010065 Practising Inclusion: Working and Teaching for Social Justice
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 3 cp
Subject level:
Postgraduate
Result type: Pass fail, no marksRequisite(s): 010060 Teaching for Learning
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject introduces inclusive practices in higher education with a particular focus on Australia. It introduces concepts and principles of diversity and inclusion for social justice in various areas of higher education. Students in this subject critique institutional approaches to inclusion in relation to various groups and explore underlying reasons for exclusion and discrimination.
Students are supported to reflect on their positioning and practices as well as to identify areas of improvement and change in their professional role in higher education institution. Further, they learn to integrate principles of inclusion into their own practice and to take action to ensure greater inclusion and wider participation of all students and staff.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Reflect critically and creatively on the assumptions, consequences, and possibilities of being an inclusive practitioner. |
|---|---|
| b. | Apply foundational knowledge of Indigenous Australian cultures and histories to support inclusive teaching and learning in a range of settings. |
| c. | Identify opportunities to be an ally for social change. |
| d. | Apply critical analysis of complex issues related to discrimination, equity and social justice to the maintenance and improvement of inclusive practices in higher education |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
- Apply relevant knowledge to make theory-informed judgements about curriculum, learning, assessment and evaluation in the higher education context (1.1)
- Reflexively assess complex issues related to curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, and generate effective scholarly and creative solutions (2.1)
- Design learning activities that teach Indigenous Australians in a culturally safe manner and enable non-Indigenous students to develop their capacity to work respectfully with Indigenous Australians (4.1)
- Articulate one’s contribution to the culture and climate of the University, and to the sector/discipline more broadly on matters of concern for higher education teaching and learning. (5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
This subject addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
1. Professional Readiness
1.1 Apply relevant knowledge to make theory-informed judgements about curriculum, learning, assessment and evaluation in the higher education context
2. Critical and Creative Inquiry
2.1 Reflexively assess complex issues related to curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, and generate effective scholarly and creative solutions
4. Indigenous Competencies
4.1 Design learning activities that teach Indigenous Australians in a culturally safe manner and enable non-Indigenous students to develop their capacity to work respectfully with Indigenous Australians
5. Active Citizenship
5.1 Articulate one's contribution to the culture and climate of the University, and to the sector/discipline more broadly on matters of concern for higher education teaching and learning.
Teaching and learning strategies
Active and collaborative learning is key in this subject while activities and examples are authentic, and practice based. All modules include asynchronous online activities that are self-paced and offer the opportunity to learn from and give feedback to peers. Synchronous online classes provide opportunity to gain insights into inclusive practices in different work areas and units and to learn from and with each other by respectfully, critically and collectively reflecting on them. Students are expected to come prepared to these synchronous sessions.
The content of the modules is delivered through short videos, texts summarising core concepts, and key readings. Learning activities include online discussions, polls, quizzes, and personal reflection posts. Students are required to engage with all activities as well as provide comments and feedback on the posts of others.
Continuous feedback is provided verbally in class, as well as written in the online comments and for the assessments. Comprehension and information retention activities are presented throughout each module so participants can receive individual feedback. Peer feedback is strongly encouraged as part of the learning activities and is built into the assessment process.
Content (topics)
The subject consists of six online modules taught over six weeks. Weeks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 are core modules that are to be taken by all participants. Weeks 3 offers a range of elective topics that participants select based on their learning goals and workplace needs. Specific equity groups and aspects of discrimination in higher education are discussed, among them the following topics:
- why inclusion matters in higher education in Australia
- legal framework
- cultures, diversity, and identity
- Inequality in higher education institutions
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
- LGBTQIA+ students
- CALD students
- Low SES and First in Family students
- Gender equity
- Challenging bias
- Becoming an ally
- Developing administrative strategies
- Developing teaching and learning strategies
- Planning implementing and changing inclusive practices for social justice
- Evaluating social justice impact
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Reflection
| Objective(s): | a and d | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 35% | ||||||||||||
| Length: | Equivalent of 500 words | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Report on an Inclusion Practice
| Objective(s): | a, b, c and d | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 65% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 1000 words (or equivalent) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Students must pass all assessment tasks in this subject to pass the subject overall.
Required texts
There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.
References
Adams, M., & Bell, L. (2016). Teaching for diversity and social justice (Third edition.). Routledge.
Benson, R., Heagney, M., Hewitt, L., Crosling, G., & Devos, A. (2012). Social inclusion and the student experience: what are the implications for academic support?, Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning, 14(2), 11–28.
Burrell, S. S. L., Donovan, S. K., & Williams, T. P. (2020). Teaching through challenges for equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi). ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Capp, M. (2017) The effectiveness of universal design for learning: a meta-analysis of literature between 2013 and 2016, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 21(8), 791-807, https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2017.1325074
Cook-Sather, A., Des-Ogugua, C., & Bahti, M. (2018). Articulating identities and analyzing belonging: a multistep intervention that affirms and informs a diversity of students, Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 374–389.
Gayton, A. (2019). Exploring the widening participation-internationalisation nexus: evidence from current theory and practice, Journal of Further and Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2019.1678014
Martin, G. (2015). Scaling critical pedagogy in higher education, Critical Studies in Education, 58(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17508487.2015.1115417
O’Shea, H., Onsman, A., McKay, J. (2011). Students from low socioeconomic status backgrounds in higher education: An annotated bibliography 2000–2011. Higher Education Research Group (HERG): Deakin Australia.
O'Shea, S., Stone, C., Delahunty, J. & May, J. (2018). Discourses of betterment and opportunity: Exploring the privileging of university attendance for first-in-family learners. Studies in Higher Education, 43(6), 1020-1033.
Page, S., Trudgett, M., & Bodkin-Andrews, G. (2019). Creating a degree-focused pedagogical framework to guide Indigenous graduate attribute curriculum development. Higher Education, 78(1), 1-15.
Ryan, J., Goldingay, S., Macfarlane, S., & Hitch, D. (2020). Promoting equity by illuminating academic roles and identities in teaching students from diverse backgrounds, Teaching in Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1852203
Snowball, J.D. & McKenna, S. (2017). Student-generated content: an approach to harnessing the power of diversity in higher education, Teaching in Higher Education, 22(5), 604–618.
Thomas, G. (2014). Closing the policy-practice gap for low-SES students in higher education: the pedagogical challenge, Higher Education Research & Development, 33(4), 807–820