Inclusive Curriculum
All universities in Australia have a complex and diverse range of students. This diversity at the University of Western Sydney includes variation in cultural, language and religious backgrounds, ability, age, prior educational experiences, sexual orientation, study patterns and other variables. As an example of language diversity, in the 2006 student survey, in response to a question about the language spoken at home, domestic students identified 119 different language backgrounds. International students indicated 84 different language backgrounds.
Diverse students bring to their study a huge repository of experiences and knowledge, perspectives and insights. This diversity is both a challenge and an opportunity which can significantly enhance the learning experience for students, preparing them for the professional lives they will take up on graduation, and supporting all students to develop an international or global perspective.
Teaching diverse student populations requires academic staff to consider the cultural, idiomatic and attitudinal content of curriculum, as well as physical, auditory and visual access to learning enviroments. Developing inclusive teaching practices provides parity of learning experience for all students.
Examples of Practice
Teacher stories highlight different experiences and approaches to building a more inclusive learning space for students.
Inclusive Curriculum Project
The following teaching resources that focus on inclusive practice (adapted from Flinders University CDIP Toolkit) are available in pdf format:
- Inclusive practices in small groups
[PDF Document, 334KB] - Inclusive practices for managing controversial issues
[PDF Document, 383KB] - Inclusive practices in social science and humanities research
[PDF Document, 135KB] - Inclusive practices in higher research supervision
[PDF Document, 373KB]