1. Teaching for Diversity Dr Gill Cooke 15 February 2013 HEA STEM Workshop for Postgraduates who Teach

2. To introduce you to your students – diversity of engineering students; To reflect on how your teaching might accommodate students’ needs and help promote learning inclusively. 2 Aim of this session

3. Diversity - “the state or quality of being different or varied” Collins Concise Dictionary 1999 In pairs, jot down some ideas about who you think your students are. What will they have in common? How will they be different? Join another pair – have you got the same ideas? Be prepared to report to the whole group. 3 Who are my students?

4. 4 Diversity Religion Ability Attention span Personal circumstances Educational history Learning styles Learning preferences Mood Race Language State of health Sexuality Aspirations Areas of interest Age Employment status Gender Culture Disabilities Learning difficulties Expectations Prior knowledge

5. 5 Student facts: disability (7%) HESA 2010/11 Heidi data

6. 6 Student facts: gender HESA 2010/11 Heidi data

7. 7 Student facts: ethnicity HESA 2010/11 Heidi data

8. Professional Values V1 Respect individual learners and diverse learning communities V2 Promote participation in higher education and equality of opportunity for learners 8 UK Professional Standards Framework

9. … one where all students’ entitlement to access and participate in a course is anticipated, acknowledged and taken into account. Croucher and Romer’s definition states that an inclusive approach: … does not place groups in opposition to each other. It respects diversity but does not imply a lack of commonality; it supports the concept of widening participation, but does not imply an externally imposed value judgment; it values equality of opportunity, but encourages all to feel that this relates to them, and that the issues are not just projected as being relevant to groups more commonly defined as disenfranchised, and translated into universities’ targets for equality. (Croucher and Romer, 2007: 3) 9 An inclusive curriculum is...

10. Tackling isolation through effective induction – sense of belonging Mathematics for engineering students Increasing access to laboratory and practical work, consider assessment methods Developing intercultural competence and understanding:— identifying subject-specific terminology and specialist language and providing glossaries and background reading; — responding to cultural expectations about student participation; — devising ground rules for different situations such as seminars and group work; — staff joining groups to model active participation self-directed projects; — sharing common difficulties and strategies for overcoming them; — explaining the rationale and benefits of self-directed projects (Bond and Scudamore, 2010). Responding to different learning approaches by using technology http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/inclusion/disability/ICD_engineering.pdf 10 Engineering specific considerations

11. Increasing student engagement and assessment in laboratory work Enabling students to solve problems and apply theory using case studies Increasing curriculum relevance through multi-disciplinary collaboration Preparing future professionals to work ethically with end users http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/inclusion/disa bility/ICD_materials.pdf 11 Materials Specific considerations

12. In small groups (4-5) review the subject specific considerations for inclusivity. Reflect on your own organisation and discuss with the group one approach it uses for encouraging inclusivity. Select the most innovative practice to report to the whole group. 12 Existing Inclusive Practice Discussion

13. Effective practice for one group can and should be effective practice for all: embedding student and staff well-being; promoting student engagement; use of technology to enhance learning; responding to different approaches to learning; avoiding stereotypes and celebrating diversity; making reasonable adjustments Nurture a culture of belonging in academic and social community 13 General Considerations

14. Teaching diverse students inclusively means: Using a variety of examples to illustrate ideas; Remembering that students of different ages, backgrounds and cultures might not know the same things that you do or hold the same values; Being aware of students’ prior learning. For example, language could be addressed by: glossary; explaining new terms/acronyms as used; explain idiomatic language; plan sessions to allow pre-class reading time; students select articles to analyse in class 14 Inclusive Practice - suggestions

15. Reflect and consider your own teaching practices: Can I improve my inclusive practice? In pairs, share your ideas. Can you help each other? Join another pair and compare your ideas. Be prepared to share one suggestion with the group 15 How can I change my teaching to reflect diversity?

16. Understand inclusion is a shared responsibility Be proactive and seek advice/information Routinely consider inclusion in your practice Work in partnership with other services Work with students as partners and change agents Participate in CPD activities Recognise inclusion is incremental and ongoing Review and alter the language you use Reflect on any personal prejudices and assumptions 16 Creating an Inclusive Culture

17. http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/inclusion/Disability/Inclusiv e_curriculum_design_in_higher_education http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/internationalisation/Rache lScudamoreReportFeb2013.pdf http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/teaching-international-students http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/internationalisation/ISL_Int ercultural_Competences 17 References and Further Information