HEA STEM Workshop for Postgraduates who Teach

1. HEA STEM Workshop for Postgraduates who Teach • Teaching for Diversity • Dr Gill Cooke • 8 July 2013

2. Aim of this session 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. Diversity - “the state or quality of being different or varied” Collins Concise Dictionary 1999

3. Diversity

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

5. Student facts: genderHESA 2010/11 Heidi data

6. Student facts: ethnicityHESA 2010/11 Heidi data

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

8. An inclusive curriculum is . . . … 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. Engineering specific considerations 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. Materials Specific considerations 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/disability/ICD_materials.pdf

11. General Considerations • 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

12. How can I change my teaching to reflect diversity? 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

13. Inclusive Practice - suggestions • 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. Creating an Inclusive Culture 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

15. References and Further Information http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/inclusion/Disability/Inclusive_curriculum_design_in_higher_education http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/internationalisation/RachelScudamoreReportFeb2013.pdf http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/teaching-international-students http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/internationalisation/ISL_Intercultural_Competences