Cultivating Change for Inclusive Practice: Creating a Community of Learners

A Universal Design for learning (UDL) approach was introduced to the Department in response to the data on achievement and retention which highlighted the need for new direction (Moriarty & Scarffe, 2019). With increasing student numbers and various learning needs there was necessity for teaching approaches which develop an inclusive community of learners and practitioners (Rao & Meo, 2016; Kieran & Anderson, 2018). The Department’s response included:

Supporting staff with knowledge, skills and capacity to embark on a journey of inclusive practice through UDL;
Understanding students’ expectations of Higher Education.
Recognising staffs’ perspectives and potential emotional impact related to the change process (Dasborough, Lamb, & Suseno, 2015); and
Creating enthusiasm for the new approach.

Outcomes:
A Department wide approach allows staff to reflect, question, observe and cooperate when trying new ways of teaching:

Effective community of professional practitioners--community of learners.
The learning experience crosses course boundaries and allows the ideal of inclusivity to become a reality.
Staff are working collaboratively sharing practice experiences. Action research being planned to identify effectiveness of change.

Student engagement and confidence
Students are providing regular feed back and feed forward to staff. Confidence to speak with staff and offer suggestions regarding changes is growing.