Inclusive content and curricula
Inclusivity ultimately aims to ensure that all students feel empowered to be themselves within our institution and see themselves reflected in the curriculum, irrespective of their background, circumstances, or demographic characteristics (including but not restricted to ability/disability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, religious belief, or non-belief). Diversifying the content of the curriculum is an important facet of inclusive practice.
‘Students tend to respond positively to real and practical examples, particularly those which positively reflect their own backgrounds and identities.’
Zepke and Leach, 2007
Professor Rowena Arshad OBE of the University of Edinburgh, speaks about ‘Building inclusivity: engagement, community and belonging in the classroom’, and addresses what is meant by inclusive teaching and why it is important:
Only got five minutes? Check out the top tips for inclusive curricula
- Use a diverse range of perspectives and voices in the curriculum, including lecture resources, reading lists and case studies (e.g., ensure that knowledge created in the Global South is represented in the curriculum).
- Contextualise course materials by considering the cultural and historical contexts in which content has been created. Ambrose et al. (2010) argue that “neglecting these issues implies a value judgement, which can alienate certain groups of students, thus impeding their developing sense of identity”.
- Build in structured opportunities to discuss any limitations of the course material, particularly any underrepresentation (e.g., if the reading list predominantly includes authors from the Global North, discuss this bias with students and explain the context and rationale behind the reading list composition).
- Work in collaboration with students to diversify reading lists.
- Invite a diverse range of guest speakers.
- Avoid stereotypes and narrow cultural references in course content.
- Provide subject-specific glossaries that detail new or complex terminology.
Anti-colonial approaches
Inherent in adopting and embedding anti-colonial approaches (e.g. decolonial, postcolonial) is that there are innumerate approaches to doing so. This section details resources designed to help staff reflect on how they can adopt anti-colonial practices.
How to have difficult conversations about race, in the context of decolonising the curriculum
Panel members Dr Foluke Adebisi, Dr Jason Arday and Dr Khadija Mohammed answer questions about decolonisation of the curriculum with respect to race and practical steps the University of St Andrews can take to embed inclusive and decolonial practice:
Related resources
- Decolonising SOAS Learning and Teaching Toolkit for Programme and Module Convenors (2018) is a toolkit designed as a briefing for programme and module convenors, on what ‘decolonising’ learning and teaching might entail.
- The Decolonising the science curriculum: working to inspire change in the science education community resource provides some principles for engaging with the decolonising in STEM and provides practical examples of how STEM is being decolonised in higher education contexts.
- The Centre for Innovation in Education at the University of Liverpool have produced a brief spotlight on decolonising the curriculum.
- SULSA have produced the Through the looking glass, breaking barriers in STEM: shaping inclusivity in STEM through action booklet based on a 2021 workshop.
Other resources
- This list of subject-specific inclusive curriculum design from the Higher Education Academy and Stonewall provides ideas and suggestions for a range of subject areas.
