Developing Inclusive Learning and Teaching at Aston
University
Abstract
In providing an inclusive learning experience for all students it is not the aim
exclusively for equality in treatment and support in HE at Aston University, as all
students have individual needs, but in equal opportunity for them to achieve a
fulfilling and rewarding outcome.
The Aston 2012 Strategy (http://www1.aston.ac.uk/about/strategy/) affirms the
University’s commitment to an inclusive learning environment stating that ‘a high
performance organisation requires a stretching and challenging yet supportive
culture, where the contributions of individuals and groups are recognised and
respected’. Therefore Aston University strives to provide and further develop a high
quality inclusive learning and teaching (L&T) environment, and thereby enhance the
learning experience for all students. The current programme has aimed to facilitate
the development of institutional change through the engagement in focused
activities, reflection on our understanding and progress in effectively supporting our
students in HE, and the development of a network of partner institutions with similar
goals in providing inclusive L&T communities.
The two areas of development that the University is currently focusing on are student
development and (academic) enhancement and curriculum design. The Curriculum
and Learner Development Working Group (a sub-committee of the University L&T
Committee) is working with the Student Guild and the Student Peer Mentoring Team
to enhance inclusive practice across the institution, for example to ease the transition
of new students into HE through development of the pre-entry peer mentoring
scheme. The group is also developing new staff workshops and guides on inclusive
practice and curriculum design, raising awareness of intercultural diversity in the
University community, the further development of the Single Equality Scheme Action
Plan and VLE site. Through these initiatives we not only hope to develop and
enhance practice but, over time, to accompany it with growing institution-wide
awareness and cultural change.
Rationale for the Initiative/Institutional Context
Aston University has a commitment to providing, and further developing, an inclusive
learning and teaching (L&T) environment, and thereby enhance the learning
experience for all students. Aston’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Julia King, stated in
the Aston 2012 strategy that ‘We will be working together to establish ourselves as a
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top 10 UK university whilst retaining Aston's core value: delivering accessible
excellence’. The Aston 2012 Strategy further affirms the commitment to an inclusive
learning environment stating that ‘a high performance organisation requires a
stretching and challenging yet supportive culture, where the contributions of
individuals and groups are recognised and respected’. Warmth and respect are key
features of our community where we can celebrate the individual, religious and
cultural diversity, coupled with outstanding student support, to ensure students from
all backgrounds reach their full potential. In addition the University L&T strategy
(http://www1.aston.ac.uk/clipp/learning-and-teaching-strategy/) also affirms this
commitment, stating as one of its objectives to ‘Promote creativity and innovation in
curriculum design and delivery which supports the needs of a diverse student
population and their employment needs’.
The University had already developed a new Single Equality Action Plan (SEAP),
with a section specifically focusing on L&T. Also the terms of reference of the new
statutory Curriculum and Learner Development Working Group (CLDWG), a subcommittee of the University Learning and Teaching Committee, explicitly address
equality issues and the enhancement of an inclusive learning environment. A key
objective for the CLDWG is ‘to provide evidence-based and targeted learning
development and enhancement for Aston’s diverse student community’. In addition
the newly validated Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice (PGCPP)
includes a day on intercultural diversity (in its widest sense) and developing good
L&T practice.
It was perceived that participation in the HEA Summit Programme would enable
Aston to develop a strong network of partner institutions with similar goals in
providing inclusive L&T communities, and thereby facilitate the sharing and
dissemination of best practice through close collaborative working. It was also hoped
that the programme would assist the development of an institutional change
evaluation strategy to facilitate comparison with other institutions, and allow us to
reflect on our own understanding and progress in effectively supporting our students
in Higher Education.
Strategy
As a result of establishing the Single Equality Action Plan and the CLDWG, and the
concomitant participation in the HEA project, a programme of actions was developed
to enhance good practice and embed inclusivity in our learning and teaching practice
across Aston University, including:

The development of an equality checklist of questions to aid the development
of new programmes and modules.

The provision of improved guidance to staff on how to incorporate the
principles of equality and diversity into curriculum development.

Establishing a staff Equality and Diversity ‘module’ on the VLE with useful
information such as exemplars, case studies, short focused briefings, etc.,
along with the SEAP, staff handbook and policy documents.
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
The development of workshops for all staff, including for those at senior level,
to raise awareness and develop inclusive practice in L&T. The workshops will
be developed through co-operation between Staff Development, the Disability
and Additional Needs Unit, and the Centre for Learning Innovation and
Professional Practice.

The development of a pre-entry peer e-mentoring scheme to support the
student transition to Higher Education.
Through these and other initiatives we aim to engage others in the institution in the
process of change.
Activities Undertaken
Over the period of the project a number of activities have been completed or
initiated:

The Equality and Diversity site on the institutional VLE has been established
as a resource and guidance ‘one-stop shop’ for all staff at Aston. The site is
designed to compliment advice and resources provided by other support
services such as the Disability and Additional Needs Unit (DANU), Information
Services Aston (ISA) and the Library Information Services. The support
services provide information and appropriate materials for regular
updates/additions to the site.

The development of an Inclusive Learning and Teaching leaflet for all staff
new to the institution (based on the leaflet developed by Bangor University).

Development of an inclusive L&T checklist to aid good practice in programme
and module development. The checklist will be piloted by the School of Life
and Health Sciences (LHS) during 2010, and the participants of the PGCPP.

An intercultural diversity workshop, for staff not on the PGCPP, was held in
November 2009 and all 1st year Aston Business School students also took
part in a session on intercultural awareness.

The pre-entry peer mentoring scheme for students was embedded as part of
the University peer mentoring strategy. The scheme was viewed to be
important for facilitating the transition to Higher Education for both homebased and international students.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor (External Affairs), Professor Helen Higson,
undertook research cultural competency within the institution, particularly
focussed on the PGCPP, and this resulted in a refereed conference paper in
2009, ‘The Journey Towards Cultural Competency: developing university
teachers’.
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
The Student Guild is co-ordinating an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) student
research project to elicit student perspectives on good practice in Inclusive
L&T across Aston. The Head of Curriculum and Learner Development and the
Student Evaluation Officer have been providing support, and the relevant
paperwork and ethical approval is in place for the research. Student
researchers have been recruited and a training workshop has occurred. The
AI research will be undertaken between February and March 2010 and the
presentation of the results to University staff and University Council will take
place in April 2010.
The initiatives kick started through Aston’s engagement in the HEA Summit
Programme are not expected to conclude but be sustained into the future. Activities
that are planned for the future include:

The next academic year has been designated ‘The Year of Crossing
Boundaries: Ethnicity and Culture’ and a series of sessions for staff and
students will take place throughout the University. We envisage that sessions
will also attract, or be in cooperation with, the local community.

The introduction of an Inclusive L&T workshop for all new staff to the
university, who do not have to attend the PGCPP programme, or are exempt
from the first module of the programme.

Continued work with colleagues from other HEIs working in this area,
particularly those from the University of West of Scotland.

Further AI research in collaboration with the Student Guild.
Key Successes and Achievements
There have been a number of notable achievements within the Aston community that
have been encouraging throughout the duration of the project year.
The positive response from the CLDWG to act as the steering committee was
particularly motivating as staff from all Schools and student support services are
represented on the committee, so it immediately enabled the project team to tap into
views and perspectives of a wide range of stakeholders within the institution. The
CLDWG members were very helpful at the start of the project in helping the team to
identify the key objectives for the University and also the challenges that were
ahead. The CLDWG will continue to lead initiatives and communication on inclusive
L&T practice and this project has provided a useful focus for the working group.
The development of the Inclusivity in L&T leaflet did not at first seem to be a very
significant activity. However, the leaflet has been well received, with some useful
feedback for minor modifications, and we have had request for copies from DANU
and the Health e-Learning Centre in LHS. Having only printed a first run of 300
copies we are already considering a second print run that incorporates the
suggested changes.
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In a low key way the ‘Equality and Diversity’ module on the VLE has been successful
as it has helped to bring focus and raise awareness of inclusivity in a practical way
for all staff across the University. The site offers practical resources for staff to adopt
throughout their planning and to inform practice, and has drawn together information
from a variety of sources, both internal and external to Aston. Nothing like this
‘module’ existed before and staff were generally left to find guidance and resources
from wherever they could. Although this module development is in its early stages it
will be ongoing, evolving and growing as everyone can contribute to the site into the
future.
Two extended pilots of pre-entry e-mentoring were introduced by the University
Learner Enhancement Team. In the first pilot new students were offered support
from current students, upon confirmation of a place at Aston (typically late August).
Students were matched by degree area, and have email contact with their mentor for
the duration of September. Upon arriving at Aston for the start of the new academic
year, new students are encouraged to join the face-to-face Peer Mentoring
programme. This pilot was successfully introduced in Interdisciplinary Studies with
30 e-mentors and 30 e-mentees and will now be extended to programmes within the
School of Life and Health Sciences.
This second pre-entry e-mentoring pilot was a variation on the above, but specifically
targeting new international students. New international students were matched with
current international students by home country, to help support their successful
transition to Aston. As above, on arrival at Aston they were encouraged to join the
face-to-face Peer Mentoring programme, perhaps this time electing to have a homebased student mentor. Over 200 student mentors and mentees participated in this
pilot.
There was unexpectedly good attendance (over 30) at the intercultural diversity
workshop for staff not on the PGCPP. Staff attending the workshop were asked what
had encouraged them to attend and they responded that they had heard positive
comments from participants on the PGCPP, suggesting that the embedding of
inclusive L&T activities on the PG programme does filter through to other staff in the
institution.
Challenges That Have Been Overcome
A number of challenges were identified at the beginning of the project such as:




The research orientated culture at Aston.
The difficulty of raising the profile of the Learning Development Centre and
Learner Enhancement Team.
As a small University we have limited resources, both personnel and funds.
A tendency for some initiatives to take place in isolation.
The project team has overcome a number of these challenges by embedding a
number of the activities into the working practices of the University. For example by
regularly meeting and discussing progress through the CLDWG, and this has also
helped to raise the profile of the activities. The development of the inclusive L&T
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checklist has been developed in parallel with the review of the programme approval
process. Also embedding awareness of student and staff diversity and inclusive L&T
in the PGCPP has had a significant impact. The project team has also been able to
liaise with the team engaged in another HEA project, ‘Improving the Degree
Attainment for BEM students’ and have been disseminating jointly through
conference presentations.
Future Plans
At Aston there is a strong feeling that there are opportunities to encourage and
explore inclusivity that extend into the future. One of the most significant initiatives is
the ‘Year of Crossing Boundaries: Ethnicity and Culture’ as this will be a high profile
event that encompasses the whole of the Aston community.
The student findings from the Appreciative Inquiry research project identifying
examples of good inclusive L&T practice by staff, Schools and Departments have the
potential to stimulate future planning and change. There has been a great deal of
interest in the students’ research, prompting a change of venue, based on initial
feedback, in order to accommodate more staff at the presentation day in April.
The University also aims to further develop of staff development workshops following
positive response to those that have already taken place. It is hoped that these
workshops will be complimented by development of online resources for staff to
follow up independently and to ensure that as an institution we keep abreast of
developments/resources in this area.
With the appointment of a new Associate Head of Technology Enhanced Learning
(TEL) we would look to encourage the use of appropriate and effective TEL to
facilitate more accessible learning, teaching and assessment.
Ultimately the project team views this initiative as something that has helped to bring
focus and will lead to further innovations and developments in our strategy, and we
aim to further develop, embed and sustain an inclusive learning environment that will
result in a positive learning experience and outcome for all Aston students.
Reflections
Participation in the HEA ‘Developing Inclusive Learning and Teaching’ Summit
Programme has opened up opportunities and stimulated creative thinking at Aston
University. It has been an invigorating experience that has caused us as an
institution to have a fresh outlook and perspective on what we do at Aston. The
residentials provided quality time to reflect on the best way forward at Aston, to learn
from colleagues at participating institutions and to have confidence in trying new
approaches to enhance inclusivity. However, the support of senior management has
been particularly important during the course of the project and this has enabled the
team to tie aspects of the project into institutional committees and structures.
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There have been very real and positive benefits to the inclusion of student
consultation and participation in the programme at Aston, as the student voice has
raised the profile of the project within the student and staff community. The project
team have been very grateful for the support of members of the Student Guild and
for their interest and promotion of the programme.
Lessons for Other Institutions
At Aston it is felt that we have grown as an institution from our involvement in the
Summit Programme. However, if we were to give advice to other institutions we
would suggest the following considerations:

It is great to have vision but be realistic about what is achievable a) in the
timeframe of the project and b) to provide sustainable activities into the future.

If possible embed the project activities into other institutional activities and
processes.

Try to widen the team in order to spread the load.

Don’t underestimate the time needed to undertake the activities.

Don’t be afraid to ask other institutions participating in the project for
permission to ‘repurpose’, with acknowledgement, appropriate materials. We
came away with some good ideas from the network that have since been
implemented at Aston.
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