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Inclusive Teaching at Leeds

Our commitment to embedding inclusivity

At the University of Leeds inclusion is one of our core values, and our commitment to designing and delivering student education inclusively is at the heart of the Student Education Strategy 2020-2030  (delivered through the institution-wide Curriculum Redefined Project). We plan to ensure that teaching meets the needs of our diverse student population. To do this, we need to take steps to eliminate disadvantage resulting from: 

  • linguistic
  • educational
  • cultural backgrounds
  • as well as anticipating the learning needs of students with common disabilities.

Designing and Delivering Inclusive Learning and Teaching

Taking an inclusive approach can often require a mindset shift in the way we plan, design and deliver our teaching, as well as how we assess achievement. It is also about recognising and welcoming difference and ensuring that all students feel equally valued.  The term pedagogies is used to describe the approach or method taken to designing and delivering education, and we aim to deliver inclusive pedagogies throughout our curriculum.

The following  principles of inclusive pedagogies act as a working definition for how we approach and understand inclusive learning and teaching at Leeds. These principles are intended to support colleagues in meeting our agreed baseline standards . They should be used as prompts for discussion and reflection, covering preparedness, responsiveness and community building. It is likely that these principles will develop over time, as our institutional understanding of the true nature of inclusion continues to evolve alongside changes in our wider society.  

1. Shared Responsibility

  • Everyone has a responsibility towards inclusion, and everyone with a role that includes student education practice has a responsibility for inclusive pedagogy.
  • The university has a responsibility for providing clear guidance to enable inclusive practice to be delivered, and for students to have their needs met.
  • Individuals have the responsibility for adopting this guidance into their student education practice to meet the needs of students.

2. Effective Practice for All Individuals

  • Inclusivity is about meeting the needs of our diverse student population from different linguistic, educational, cultural backgrounds, as well as disabled students.
  • We should not assume that students with particular characteristics need to be brought up to a perceived acceptable level in order to fully participate and succeed.
  • Efforts should be made to understand and respond to the needs and identities of diverse cohorts in planning, as well being part of a dynamic process.

3. Anticipatory

  • Student Education Practice should be designed to meet the needs of all students as far as possible proactively from the outset.
  • We need to be aware of the barriers commonly experienced by a diverse range of learners and plan for these and the baseline standards of inclusive learning and teaching is a good starting point for this.
  • Only when this cannot be done should interventions and adjustments for specific individuals or groups be considered.

4. Responsive 

  • Student needs cannot be assumed because they have a particular diagnostic label or belong to a particular group, but that can be a good starting point for planning.
  • Responsiveness can mean adapting the approach for the benefit of all students, based on the specific requirements and identities of a small number of individuals.
  • It requires a mindset which acknowledges that the needs and identities of cohorts could be different year on year, and inclusivity should be an ongoing programme of enhancement.

5. Student-Led

  • Feedback should be welcomed through both formal and informal channels and staff need to demonstrate that this feedback is being acted upon.
  • Students should be empowered to share their needs and experiences in a way that is comfortable for them and where ongoing dialogue is welcomed, with staff being aware of the emotional labour and discomfort involved in disclosure of needs and experiences by students.
  • Student partnership work and co-creation should underpin our work in student education and experience.

6. Flexible

  • This recognises that students may need to work in different ways and sometimes at different paces to achieve the same outcome.
  • An understanding of any expected competence standards will help inform where flexibility can be built into design, delivery, learning activities and assessment.
  • You may have some restrictions on flexibility from professional body requirements, institutional quality assurance processes, or school processes. Consider where you can challenge these to inbuild more flexibility.

7. Accessible 

  • This can be achieved through following good practice guidance available on the Inclusivity and Accessibility SharePoint (UoL login required) when producing, designing and delivering within student education.
  • We do have legal requirements to meet regarding accessibility, however we should still be motivated to make things accessible to ensure student needs are met. For digital accessibility advice and templates can be found on this page Digital Accessibility: Advice for Educators.
  • Accessibility is an individual experience so we should be receptive to adapting our approach based on differing needs, however anticipatory practice and adhering to the baseline standards is a good starting point.

8. Clear Information and Instructions

  • Clear communication to students about what to expect and the rationale for any particular approaches will give them agency over their learning.
  • Information and instructions must be provided in formats accessible to all students.
  • Any competence standards which all students are expected to meet should be identified and made visible to students at all levels (including pre-entry).

9. Representation and Belonging  

  • An individual student’s experience of being included in an activity or environment isn’t defined by their personal characteristics.
  • It is achieved through thoughtful design decisions which recognize and value human difference and include representations of this diversity.
  • Bringing in a variety of voices and perspectives into a programme/module can increase representation and belonging across a diverse student group.

10. Building Community

  • The learning community includes students as well as staff, and all members need to feel welcome and valued.
  • Students shouldn’t feel that they’re competing with each other; more that they are working alongside each other, towards their own goals and aspirations.
  • Acknowledging and surfacing the hidden curriculum  will help ensure common vocabulary and points of reference.

 

Examples of how these principles are demonstrated through teaching, as well as a range of prompt questions, can be found in this accompanying Sway resource (UoL access only)

Sway: Principles of Inclusive Pedagogies

 

 

Last updated: 24/02/23