

“As a Level 1 student, I was really impressed with how welcome the department made me feel

in induction week. It was really important to meet Level 2 and 3

students, too.”

“Seminars are really important, we want more of them. They make us feel like we belong in the department – we can get to

know each other, and they really help us to clarify the work that is discussed in lectures.”

“It really helped that I was encouraged to meet my personal tutor early on.”

48

What’stheissue?TILLsupportsthelearningofaverydiversecohortofstudents,allofwhomstudyonapart-timebasis.Innearlyallcases,studentsaccommodatetheirstudiesaroundavarietyofother‘outside’commitments,primarilyworkandfamilyresponsibilities.ThislimitstheirabilitytoengageinUniversity-basedextra-curricularevents,includingrepresentationactivities.

ForanumberofyearsTILLheldaStudentForumwhichwasstaff-ledandmetfourtimesanacademicyear.However,thisdidnotprovideaneffectivewayofgainingrepresentativestudentviewsonlearningandteachingissues,largelyduetopoorattendance.Inanattempttomakesystemsofstudentrepresentationmoreinclusive,thisprojectsoughttolearnfromstudentswhatkindsofrepresentativestructuretheywanted;developappropriatemechanismsinresponse;andenhancethewaysinwhichTILLstudentsengagewiththedepartment.Itwasalsohopedthattheprojectwouldre-engagestudentswithfaculty-anduniversity-widesystemsofrepresentation,andclarifytheimportantroletheyhadinmakingvisiblethediversityofthestudentbody.

Whathappenednext?Thefirststepwastoconsultwithstudentsandstafftodeterminewhatsystemsofrepresentationwouldsuitthembest.StafffromTILLandLeTSrananonlinequestionnaireandastudentfocusgroup,inquiringintoattitudestowardsandawarenessofcurrentsystemsofrepresentation.

Basedonfindingsfromtheseactivities,theface-to-facesystemofStudentForawasrevisedandanonlineenvironmentforstaff-studentcommunicationwasintroduced.ThenewStudentForummettwiceanacademicyear,andhadasetagenda.Themeetingsranintheearlyeveningandwerecatered,enablingstudentstocomedirectlyfromwork,and/orontheirwaytoTILLclasses.Detailednotesweretakenandcirculatedbymembersofstaff;actionpointswereidentified,followedup,andresultantactionsmadepublic.

Alongsidethis,anewonlinesystemofstaff-studentcommunicationwasdeveloped.ThiswashostedinuSpace,andofferedopportunitiesforstudentstorepresenttheirinterestsatatimeandplaceoftheirownchoosing.Pre-andpost-meetinginformationwashostedontheuSpacegroup,whichwasalsousedby

h

Inclusivestudentrepresentation

Tim Herrick, Darren Webb (The Institute of

Lifelong Learning) and Simon Beecroft

(Learning and Teaching Services)

Inclusive student representation in The Institute of

Lifelong Learning (TILL).

49

theUnionLinkandotherstudentrepresentativestoshareinformationabouttheirwork.

Bothface-to-faceandonlineactivitieswerestaff-studentcollaborations.Twostudentambassadorswereengagedtodeveloptheonlinespaceandtopromoteboththeonlinespaceandtheface-to-facemeetings.ThelatterinvolvedvisitingalargenumberofTILLclassestotalkabouttheStudentForumandencourageparticipation;andboththeserolesensuredthattheStudentForumwasseenassomethingownedby,andrelevantto,TILLstudents.

Whatcanwelearn?• Aconsultative,inclusiveapproachtostudent

representationmakesformutuallybeneficialandeffectiveoutcomes.

• Theimportanceofstudentrepresentationmustbemadeclearbeforeattemptingtoengagethestudentvoice.

• AgoodrelationshipwiththeUnionofStudentsandanactiveUnionLinkareimportantinbuildingeffectivechannelsofstudentrepresentation.

• Studentambassadorsarecrucialinthedevelopmentofasenseofsharedownership.

• Forbusyadultstudentsthemainissueremainsoneoftime.Itiscrucialtofacilitateengagementfortime-pressurisedstudents.

50

What’stheissue?TheuseofdigitalaudiorecordersiswidespreadamongststudentswithlearningdisabilitiesorwithEnglishasanadditionallanguage.Byenablingtheuseofrecordersforallstudentsthelearningexperiencecanbeenhanced.It’salsoimportanttoseehowstudentgeneratedaudiocanbeembeddedintothecurriculumandtoexplorewhatbenefitsthatcanbring.

Whathappenednext?ThisprojecttemporarilyextendedtheprovisionofrecorderstoallLevelOnestudents,encouragingtheuseofthedevicestoallowstudentstosupport,enhanceandpersonalisetheirlearning.Studentswereencouragedtoplaybackandlistentorecordingsofalllearninginteractions,enablingthemtoreflect;refreshtheirmemories;re-engagetheirthoughts;anddeepentheirleveloflearning.

Studentsdecidedforthemselveswhichsituationstheyrecordedandhowtheyusedtheirrecordingstobenefittheirexperiences.Thisledtothecreationofanonlineresourcethatmadestudentsawareofthefullrangeofpossibilitiestoenhancetheirlearning,asidentifiedbytheirpeersinfocusgroups.


i

Useofdigitalaudioinlearning

Anthony Rossiter (Department of Automatic

Control and Systems Engineering) and Alison

Griffin (Learning and Teaching Services)

Using digital audio interventions to enhance the student

learning experience in the Department of Automatic Control

and Systems Engineering.

51

Whatcanwelearn?• Ensurerecordersareavailablefromthe

beginningofSemester1sostudentscanstarttousethemfromtheoutsetandtheybecomeanintegratedpartoflearninginthedepartment.

• Inasituationwheremanystudentsarelikelytoberecording,e.g.,guestlectures,considerproducingasinglerecordingavailabletoallstudentsviaMOLE.

• Studentsrecognisedthatthiswasatooltosupplementandenhancetheirlearningandplannedtodownloadvisuallearningresourcessuchaslecturenotesandslidestocomplementtheirrecordings.

• Becauseofthefrequentuseofequationsandsymbolsincalculations,studentsemphasisedtheimportanceofvisuallearning,soaudiorecordingswerenotalwayshelpful.

• Studentswereclearthatrecordinglectureswasnotasubstitutefornotetakingastheywouldstilltakenoteswhenlisteningbacktolectures.Infact,studentsemphasisedthatnotetakingwouldbecomemorefocussedandtargetedthaninalecturesituationwherestudentstendedtowriteeverything down.

• Takingnotesretrospectivelyallowedstudentstoconsidertheentiretyofthelecturefirst.

“At university, you need to take responsibility for your own learning and so

you need to find out what works best for you.”

“We can tailor the use of the recordings for our own needs.”

“When a tutor gives me advice on the way to approach an assessment,

I can record it and share the information with my course mates.”

“I can listen back to lectures at my own pace. As a student with English as an additional

language, this is very helpful.”

“If I misunderstand things I can listen back to my recordings for

clarification, rather than immediately having to ask the tutor.”

“There was a time when I thought I had lost it and felt like some part of myself was

missing because I was so used to using it. When I found it I

was really happy.”

52

What’stheissue?Arelativelylargenumberofstudentsentertheirdegreeprogrammesthroughnon-standardroutesandthereforetheyhavenon-traditionalrequirements.Thedepartmentoperatesaflexibleapproachtostudentstakingleaveofabsenceandenteringatnon-standardentrypoints,itisfeltthattheinductionofthesestudentsontheirreturnwouldbenefitfromfurtherattention.InductionfortherelativelyhighnumberofmaturestudentsandErasmusentrantsalsodeservesspecialattention.WhilethereisnotaperceivedproblemwithanyparticularareaintheDepartment,thereisadegreeofuncertaintyoverthesupportlevelsforcertainstudentgroupings.ItisalsofeltthatthestandardLevel1personalandacademictutorialsystemwouldbenefitfromasimilarreview.

Whathappenednext?AprojectwasconceivedtodevelopaWelcomeDiversitymodelfortheDepartmentofArchaeology.Therewasanemphasisonusinginductiontowelcomestudentswhomayhaveadiverserangeofneedsandrequirements,e.g.studentswhoarereturningfromleaveofabsence,part-timestudentsfromtheInstituteofLifelongLearning,studentstransferringfromotherinstitutions,maturestudents,studentsfor

whomEnglishisnottheirfirstlanguageandstudentswithdisabilities,aswellasstandardentrystudentsatLevel1.Studentopinionwascanvassedthroughquestionnaires,focusgroupsandinterviews,toidentifyandengagethestudentvoice.ThiswasdoneinordertoextendthescopeoftheprojectandtoensurethattheDepartment’sWelcomeDiversitymodelthereforecatersforincomingstudentsfromallbackgroundsandlevelsofentry.


Level1tutorialsystemstudents:

j

Welcomingdiversity

Glynis Jones, Bob Johnston (Department of

Archaeology) and James Goldingay (Learning

and Teaching Services)

Developing a Welcome Diversity model in the Department of

Archaeology.

Erasmus/YearAbroadandnon-standardentryandmaturestudents: Whatcanwelearn?

• Tutorialsshouldbecloselyintegratedintothecurriculumofthemodule,specificallylinkingthetopicscoveredinlectureswiththetutorialsandessays.

• KeepErasmus/YearAbroadstudents‘intheloop’onmodulechoicesandregistrationwhentheyareawayfromtheUniversity.

• ‘Welcome’isvitalforenablingstudentstofeelrelaxedandwellinformedabouttheirlearning.ThisdoesnotonlyapplytoLevel1students,butthosewhomaybereturningfromayearabroad,aleaveofabsence,joiningfromanotherinstitution,orfromnon-traditionalbackgrounds.

• Structuresshouldbedevelopedsothatwhenmature/part-timestudentshaveanissue,thereisappropriatetutorialprovision.

• A‘welcomepack’couldbedevisedforreturningstudents,andstudentsenteringthedepartmentatalevelotherthanLevel1.

• TheDepartmentalwebsitewouldbenefitfromarevamp,withparticularattentionpaidtotheErasmus/YearAbroadpages.

53

“If I’m having difficulties I’ll contact the Department first; the staff and

tutors are approachable.”

“We like having regular tutor meetings and learning in small groups.”

“If I’m having difficulties I’ll contact the Department first; the staff and

tutors are approachable.”

“I’m part-time, so my tutor having flexible office hours is really important.”

“I really appreciate the personal tutorial system, and it’s good that as a mature

student, a specific member of staff looks after our interests.”

“It’s so useful being able to do more core reading through online resources, it would be

great to have more digital resources.”

“As an Erasmus student, it’s really good to be consulted on modules even though we don’t register until we arrive back; it shows the department is thinking of our

needs and requirements.”

54

What’stheissue?In2008,theDepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomyundertookareviewofitsFirstYearcurriculum.Thiswasdrivenbyanumberoffactorsincludingadramaticincreaseinstudentnumbersandrecognition,withintheDepartment,thatthePhysicsknowledgebaseamongstnewundergraduateshadbecomenarrower.

TheDepartmentwantedtoenhanceitsunderstandingofwhatnewLevel1studentsmightexpect,wantandneedfromtheirexperienceattheUniversityofSheffieldsothatitcouldbestsupportthemastheymovedfromschool/collegeintohighereducation.

Whathappenednext?StafffromPhysicsandLeTS(LearningandTeachingServices)ranafocusgroupfornewLevelonestudents.AfocusgroupwasalsoheldforLevel2studentssothattheviewsofstudents,oncetheywereabletoreflectontheirexperienceofLevel1,wereavailabletotheDepartment.Bothgroupsexploredthesameissues:induction,teachingandlearning,academicsupport,personalsupport,examsandgeneralreflectionontheiroverallexperience.

Semester1examswerearecurrentthemeidentifiedbythefocusgroupsandsothiswasexploredfurtherviaashorton-linequestionnairedistributedtoallLevel1students.Athirdofstudentsresponded.

Theoutcomesofthisresearch(thefocusgroupsplusquestionnaire)werethenconsideredbytheHeadofDepartment/DirectorofTeachinganddiscussedatanaway-dayoftheDepartment’sTeachingCommittees.Anumberofchangeshavebeenmadetodepartmentalpracticeinlightofthiswork,forexample,theDepartmenthasincreasedformativeassessmentbyintroducinganon-lineassessmenttoolatLevel1.

kSupportingthetransitionintoUniversitylife

David Mowbray (Department of Physics and

Astronomy) and Alison Griffin, Marie Evans

(Learning and Teaching Services)

Supporting the transition of Level 1 students into

university life.

55

Whatcanwelearn?• Addressinganissuewhichhasbeenidentified

asapriorityforadepartmentensuresresourcesareavailabletoproduceeffectiveresults.

• Talkingtostudentsandlisteningtowhattheyhavetosayprovidesaveryusefulwayof:• developinganmorein-depthunderstanding

ofissuesidentifiedthroughstudentevaluationquestionnaires

• confirming/challengingstaffperceptions.• Supportfromaseniorlevel(inthiscasethe

HeadofDepartment)resultsinrealchange.

56 57

ThissectionisdesignedtobothreflecttheroleandinfluenceofthestudentsintheILTProjectandtoshow–fromtheirperspective–thebenefitsofempoweringstudentsinthepursuitofinclusivepractice.

ItsummarisestheresearchundertakenbyEmilySavage.AstheStudents’UnionEducationOfficer(2007–2008),EmilyplayedavitalroleingettingstudentsinvolvedintheProject.ShewassubsequentlycommissionedbytheProjecttoresearchtheimportanceofstudentengagementandtheempowermentofthestudentvoice.

GettingstartedIftheProjectwastohavelong-termimpactitwasvitalthattheinitiativecamefromthestudents,andthattheUniversityhadtobereactiveandopen-mindedinitspartnershipwiththem.TheProject’sworkoninitiatinganddevelopingstudentownershiphasattemptedtoembedprinciplesofreflection,co-operationandaction,alteringthedynamicbetweenstudentsandtheUniversity.Todeliverthis,theInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectworkedwithstudentsaspartners,theyweren’tusedinordertolegitimiseitspracticesandactivities,theygotinvolvedactivelyandequallytodictaterealchange.

TheStudents’UnionwasanearlypointofcontactfortheProject,energisingstudentswiththeuniquenatureoftheProject.Specifically,theStudents’UnionOfficerssawtheUniversityreachingouttotheUnion,notonaconsultativebasis,butwiththehopeofaengenderingamutuallyenrichingrelationshipthathadthepotentialtochangethewaystudentsengagedintheirlearningexperiences.Thispartnershipbegantodrawinstudentswhowerepassionateaboutinclusion,manyofwhomsensedthatthingsweredifferentthistimeandthattheUniversitywaswillingtobothlistenandact.

InitiatingOwnershipStudentsattendedapreliminary‘ideassession’andmanywereinitiallysceptical.However,theysoonrealisedthatthisprojectwasdifferent.Forastart,complimentaryfoodandrefreshmentsweremadeavailable,aminorpointperhaps,butthesekindsoftouchesillustratedtheextenttowhichtheUniversitywasreachingoutandaccommodatingthestudents,makingthemfeelthattheirpresencewasvaluedandthattheirideaswheresought.Moreover,thepassionoftheprojectteamandtheireagernesstodeveloppartnershipswiththestudentsquicklyestablishedatonethatenergisedallwhowerepresent.

Goingintothesession,theprojectteamseemedtohavenopre-conceivedideasorexpectationsaboutwhattheywantedorexpectedtohear;theatmospherewasrelaxedandopen.Themeetingneverdescendedintoatalkingshopwherestudentssimplymoanedabouttheirlecturers;instead,anenvironmentwasfacilitatedwhichenabledthestudentvoicetobegivencoherenceandfocus.Questionswereposedsuchas:‘Whatneedstochange?’and‘Whatwouldinclusivelearningandteachinglooklike?’Thesekindsofpromptsenabledawide-rangingsetofideasandactionstoemerge.

Itsoonbecameclearthatthiswasn’ta‘boxticking’exercise,thestudentsinvolvedweren’tsimplytheretorubber-stampasetofpre-ordainedpolicies,theywererecognisingthefactthatsenioracademicswerelisteningtothemandthatthiswasjustthestart.TheearlysessionsgaverisetoanumberofinitiativesandactivitieswhichsawtheProjectgathermomentumquickly:manyofthesuggestionsandideasfoundtheirwayintotheProject’s‘HintsandTips’calendar;studentsweregivendefinedrolesandresponsibilitiestodrivetheProjectforward;andstudentsattendedfacultymeetingsandtalkedaboutinclusionwithheadsof

4

Studentengagementandpartnership

l

Casestudies:Planningahead

Whatisneededforasuccessfulproject?Typically,adepartmentalprojectrequiressupportfromseniormanagement,forexample,theHeadsofDepartment,tolegitimisethework,‘doers’toidentifytheissueanddrivetheworkforwardandstudentstooffertheirperspectiveandpracticalsupport.

Thelistbelowsummarisessomekeylearningpointsdrawnfromthecasestudies.Thesereflectionsareintendedtobuildaninstructiveplatformforthedevelopmentofyourownprojectsandinitiatives.

• Whenalteringexistingmodulesradically,orcreatingnewones,itisimportanttokeepstudentsreassuredandtomakesurethattheyarecomfortablewiththepaceandprocessesofchange.

• Beflexibleandrealisticanddon’tdoitallonyourown.Thecasestudiesshowtheimportanceofpartnershipsbetweenacademicandsupportstaff;don’tbeafraidtoaskforhelp.

• Itisimportanttoconsiderstudentsasindividuals;bemindfulofdifferentlearningstylesandeducationalandculturalbackgrounds.GoodInclusivepracticecanbegeneratedbydeployingavariety ofmethodsdrawnfromanunderstandingofanequallydiversestudentbody.

• Studentswelcomeinvolvementandconsultation;allowthemtorealisethattheycanactivelyshapetheireducationalexperiencesandthattheywillberewardediftheyengageinthismanner.

Leader buy-in

‘Doers’ Champions, students

and staff in partnership

Student voice

58

department,openingupnewlinesofcommunicationandinfluencingdecisionmakers.Crucially,theProjectwasidentifyingthestudentsasco-researchersandcolleaguesandempoweringthemtodriveforwarditsprinciples.

Thestudents–manyofwhomhadpreviouslyhadunfulfillingexperiencesofbeingaskedfortheiropinionsandseeingnoevidenceofchange–wereforthefirsttimecontributingideaswhichwereengagedwithandacteduponpromptlyandvisibly.

ThelearningprocessTheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProject’srelationshipwithstudentsinevitablygeneratedanumberoflearningpoints.Forexample,theearlysessionswerecharacterisedbyaproductiveandexcitingenergy,butitisnowclearthatitiscrucialforthistobemaintainedthroughout:studentownershipisasmuchaboutcontinuityasitisaboutpartnership.Itisvitaltorecognisethatstudentsmaynotbeabletoconsistentlyperformalong-termrole,forexample,theirdegreemayalterortheirworkloadmightincrease,theymayhavepart-timejobsordifferentpressuresathome,ortheymay,simply,leaveuniversityorgraduate.Theearlyenthusiasmmustbeconsolidatedandbuilton:studentscanofferagreatdealoftimeandenergyatthestartwhichmaynotbemaintainedconsistently,itisvitalthatthosestudentsarecommunicatedwithandthattheirinputissoughtandrecognisedregularly.Similarly,abroaderrangeofstudentsshouldbeengaged,inordertoreducethepotentialforanover-concentrationofstudentinputinoneyearwhichmaythenleadtoasubsequentdropinfollowingyears:theprojectmustbeflexibleandresponsivetochangesinthestudentdynamic.Indeed,Students’Unionofficers

andrepresentativeshavealimitedtimeintheirrole,itiscrucialthatthefoundationsoftheprojectarestrongenoughtotranscendtheselimitationsbyappealingtonewstudentsandadaptingapproachestomeetnewchallenges.

WhilemuchoftheimpetusforstudentownershipcamefromanengagementwiththeStudents’Union,itisalsoimportantthatthesekindsofpartnershipsextendintothewiderstudentbody.OneofthegreatesttriumphsoftheProjectisthewaythatithasshownthatinclusivepracticescanbenefitthelearningexperiencesofthemanyandnotthefew,anditisthedisenfranchised,silentmajority–manyofwhomwillbeexperiencingpositivechangestotheirlearningexperienceswithoutevenknowingit–whoneedtobeallowedtorecognisethattheycanhaveasayintheireducation.

TheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjecthasshownthatitispossibletoengagethestudentvoiceandinitiatesymbioticpartnershipsbetweentheUniversityanditsstudents,whichhavethepotentialtoredefinethelearningexperienceforall.

Thisisjustthestart.Asthetop-upfeedebatecontinues,studentsarebecomeincreasinglyawareoftheirownvoice.TheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjecthasshownthatthisvoiceneednotbefeared;thatwithalittleguidanceithasthepowertoarticulateandshapepositivechange.

Tipsforstudentengagement• Giveasmallgroupresponsibilityfordrivingthe

project,orelementsofit,forwardbutensurethatideascomefromamuchwiderstudentcommunity.

• Getstudentsoutandaboutaroundbusyspacesintheuniversity,promotingtheprojecttotheirpeers.

59

Capturingth

estuden

tvoi

ce

5

60 61

• Getmoduleevaluationsandquestionnairestoaskquestionssuchas‘Howcouldweimprovethemodule?’Thesekindsofpromptsencouragethestudentstomakesuggestionsandtosharetheirexperiencesofaparticularlearningexperienceinaconstructiveway.

• Ensurestudentsfeelthattheyareplayingaleadingroleintheprojectandthatstudentengagementisatthecentre.Studentsneedtoknowthattheyarebeinglistenedtoandthattheyareaffectingchangedirectly.

• Makesurestudentscanseetheproductoftheirlabour.OneofthemajorsuccessesoftheProjecthasbeenthewaythatstudent-generatedideas–firstmootedinworkshopsessions–werethenputintopracticebothquicklyvisibly.

• Maintaincommunicationwithstudentsthroughouttheprocessofengagement.

• Makesurethatnewstudentsareawareofwhatyouaredoing;establishenthusiasmandinterestearly.

• Illustrateandprovideevidenceofchangesthathavebeenbroughtaboutasaresultofstudentengagement.

• Makeinteractionswithstudentsfunandaccommodating;arelaxedatmospherewillgenerateamoreproductivediscussion.

Bringingaboutchangeischallenging.

Wehavearguedthatthreeofthekeyfactorsthatanyprojectshouldincludeare:

• Havingtop-downsupportandtheleadershipofaseniorfigure.

• Identifyingandsupportingthe‘doers’or‘champions’.

• Enablingthestudentvoicetodrivethecause.Wealsoarguedthatstaffandstudentsworkingtogethermakethemosteffectivechampions.

Inthefollowingsection,DrDavidForrest(SchoolofEnglish)describesthekeyfactorsthroughwhichtheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectbroughtaboutchange,includingtheimportanceofcriticalreflection.Healsotalksfurtheraboutengagingstudentsandlisteningtotheirvoiceandhediscussestherelevanceofbuildingacommunityoflearners.

CriticalreflectionResearchledteachingmightbedefinedasacriticalreflectiononthewaysknowledgeiscreated,evaluatedandapplied.Theteachingitselfmightthereforeinvolvethecriticalassessmentoftheassumptionsweoftenmakeaboutwhatisbestforastudent,orasetofstudents.Acentralpartofourdutyasteachersistoidentifytheskillsastudentneedsandthebestwaytoencouragetheadoptionofthoseskills.Ifthemeansbywhichweteachtheseskillsissuccessfulformostofthosestudents,thensurelywearedoingourjobswell?Butwhatofthosewhodon’tfitourassumptions?Whatofthestudentswhoseneedsandrequirementsaredifferentfromthoseofthe‘archetypes’thatweconstructandbaseourteachingaround?Inclusivelearningandteachingisaboutchallengingourassumptionsandrecognisingtheneedforchangestocaterforall andnotjustforthemajorityofthosewhoweteach.

Weknowthatstudentslearnindifferentways:thatsomerespondmoreeffectivelytoimages,otherstowords,othertosounds,otherstomovement.Weknowthatthebestwaytolearnistodoandthatstudentsasapprenticesinthecraftofevaluatingknowledgewillbemoresuccessfulthanstudentsasconsumersofwhatissupposedlyestablished.Weknowthatstudents’backgroundsdifferdramatically:thattheycomefromawidevarietyofeducationalandsocialenvironments.Weknowthatsomestudentsexperiencedisabilitiesthatpresentchallengesfortheirparticipationintheirowneducation,andthatitisourdutytoensurethatthesedonotlimittheirpotentialtolearnandachieve.WhattheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjecthasshownisthatsmallandun-dramaticchangesinthelearningenvironmentcanmakeabigdifferencenotonlyforanindividualstudentbutforallstudents.

Bringingaboutchange:Keyfactors

We must first reflect and

then identify.

62 63

RecognisingandengagingthestudentvoiceThecasestudiesofinclusivelearningandteachingpracticethatformthebulkofthishandbookarecharacterisedbyaprocessofcriticalreflectioncombinedwithanengagementofstudents.Itisnotforonepersontoidentifythebarrierstostudents’learningexperience,norisitforagroupofpeople;rather,itisforthestudentsthemselvestohighlightandrespondtotheissues,beforethenplayinganactiveroleinshapingresolutions.

AsacademicdepartmentscontributedtotheProject,theimportanceofmutualexchangesbetweenstaffandstudentsandaprivilegingofthestudentvoicewerekeyfactorsinthedevelopmentandsuccessofstrategiesinavarietyofareas.Casestudies;questionnaires;consultations;dropboxes;studentsattendingfacultymeetings;themeansofengagementwerewideandvaried,buttheprinciplewasconsistent:inclusioncannotbeachievedwithoutthepartnershipnecessarytoenablestudentstohaveanequalsayandtobelistenedto.

ThePowerPointformatthatyouhaveusedeffectivelyforthelastfewyearshassurvivedbecausenobodyhastoldyouthatitisdifficulttoread.Thenonestudentdrawsyourattentiontothedifficultytheyhavereadingthepresentationandwondersifyoucouldadaptthetexttoalargerfontsizeandusedifferentcolours.Youdoso,andapplythechangestoallyourfuturepresentations.Onestudent’slearningexperienceismadeeasierinthatparticularlecture;butyouhavemadeasimplealterationthatwillmakeyourpracticemoreinclusiveforyearstocome.

Buildingacommunity

‘For me, the most exciting thing in

learning and teaching [has been]... the

growing recognition that academics and

students share a collective interest in

meeting the challenges of developing our

learning environment to be more accessible

for all students. The enthusiasm to meet

these challenges has been universal and

has led to an explosion of exciting

projects that are making significant

contributions and really make this year

stand apart.’ Richard Kelwick, student

Thisprojecthasrunasacommunity:manyacademics,students,supportstaffandmanagershaveshapedandsustainedit.HereatSheffield,LearningandTeachingServiceshavefacilitatedasetofworkingpracticesthatreflectthecommunalprinciplesofsuccessfulpractices:collaboration,communicationandco-operationarekey.Themutualexchangeofsupportandideasbetween

Listening to the student voice; acting on the student

voice.

students,theacademicchampion(s)andasupportiveHeadofDepartment,havebeenthemarkersofsuccess.ArecognitionofthequalitiesandresourcesthateachoftheseelementscontributeisessentialindevelopingamodelforcontinueddevelopmentinInclusiveLearningandTeaching.

Thatthisemphasisonrecognition,reflection,andcommunitymirrorstheidealconditionsforinclusive

teachingandlearningaswellasresearchledteachingisnocoincidence.Thisprojectrepresentstheapplicationtolearningandteachingoftheprinciplethathasunderscoredacademicendeavourforcenturies:thatenrichingexperienceineducationisnotaboutlisteningtoonevoicebutisaboutlisteningto,sharingandevaluatingfromasmanydifferentvoicesaspossibleforthebenefitofall.

Creating a learning culture and a learning community for all.

64 65

Theonlyanswerwecanoffertothisquestionis:nowyougoanddoit!

Everyoneofushasaresponsibilitytoourstudents,toourinstitution,tothecommunityandtoourselvestodowhateverittakestocreateanddevelopanenvironmentwhereallstudentsandstaffalikecanthriveandachieve.However,therearealsolessidealisticreasonsforhavingtoproactivelyensurethatourlearningandteachingcultureisinclusive.Forexample,itisreasonabletosuggestthatanincreaseinfeeswillmeanthatstudentswillhavehigherexpectationsfortheirlearningexperience,andtheNationalStudentSurveywill,nodoubt,continuetoreflectstudents’satisfactionorthelackofit.AsProfessorAnnePeat(SchoolofNursingandMidwifery)says:“Wecannotaffordnottodothis”.

ScepticsarguethatuniversitiesintheRussellGroupwillnotsufferfromrecruitmentproblems.Wesay,wedon’tknowthatforsurebutevenifthatwerethecase,wehaveadutytorecruitamorediversestudentpopulationandtoenableandpreparethemtobecomethenextgenerationofprofessionalswhowillsolvethechallengesoftoday’sworld.

WealsoknowthatmanyHigherEducationInstitutionsareworkingtodevelopaninclusivelearningandteachingculture,includingotherRussellGroupuniversities.Mostapproaches,however,focusonparticulargroupssuchasstudentswithdisabilities.Wearguethatourresponsibilityandtherefore,commitmentistoALLstudents.

ProfessorJohnBarrettarguesthat:“Researchleduniversitieshavetodemonstratemoreclearlythanmostthattheteachingofthewayknowledgeiscreated,assessed,andapplied(whichiswhathetakesresearchledteachingtobe)isaccessibletoallbecauseitmust

defendtheprinciplethatresearchledteachingisdemocraticandnotelitist.Anyblocktoastudent’sabilitytoaccesstheprocessesofenquiryandlearningisafailureoftheinstitutionandnottheproductofsomeintellectualmysteryyettoberevealedtothatstudent.”

Thereisplentyofevidencetodemonstratetheneedforculturalchangewhere,ifauniversitydoesnothaveaninclusivelearningandteachingapproach,itisnotonlyunwisebutalso“unacceptable”asSarahShreeve,oneofourstudentchampions,said.

Thegoodnewsisthatdevelopinganinclusivelearningandteachingexperienceforyourstudents,forourstudents,isactuallyastraightforwardthingtodo.

• Keepinmindthatchangesbenefitallstudents–movefromafocusonspecifictargetgroups–(mature,international,disabled,etc)toALLstudents.

• Haveanactivedialoguewithyourstudents:itpromotesunderstandingandcollaborationanditleadstosignificantenhancement.Involvingstudentsalsobringsenergy,enthusiasmandasignificant‘voice’thatdeliversamuchmorepowerfulmessagethananyotherstakeholderinvolvedcould.

• Don’tmakeassumptionsaboutwhatstudentsneed–theyarebetterplacedtotellyou!

• Askthem,dosomethingaboutit(inpartnershipwiththemifpossible)andtellthemwhatyouhavedone.Closetheloop!

• Inthishandbook,wehaveprovidedyouwithcasestudiesandhintsandtipsthatclearlyevidencethatminorchangescanmakeabigdifference.Andnowitisovertoyou!

Elena Rodriguez-FalconDirector of Learning and Teaching DevelopmentInclusive Learning and Teaching Project

6

Afterword:Andso,whatnow?

66 67

Manyoftheideasexpressedandofferedinthishandbookhavetheirrootsinawiderangeofscholarlywriting.Thissectiondrawstogetheraselectionoftheacademicsourcesthathaveprovedusefulduringthecourseoftheproject.

Generalapproachestolearningandteaching• Merriam,S.B.&Associates,(2007)Non-Western

Perspectives On Learning and Knowing(Florida:KriegerPublishingCompany)

• Kapranos,P&Tsakiropoulos,P.,(2008)‘TeachingEngineeringStudents’,InternationalSymposiumforEngineeringEducation,DublinCityUniversity,Ireland,September2008

• Ball,D.L.,(2000)‘BridgingPractices:IntertwiningContentandPedagogyinTeachingandLearningtoTeach’,Journal of Teacher Educationvol.51,no.3pp.241–247

• Murray,H.G.,Rushton,J.P.&Paunonen,S.V.,(1990)‘TeacherPersonalityTraitsandStudentInstructionalRatingsinSixTypesofUniversityCourses’,Journal of Educational Psychologyvol.82,no.2pp.250–261

• Cuthbert,P.F.,(2005)‘Thestudentlearningprocess:Learningstylesorlearningapproaches?’,Teaching in Higher Educationvol.10,no.2pp.235–249

• Group,A.t.H.E.S,(2004)‘FairAdmissionstoHigherEducation:RecommendationsforGoodPractice’.www.admissions-review.org.uk/downloads/finalreport.pdf

Curriculumdevelopment• Kapranos,P,(2008)‘Developmentsonthedeliveryof

Non-technicalmodulestoEngineeringMaterials&Bio-engineeringstudents’,InternationalSymposiumforEngineeringEducation,DublinCityUniversity,Ireland,September2008

• Envick,B.R.&Envick,D.,(2007)‘TowardaStakeholder-FocusedCurriculum:ExaminingSpecificUniversityProgramOfferingsagainstCompetenciesProvidedbytheU.S.DepartmentofLabor’,Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learningvol.7,no.2pp.79–89

• Fraser,S.&Bosanquet,A.,(2006)‘Thecurriculum?That’sjustaunitoutline,isn’tit?’Studies in Higher Educationvol.31,no3pp.269–284

Criticalreflectionforstudentsandteachers• Kapranos,P.,(2007)‘21stcenturyTeaching&

Learning–KolbCycle&ReflectiveThinkingaspartofteachingCreativity’,InternationalSymposiumforEngineeringEducation,DublinCityUniversity,Ireland,September2007

• Marsh,H.W.,&Roche,L.A.,(1997)MakingStudents’EvaluationsofTeachingEffectivenessEffective:TheCriticalIssuesofValidity,Bias,andUtility,American Psychologistvol.52,no.11pp.1187–1197

• Rae,A.M.&Cochrane,D.K.,(2008)‘Listeningtostudents:Howtomakewrittenassessmentfeedbackuseful’Active Learning in Higher Educationvol.9,no.3pp.217–230

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Furtherreading

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• Chevalier,A.,Gibbons,S.,Thorpe,A.,Snell,M.,&Hoskins,S.L.,(2009)‘PerformanceandPerception:Differencesinself-assessmentbetweenstudents’,Economics of Education Reviewvol.28,no.6pp.716–727

• Goldstein,G.S.&Benassi,V.A.,(2006)‘Students’andInstructors’BeliefsAboutExcellentLecturersandDiscussionLeaders’,Research in Higher Educationvol46,no.6pp.685–707

Inclusivepracticeandtheory• Jackson,S.,(2005)‘WhenLearningcomesofAge?

ContinuingEducationintoLaterLife’,Journal of Adult and Continuing Educationvol.11,no.2pp.188–199

• Fuller,M.,Healey,M.,Bradley,A.&Hall,T.,(2004)‘Barrierstolearning:asystematicstudyoftheexperienceofdisabledstudentsinoneuniversity’,Studies in Higher Educationvol.29,no.3pp.303–318

• Chavez,C.I.&Weisinger,J.Y.,(2008)‘Beyonddiversitytraining:Asocialinfusionforculturalinclusion’,Human Resource Managementvol.47,no.2pp.331–350

• Barrington,E.,(2004)‘Teachingtostudentdiversityinhighereducation:howMultipleIntelligenceTheorycanhelp’,Teaching in Higher Educationvol.9,no.4pp.421–434

• Ainscow,M.,(2005)‘Developinginclusiveeducationsystems:whataretheleversforchange?’, Journal of Educational Change vol.6,no.2pp.109–124www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteachingwww.sheffield.ac.uk/lets/inclusive

• Jessop,T.,&Williams,A.,(2005)‘Equivocaltalesaboutidentity,racismandthecurriculum’,Teaching in Higher Educationvol.14,no.1pp.95–106

• Skelton,A.,(2002)‘TowardsInclusiveLearningEnvironmentsinHigherEducation?ReflectionsonaProfessionalDevelopmentCourseforUniversityLecturers’,Teaching in Higher Education vol.7,no.2pp.193–214

Wideningparticipation• Osborne,M.,(2003)‘IncreasingorWidening

ParticipationinHigherEducation?–AEuropeanoverview’,European Journal of Educationvol.38,no.1pp.5–24

• Naidoo,R.,(2000)‘The‘ThirdWay’towideningparticipationandmaintainingqualityinhighereducation:lessonsfromtheUnitedKingdom’,Journal of Educational Enquiryvol.1,no.2pp.24–38

• Kettley,N.,(2007)‘Thepast,presentandfutureofwideningparticipationresearch’,British Journal of Sociology of Educationvol.28,no.3pp.333–347

• Broecke,S.&Nicholls,T.,(2007)‘EthnicityandDegreeAttainment;ResearchReport www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/events/archive/SinghG_Coventry_Race_EqualityNSS_8May08.pdf[Accessed23rdJune2010]

Usingnewtechnologies• www.sheffield.ac.uk/letspodcast/index.html• Middleton,A.,(2008)‘AudioFeedback:timelymedia

interventions’www.herts.ac.uk/fms/documents/teaching-and-learning/blu/conference2008/Andrew-Middleton-2008.pdf

[Accessed23rdJune2010]• Belanger,Y.,(2006)‘DukeUniversityiPodFirstYear

ExperienceFinalEvaluationReport’cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf[Accessed23rdJune2010]

• Rotheram,B.,(2007)“UsinganMP3recordertogivefeedbackonstudentassignments.EducationalDevelopments”,StaffandEducationalDevelopmentAssociation,London,vol.8,no.2pp.7–10

• EllenM.Lawler,X.,Chen,M.&Venso,E.A.,(2007)‘StudentPerspectivesonTeachingTechniquesandOutstandingTeachers’,Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learningvol.7,no.2pp.32–48

• Clegg,S.,Hudson,A.&Steel,J.,(2003)‘TheEmperor’sNewClothes:globalisationande-learninginHigherEducation’,British Journal of Sociology of Educationvol.24,no.1pp.39–53

• Middleton,A.andNortcliffe,A.L.(2009)“Understandingeffectivemodelsofaudiofeedback”inEdRajarshiRoy(ed.),Engineering Education(Delhi:ShipraPublications)

• Croker,K.,(2008)‘GivingFeedbackviaAudioFiles’,SpecialInterestGrouponAssessment(SIGA)Meeting,HEAYork,June2008

• Fidler,A.,Middleton,A.andNortcliffe,A.,(2006)‘ProvidingAddedValuetoLectureMaterialstoanipodGeneration’,6thConferenceoftheInternationalConsortiumforEducationalDevelopment,Sheffield,UK,June2006

• Nortcliffe,A.L.andMiddleton,A.,(2007)“AudioFeedbackfortheiPodGeneration”,InProceedingsofInternationalConferenceonEngineeringEducation,

Coimbra,Portugal• Nortcliffe,A.L.andMiddleton,A.,(2008)“Blending

theEngineer’sLearningEnvironmentthroughtheuseofAudio”,EngineeringEducation2008Conference,Loughborugh,UK,July2008

Internationalstudents• Hong,L.,Fox,R.andAlmarza,D.J.,(2007)

‘StrangersinStrangerLands:Language,Learning,Culture’,International Journal of Progressive Educationvol.3,no.1pp.6–28

• Jackson,M.G.,(2003)‘InternationalisingtheUniversityCurriculum’,Journal of Geography in Higher Education vol.27,no.3pp.325–340

• Brady,P.,(2008)‘Ifthestudentswon’tgooutintotheworld,bringtheworldtothem’TimesHigherEducation,15thMay2008www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=401870[Accessed23rdJune2010]

• Amsberry,D.,(2008)‘TalkingtheTalk:LibraryClassroomCommunicationandInternationalStudents’,Journal of Academic Librarianshipvol.34,no.4pp.354–357

CommunicationwithInternationalStudents• Galloway,F.andJenkins,J.R.,(2005)‘The

AdjustmentProblemsFacedbyInternationalStudentsintheUnitedStates:AComparisonofInternationalStudentsandAdministrativePerceptionsatTwoPrivate,ReligiouslyAffiliatedUniversities’,NASPAJournalvol.42,no.2pp.175–187

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Ofinteresttoanyoneineducation,thishandbookwillhelpyouprovideahighqualitylearningexperiencetoanincreasinglydiversestudentbodywhobringwiththemarichnessofbackground,abilityandtalents.

CapturingtheworkoftheInclusiveLearningandTeachingProjectattheUniversityofSheffield,thishandbookprovidessomeideasandexamplesofpracticalstepsthatcanbeeasilytakenwithintheclassroomandbeyondtominimisethebarrierstolearningandparticipationofourstudents.

Thishandbookalsohighlightstheprinciples,identifiedbytheProject,whichensurethatallstudentsareabletoachieveandcontributetoafuturethatishappyandsecure,bothforthemselvesandforfuturegenerations.

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ISBN:978-0-9567228-0-5

Documents

The inclusive learning and teaching handbook