Extracurricular activity supporting curricular contents
Curricular resources provided by UAL rely on lectures and other tutor-led sessions, reading lists and standardised formats across the board. Eventually, a list of different materials such as films and documentaries or industry podcasts are recommended to students to enhance their learnings with complementary content. Assessment briefs and Make the Grade Checklist documents are also the standardised materials for supporting assessment preparation.
In an attempt to make the teaching and learning process more inclusive, this project proposes the launch of a podcast series run by and for students, where a panel of students, academics, and eventually industry guests, discuss and interpret theories, models and frameworks that are part of the curriculum, explore examples and outcomes, and brainstorm on their implications to the present and future of the industry, society and the world. This project aims to open a new space for student and academic staff to collaborate, offering opportunities for enhancing inclusivity from multiple perspectives:
- improving flexibility and accessibility by diversifying the formats of the provided learning materials.
- creating a space and promoting a learning approach from individuality and individual interpretation of the theories, the examples, the industry and the world we study and exist in, which supports academic and industry decolonisation and democratisation, as very often extracurricular contents mean extra costs for students and/or are subject to normative interpretations.
- building community and generating a culture of belonging and collaboration that relies in student agency and critical thinking (Freire, 1968), and cultivate cultural intelligence (Levychin, 2018; Thomas, 2022)
Drawing on QAA’s Inclusive Education Framework (2023), particularly the Curriculum Design and Delivery, and Community and Belonging, but also compliant with Pathways to Success and Structures and Processes.
Some limitations being considered are the promotion of the project encouraging students to take part in it, as well as the recruitment criteria and process, to ensure this works as a tool for inclusion, involving a diverse range of profiles.
ARTEFACT: This is a proposal for the Leadership & Management programme, within FBS (LCF) – Artefact to follow up.
References
Brown, A.D. (2021). Identities in and around organizations: Towards an identity work perspective. Human Relations, 75(7), p.001872672199391.doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726721993910
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp.1241–1299. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.
Margolis, E (2002) “The hidden curriculum in higher education”. New York and London: Routledge
Noel, L. A., & Paiva, M. (2021). Learning to recognize exclusion. Journal of Usability Studies, 16(2), 63–72.
Freire, P. (1968). Pedagogy of the oppressed, London: Penguin Books, 2017.
Hatton, K. (ed.) (2015) Towards an inclusive arts education. London: Trentham.
Hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. London: Routledge.
Levychin, Richard. (2018). Why your CQ is just as important as your IQ (and EQ): Cultural intelligence is increasingly important for business success. Journal of Accountancy 225: 46
Steventon, G., Cureton, D. and Clouder, L. (2016) Student attainment in higher education: issues, controversies and debates. London: Routledge
Thomas, Cate. (2022). Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training. Social Sciences 11: 249. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060249
www.qaa.ac.uk. (2023). The inclusive education framework. [online] Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/membership/collaborative-enhancement-projects/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/the-inclusive-education-framework.