Demystifying inclusion Jess Inglis, Learner Enhancement Manager Ruby Robinson, Senior Transitions Officer Krassimira Teneva, Head of International Experience

SHU Strategy “We will be inclusive, supporting students from a wide range of backgrounds and giving all students the best opportunity to succeed during and after their time in Sheffield Hallam.”

Inclusion in learning and teaching “Inclusive learning and teaching in higher education refers to the ways in which pedagogy, curricula and assessment are designed and delivered to engage students in learning that is meaningful, relevant and accessible to all. It embraces a view of the individual and individual difference as the source of diversity that can enrich the lives and learning of others” (2010, p1). Hockings, C. (2010) Inclusive learning and teaching in Higher Education: A synthesis of research, The Higher Education Academy.

Inclusion is a journey Inclusion as support Inclusion as accessibility Inclusion as absence of exclusion

Inclusion as accessibility Are our classrooms physically accessible to all? Do we use the correct font size and colour in our powerpoint slides? Is our delivery style accessible and free of jargon? Are all students able to engage in all activities which are part of the curriculum? Does our teaching happen at times when all can attend? Do we provide learning materials in a variety of formats to suit all students? Are we as academics accessible to our students?

Inclusion as absence of exclusion Do we model positive interpersonal behaviours in the classroom? Do we have an awareness of how our culture may lead to unconscious bias? Is the classroom arranged to encourage interaction and support positive classroom dynamic? Do we encourage students in our lectures to get to know each other? Have we made sure negative behaviours are absent from the classroom? E.g. cliques, prejudice, stereotyping etc Do we engage with all students in the classroom? Do we provide equal opportunities to all to participate Are our case studies and examples inclusive and relevant to all?

Inclusion as support Inclusion as support “Access without support is not an opportunity” Vincent Tinto Inclusion as support If a student had a support need which is not being met, would they feel able to disclose it? Does our course content respond to the diversity of skills and experience in the classroom? Are students’ academic and professional skills developed as part of the curriculum? Do we offer a range of assessment tasks to suit all and remove the need for retrospective individual adjustments? Do we provide early feedback to all students? Are our processes flexible enough to support student success?

Our students 10% of our students disclose a disability About 30% are mature students 3-6% are carers About 1% are known to be care leavers or estranged students About 12% are international

Student Voices "When problems came up which were affecting my studies, my Course Leader was great and put me in touch with my faculty student support and I was supported in submitting Extenuating Circumstances. Without support I would have dropped out but my Course Leader was really encouraging." Student care leaver "I'm currently homeless as my accommodation at uni has expired and I move into the next one in September. I have nobody to turn to for help as I was living in a hostel before I moved to my university." Estranged student

Student Voices “I’m always the only one to mention gender identities outside the binary... often treated as ‘strange’ and ‘radical’ for bringing it up” LGBT+ student "My course has changed my way of thinking and solving problems. I have become more open minded and aware of other aspects of language. The tutors always make us feel more involved in the lessons by encouraging us to discuss and contribute our own ideas." International Student

Student Voices “They’ve all been understanding, because they’re like ‘as long as you tell us what’s going on and as long as you keep us updated, like if your dad’s in the hospital or is at home but needs a lot of caring.’ They’re fine with me being late or having to leave a half hour early or something, as long as I get everything sorted.” Student Carer "I just think it's a bit annoying that.. you don't see ethnically diverse lecturers. I think that kind of brings forth the question 'why not?' in the content as well, I think especially because we're doing literature and there is so much literature out there from diverse writers that we could explore but we don't explore." BME student

Useful Resources Essential Pre Work Please read pages 12 -15 of the Final report from the What works? Student Retention & Success Programme Please watch this 10 minute TED talk on Unconscious Bias Read the attached Student Voice extracts Read the Internationalisation of the Curriculum Self-evaluation tool If you have time please also Read some of the case studies (highlighted in blue) in the Final report from the What works? Student Retention & Success Programme Watch this 3 minute All That We Share video from Danish TV channel TV2 Watch this 10 minute video from the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers and this 5 minute video on Care leavers: journeys through the care system If you are particularly interested in this subject you can Watch this 50 minute Trashing Transphobia documentary Read more about the experiences of carers, mature students and estranged students and care leavers in Higher Education