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Inclusive Pedagogic Practice Series 2020/21

CHERP, in partnership with Student Wellbeing, UUSU and the Office of Digital Learning have delivered a series of webinars to support staff best practice regarding inclusive curriculum design, development and delivery.

“An inclusive curriculum is universal and intended to improve the experience, skills and attainment of all students including those in protected characteristic groups.

It aims to ensure that the principles of inclusivity are embedded within all aspects of the academic cycle.”

Find out more about Advance HE

It is important that we consider the needs and perspectives of our learners when we design and deliver curricula, adopting an ethic of care that recognises staff and student authenticity, difference and diversity.

Through this we can support our students to achieve their full potential and maximise their success at Ulster University.

This co-developed series provides the Ulster learning community with an opportunity to share and learn about inclusive practices in learning and teaching. Interactive sessions will have a particular focus on inclusion within digital learning spaces (Covid-19 context).

Seminar Programme

Delivery platform

BBL Collaborate Ultra. All sessions will be recorded and  auto-captioning will be applied to all presentations.

Duration and time

All sessions will be scheduled on Wednesday afternoons and will last 1.5 - 2hours long.

All seminars have been completed for this Academic Year, however, all recordings are available for playback, see the 'Past CPD Events' section below.

Past CPD Events

  • 1: Inclusive Pedagogy and Practice: Setting the Scene (Recording Available) 
    Session Date: 18 Nov 2020

    Session Aim

    Creating an inclusive and engaging online learning experience – what have we learned so far that can guide our future practice.

    Session Objectives

    • To explore the importance of inclusion within HE, with a particular focus on online learning
    • To hear about Ulster partnership approaches to addressing this agenda
    • To set the scene by listening to multiple voices and perspectives

    Session Speakers

    • Wider sector perspectives - Dr Kay Hack (Advance HE)
    • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Our students' perspective - Nicole Parkinson-Kelly Shauna Murphy (UUSU)
    • Ulster's Institutional perspective - Professor Colin Turner (Interim Dean of Learning Enhancement)
    • Student Wellbeing: A strategy for inclusion - Ann Hart-Henderson (Student Wellbeing).
  • 2: Supporting Staff and Students Wellbeing for Success (Recording Available)
    Session Date: 9 Dec 2021

    Session Aim

    This timely pair of workshops will enable staff to explore techniques and tools for supporting their own wellbeing and that of their students in these troubled and challenging months.

    Part 1 overview – Supporting Staff Wellbeing

    It has been a stressful period for all of us over the past months so it is appropriate as we enter what is normally a period of reflection and celebration to share a gift. This first session of the pair focuses on the staff perspective in addressing wellbeing. The tools and techniques we will explore in this practical session form part of that gift offering.

    In delivering this session I am very mindful that UU is a civic university and community, inclusion and empowerment sit at the heart of what we do here at Ulster. It is also worth reflecting that as individuals, as staff, we cannot enable others effectively without also caring for our own health and wellbeing in our lives and work.

    This session therefore explores:

    A gift of simple techniques you can apply quickly and easily to care for yourself and create space to recharge yourselves in times of stress;

    • How to engage with ‘agency’ as HE practitioners using the simple idea of ‘Me PLC'.
    • Some ideas for adopting the above in our pedagogy and practice.
    • And finally, I will share some resources for you to explore and adopt if you choose over the coming months.

    Facilitator

    Visiting Professor Dr Ruth Pilkington (PFHEA, NTF, SFSEDA)

    Part 2 overview – Embedding wellbeing in the Curriculum

    Students are adjusting to COVID related life pressures including their new student experience of online, socially distanced delivery of their curriculum. Following on from Prof. Ruth Pilkington’s work with staff, this input helps staff appreciate why promoting student wellbeing and mental health is essential and particularly relevant at this time and how wellbeing and mental health impacts students’ availability to learn, their engagement, retention and academic outcomes.

    We profile the wellbeing support needs of our increasingly diverse student community at Ulster and consider what can we do to embed wellbeing in our curriculum delivery and where and when we deliver an inclusive curriculum this ensures we are providing a relevant, contemporary and innovative curriculum.

    Facilitator

    Ann Hart-Henderson, Ulster’s Student Wellbeing Manager.

    Target Audience

    Any interested Ulster staff and students

  • 3: Designing Inclusive Curriculum - Decolonising the Curriculum (Recording Available)
    Date Recorded : 27 Jan 2021

    Session Aim

    This session is designed to start the critically important conversation around how we can develop approaches that decolonise the curricula. Key inputs will be complemented with staff and student experiences and opportunities for discussion about how to take this project forward.

    Session Objectives

    • To provide an overview of approaches to decolonising the curriculum
    • To share snapshots of staff practice and student experience
    • To contribute to how we plan to take this project forward

    Facilitator

    Dr Sarah Floyd (CHERP)

    Target Audience

    Any interested Ulster staff and students

  • 4: Developing Accessible Content and Practices (Recording Available)
    Date: 10 Feb 2021

    Session Aim

    This session focuses on how we can develop accessible content and practices. Key inputs will be complemented with staff and student experiences and opportunities for discussion.

    Session Objectives

    • To provide an overview of the Accessibility Agenda
    • To outline practical support
    • To share snapshots of staff practice and student experience

    Facilitator

    Clare Thomson (ODL) and Ryan Bowes (Student Wellbeing Team)

    Target Audience

    Any interested Ulster staff and students

  • 5: Delivering an Inclusive Curriculum (Recording Available)
    Date: 10 March 2021

    Session Aim

    This session focuses on how we can deliver more inclusive curricula. Key inputs will be complemented with staff and student experiences and opportunities for discussion.

    Session Objectives

    • To provide an overview of effective approaches
    • To share snapshots of staff practice and student experience

    Facilitator

    Ann Hart-Henderson (Student wellbeing) Colette Murphy (CHERP)

    Target Audience

    Any interested Ulster staff

  • 6: Designing Inclusive Curriculum - Universal Design (Recording Available)
    Date: 21 April 2021

    Session Aim

    This session focuses on how we can design more inclusive curricula. Key inputs will be complemented with staff and student experiences and opportunities for discussion.

    Session Objectives

    • Accessing the ‘Universal Design for Learning’ Framework
    • Designing inclusive assessment for learning
    • Sharing snapshots of staff practice and student experience

    Facilitator

    Colette Murphy (CHERP)

    Target Audience

    Any interested Ulster staff and students

Call for Contributions: Snapshots of practice

To complement the Seminar Series, and in particular for seminars 3-6, we would like to curate authentic experiences of effective practice to stimulate discussion.

These reflections of practice should include both staff and student perspectives where possible.

A number will be selected for each session but all who submit will have an opportunity to develop their submission into a brief 5-minute snapshot of practice (written, video or podcast) for sharing on the Inclusive Learning and Teaching website.

Snapshot summaries can be submitted using the on-line form.

Contact details

For further information on the Inclusive Practice Seminar Series contact:

Dr Sarah Floyd

Reader in Higher Education Practice

Coleraine Centre For Prof Practice Enhancement

For further information on Embedding Wellbeing in the Curriculum contact:

Colette Murphy

Lecturer in Higher Education Practice

Belfast Curriculum Enhancement & Approval