EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY ISSUES IN PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT

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1 EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY ISSUES IN PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Inclusion Inclusive practice begins at programme design level by recognising the diversity of students and is designed to ensure that learning, teaching and assessment practices are as helpful as possible to the widest possible range of students. Inclusive practice enables students to fully participate in learning programmes and therefore works well for students with different physical and psychological conditions, different skills, enthusiasms and cultural backgrounds, different learning styles and world views. It therefore values the diversity of our students and is a resource to enhance the learning experience. Programme design and teaching at HE level have not always been inclusive. Often in the past courses were designed with a particular type of student in mind. This student was unlikely to be disabled, would be aged 18-21, not have family or work commitments and would be at home with middle class western culture. SOAS student body is much more diverse and so it is especially important to ensure that SOAS programme design takes the full range of its students into account. This is not just for obvious ethical reasons; any failure of programme design & teaching practice to keep pace with the increasing diversity of the student population could fall foul of legal standards in place (consolidated in the 2010 Equality Act) for all students. Legislation The Equality Act 2010 identified 9 protected characteristics. These include, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief (including lack of belief), sex and sexual orientation. Section 149 of the Equality Act introduces a Public sector equality duty which came into force in April The duty requires SOAS to have due regard to the need to:- Eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act Advance Equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it o To remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by people from protected groups o Take steps to meet the needs of those people o Encourage those people to participate in public life 1

2 Foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristics and people who do not share it o Tackle prejudice o Promote understanding The Equality Act requires institutions to have due regard to, and analyse the effects of, their policies and key business decisions on equality. It is therefore essential that consideration is given to the likely effect of aspects of the proposed programme on groups of students with protected characteristics when programmes are being planned and developed. Such analysis should also be considered during evaluation and review. In addition the duty to make reasonable adjustments applies where a disabled person is placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with people who are not disabled. In these circumstances SOAS must make reasonable adjustments, to remove that disadvantage. What is and is not judged as reasonable depends on all the circumstances. However it is an important element of the duty to make anticipatory adjustments. Programme developers therefore need to ensure that courses are designed to be accessible to students with a range of impairments and that only minimal adjustments need to be made for individuals. Other legislation is relevant and includes The Human Rights Act 1998 which incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into national law. The convention rights that are particularly relevant to the teaching and learning environment are freedom of thoughts, conscience and religion, freedom of expression and further reading is available here through the Equality Challenge Unit publication Equality Diversity for academics, the legal framework. Inclusive practice Inclusive practice is good practice for all students. When these issues are included in the design and delivery of curriculum it enables teaching and learning to draw on the diversity of all students and to enrich the learning experience for all. Focusing on equality and diversity in programme development will enhance the student experience, including the experience of non-traditional and international students who may sometimes feel alienated from a learning experience and environment that is unfamiliar and that they may not feel part of or valued by Important questions to consider when developing and reviewing programme proposals are: Is there sufficient organisational flexibility in all programmes to accommodate student diversity and individual pathways? Do all stakeholders inform the design, delivery and assessment of learning and teaching? Is programme information available in a range of different formats 2

3 Is a non-discriminatory ethos in the learning environment planned to promote supportive interactions between staff and students? Are students and assessors prepared to deal with the voicing of cultural and hierarchical differences? Is there ethnic and social diversity within the staff group, providing an appropriate range of role models? How can staff be enabled to support and motivate a diverse range of students effectively? Programme and course design What is core to the programme? Have a wide range of stakeholders been involved in planning and developing the curriculum? Has new scholarship on disability, gender, race, sexuality, etc. in relation to the subject/discipline been incorporated into the curriculum? Are curriculum contents sensitive and varied, informed by different social and cultural perspectives and do they build on students educational interests, experiences and aspirations? Do the material resources and examples provided positively embrace the diversity of students backgrounds, interests, experiences and aspirations? Have a range of texts and sources been used? Have inclusive language, images and case studies been used? Has appropriate use of learning technology been suggested? Learning outcomes and assessment Are learning outcomes expressed in a non-discriminatory way? Are learning outcomes and competence standards in place that do not adversely impact upon or discriminate against particular students or groups? Are competence standards relevant to the course i.e. genuine and reviewed? Are all entry, course and exam criteria reviewed to ensure that standards are not discriminatory and that appropriate anticipatory adjustments are in place? Transparent competence standards to those applying to a course as well as students who have enrolled Is the curriculum designed to provide a range of assessment and feedback approaches to do full justice to a diverse body of students? Do the assessment formats ensure that those students with difficulties in writing or typing are not consistently disadvantaged? Are learning outcomes and assessment strategies interlinked to ensure relevant, non-discriminatory practice? What is the justification for using particular assessment methods/systems and are these sufficiently flexible? Are mechanisms in place for making reasonable adjustments to teaching and assessment methods, to enable disabled students to achieve the intended learning outcomes through alternative routes, where appropriate? (For individual students, reasonable adjustments will form part of their learning 3

4 support agreement but there are many anticipatory adjustments that can be made that will benefit all students). Year abroad Does the programme have a year abroad? If so is there an alternative that can be put in place for students who find themselves unable to go, or to complete the year, due to health or family reasons? Will this have an adverse impact on students with protected characteristics and how will you ensure this impact is removed or reduced? Mode of delivery Can there be flexibility in curriculum delivery (including timetabling) and student choice? Can a range of different teaching methods and perspectives be used to accommodate and value a variety of learning preferences and experiences? Are strategies in place to engage all students in class activities and integrate with one another? Are programmes providing a range of learning and teaching approaches that take account of the diversity of students and build effective working relationships? Will the course staff upload teaching materials and lecture notes to the virtual learning environment BEFORE each teaching session so they are available to all in electronic format and each student can convert to their preferred format? Will all documents placed on the VLE by the course staff be accessible to those using screen readers? Will all electronic images used for the course and placed on the VLE be appropriately tagged with a descriptive label? Will reading lists be annotated to indicate which texts are essential reading and which are desirable but less than essential? Where feasible will academic staff indicate on the reading list specific chapters/sections of books so that students do not necessarily need to read the entire text? Will reading lists be annotated to indicate which materials are available in electronic format and give the web links for those? Will teachers always use a microphone and PA system which it is provided (since 1 in 8 people have some degree of hearing impairment and it is less of a strain on the lecturer s own voice)?. 4

5 Inclusive practice Recommendations for Programme Review Teams for inclusive practice in programme design and validation: Use checklists to consider the protected characteristics and wider diversity issues Validation panel procedures to draw attention to issues such as meeting diverse needs and legislative requirements Be aware of the policies and procedures that reinforce SOAS commitment to inclusive practice and individual staff responsibility for embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum Provide clear guidance on developing non-discriminatory competence standards Develop effective partnerships between departments and services which contribute to embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum Evaluate student performance data - SOAS collects analyses and uses quantitative and qualitative data and research relating to access, retention, attainment and progression of all students Regular monitor and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of policy and practices which embed equality and diversity in the curriculum and inform curriculum design and delivery Have standardised procedures for collection, analysis and use of student data Ensure programmes are routinely assessed to ensure that equality groups are not adversely affected Staff to continually advance their understanding and application of equality and diversity in curriculum design and delivery That senior managers are leading and championing work in equality and diversity in the curriculum. Providing learning resources which non-discriminatory, socially and culturally diverse and fully accessible. Providing a physical environment is fully accessible to all students. Staff understanding the importance of an anticipatory approach that it is taken to maximise accessibility and flexibility. Offering learning in a range of sites/modes to offer accessibility and flexibility to students. Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum that includes distance learning, partner institutions, work-based providers and professional placements and field-work. 5

6 Further guidance Further guidance to support Disabled Students is available from the Student Disability & Dyslexia Service. References: Disability Legislation, Practical guidance for academic staff, programme design and validation, The Higher Education Academy and the Equality Challenge Unit, October 2006 Embedding equality and diversity in the curriculum, self-evaluation framework, Dr. Helen May and Professor Liz Thomas, The Higher Education Academy, 2010 Equality and diversity for academic - The legal framework, England and Wales, Equality Challenge Unit, March 2013 Used Salford in the curriculum.pdf Diversity & Disability Advisers March