Inclusive Curriculum Framework

Introduction

Kingston University's Inclusive Curriculum Framework defines our academic offer. It promotes a universal approach to course design intended to improve the experience, skills and attainment of all students.

It encourages the development of courses that put the student at the centre - moving away from pedagogic practices that disadvantage some of our student groups. It is about thinking of the curriculum in a different way so that basic assumptions are challenged and changed.

Curriculum design principles

At the heart of the Framework is a set of three fundamental design principles:

Create an accessible curriculum
Enable students to see themselves reflected in the curriculum
Equip students with the skills to positively contribute to and work in a global and diverse world

The framework should be used:

When undertaking internal subject reviews
By course teams reviewing their course content
By individual teachers rethinking their own learning and teaching practice

The result can be a transformative process for course teams and for their students.

Questions for Course Teams and Module Leaders: prompts to ensure an inclusive curriculum

Prompts: Concepts

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
Have you created a clear statement related to inclusive course values within student handbook? Have you addressed the ‘hidden curriculum' if acknowledged in the discipline area?	How have you challenged normative disciplinary attitudes to ensure that the course is meaningful and relevant to a diverse student body? Have you involved students in the creation of the course?	How will the course aim to develop university graduate attributes around global awareness and diversity?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

Have you created a clear statement related to inclusive course values within student handbook?
Have you addressed the ‘hidden curriculum' if acknowledged in the discipline area?

How have you challenged normative disciplinary attitudes to ensure that the course is meaningful and relevant to a diverse student body?
Have you involved students in the creation of the course?

How will the course aim to develop university graduate attributes around global awareness and diversity?

Prompts: Content

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
Have you checked all the content is accessible to different groups of students and materials adhere to best practice for disabled students and students with a learning difference? Are you using inclusive language, avoiding colloquial language and providing a glossary of new and complex terms?	Have you ensured that the case-studies and reading lists reflect the diversity in the learning community? Have you thought about how best to allow students to bring their own perspectives into the learning arena ensuring equality of engagement?	Does the content extend understanding of diversity and allow students to recognise their own potential to make a difference in a rapidly changing international context?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

Have you checked all the content is accessible to different groups of students and materials adhere to best practice for disabled students and students with a learning difference?
Are you using inclusive language, avoiding colloquial language and providing a glossary of new and complex terms?

Have you ensured that the case-studies and reading lists reflect the diversity in the learning community?
Have you thought about how best to allow students to bring their own perspectives into the learning arena ensuring equality of engagement?

Does the content extend understanding of diversity and allow students to recognise their own potential to make a difference in a rapidly changing international context?

Prompts: Learning and teaching

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
Have you thought about how the delivery engages different learning styles? Will the course be delivered in an accessible mode and are there alternative options provided for students who cannot access specific delivery mechanisms?	How does the L&T strategy ensure that the classroom environment is welcoming and inclusive and encourages participation from under-represented groups? Have the course team engaged in unconscious bias and equalities training?	Are there structured opportunities for cross-cultural interaction to help students recognise the value of working with people from diverse backgrounds? Are students exposed to a range of culturally challenging views, opinions and contexts?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

Have you thought about how the delivery engages different learning styles?
Will the course be delivered in an accessible mode and are there alternative options provided for students who cannot access specific delivery mechanisms?

How does the L&T strategy ensure that the classroom environment is welcoming and inclusive and encourages participation from under-represented groups?
Have the course team engaged in unconscious bias and equalities training?

Are there structured opportunities for cross-cultural interaction to help students recognise the value of working with people from diverse backgrounds?
Are students exposed to a range of culturally challenging views, opinions and contexts?

Prompts: Assessment

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
Are timelines (formative, summative and feedback) advised at the start of the course? Are a diverse range of assessments styles (including choice) used to reduce the need for reasonable adjustments and ensure that the assessment medium reflects their own strengths and educational backgrounds?	Do the case-studies/vignettes used in the assessment reflect the diversity in our student body? Are there assessments where students can draw upon their own background? e.g. ‘open' assessment where students can apply a particular principle to familiar contexts?	How will the assessment strategy ensure that students are involved in real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills? How does assessment develop the practical skills (including soft or work-ready skills) in students?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

Are timelines (formative, summative and feedback) advised at the start of the course?
Are a diverse range of assessments styles (including choice) used to reduce the need for reasonable adjustments and ensure that the assessment medium reflects their own strengths and educational backgrounds?

Do the case-studies/vignettes used in the assessment reflect the diversity in our student body?
Are there assessments where students can draw upon their own background? e.g. ‘open' assessment where students can apply a particular principle to familiar contexts?

How will the assessment strategy ensure that students are involved in real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills?
How does assessment develop the practical skills (including soft or work-ready skills) in students?

Prompts: Feedback

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
Are students offered exercises which develop their assessment literacies and effective ways to use their feedback? Are there processes in place to monitor which cohorts of students are accessing their feedback?	How is the issue of ‘social distance' being addressed in feedback strategies? i.e. some students feel less confident or able to approach academic staff than others.	How are students encouraged to actively adopt a reflective approach to their learning and facilitate the development of their feedforward strategies? How are peer-review practices encouraged to ensure that students learn to engage in constructive feedback strategies with each other?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

Are students offered exercises which develop their assessment literacies and effective ways to use their feedback?
Are there processes in place to monitor which cohorts of students are accessing their feedback?

How is the issue of ‘social distance' being addressed in feedback strategies? i.e. some students feel less confident or able to approach academic staff than others.

How are students encouraged to actively adopt a reflective approach to their learning and facilitate the development of their feedforward strategies?
How are peer-review practices encouraged to ensure that students learn to engage in constructive feedback strategies with each other?

Prompts: Review

Create an accessible curriculum	Enable students to see themselves reflected	Equip students to work in a global and diverse world
How will differential attainment be monitored? Are there opportunities to engage students in devising or re-visiting the content and learning and teaching and assessment strategies?	How will the course team monitor how the course is being experienced by diverse cohorts of learners? How will the course team ensure that students from a diverse range of backgrounds get involved in the review and evaluation of the course or module?	How will the course team utilise alumni to review the ways in which the course/module best prepared them for the global workforce?

Create an accessible curriculum

Enable students to see themselves reflected

Equip students to work in a global and diverse world

How will differential attainment be monitored?
Are there opportunities to engage students in devising or re-visiting the content and learning and teaching and assessment strategies?

How will the course team monitor how the course is being experienced by diverse cohorts of learners?
How will the course team ensure that students from a diverse range of backgrounds get involved in the review and evaluation of the course or module?

How will the course team utilise alumni to review the ways in which the course/module best prepared them for the global workforce?