We have a considerable amount of work to do to ensure that all our students feel they ‘belong’ to the university and are fully included. The good news is that if all staff make a commitment to becoming an inclusive educator, we really can make a difference.
What is an inclusive educator?
An inclusive educator is concerned about the success and well-being of all students, and is committed to learning about how some teaching practices can be exclusionary. Of course, all staff are concerned about their students but if we fail to examine our customary practices from time to time, we may not realise that we are – unintentionally – excluding some students in our classes.
What can you do to ensure you are an inclusive educator?
We are pleased to announce that HEFi has developed a short Inclusive Educator Canvas Course. You can work through the course in about 30 minutes, and it will support you to check different aspects of your practice and to develop more inclusive practices where needed. The Course also includes access to up-to-date resources, spaces to share your experiences, and information about further CPD activities you can organise in your own School or Department.
We recognise that everyone is very busy, so I want to highlight the ‘Quick Starts’ section of the Course that focuses specifically on areas such as: being inclusive when using PowerPoint, designing a curriculum, teaching remotely, and web accessibility.
On completion of the course you will collect a Digital Badge to add to your email signature, LinkedIn profile etc., and this will demonstrate your commitment to becoming an inclusive educator. We all recognise that inclusion is a very broad area and a single short course cannot do it justice, but taking this commitment step will be interesting and fulfilling for you, and reassuring for your students.