Guidelines on Learning 8

the GUIDELINESCreating an inclusive learning and teaching experience

Online resources

Flinders University, Teaching and Learning at Flinders – Inclusive Teaching

University of Oklahoma – Ideas on Teaching: Responding to Student Diversity

Honolulu Community College University of Hawaii – Diversity and Complexity in the Classroom: Considerations of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender

UWA Teaching with Diversity Checklist

UNSW Disability Guidelines for Academic Staff Preparing Courses

8. The educational experiences of all students are enhanced when the diversity of their experiences are acknowledged, valued, and drawn on in learning and teaching approaches and activities.

"A racially and ethnically diverse university student body has far-ranging and significant benefits for all students, non-minorities and minorities alike."

Gurin, P. 1999, Expert Report of Patricia Gurin: Summary and Conclusions, Regents of the University of Michigan, Michigan, viewed 23 March 2004, URL: http://www.umich.edu/~urel/admissions/legal/expert/gurintoc.html

"There is considerable evidence that higher education's efforts to address diversity issues on campus and in the curriculum are fostering intellectual development, cultural knowledge, and interracial understanding among college students."

Humphreys, D. 1998, The Impact of Diversity on College Students: The Latest Research, Association of American Colleges & Universities, Washington DC, viewed 23 March 2004, URL: http://www.diversityweb.org/research_and_trends/research_evaluation_impact/benefits_of_diversity/impact_of_diversity.cfm

"[D]iversity applies to a number of aspects of student identity, including race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, age, and political and religious beliefs … teaching and learning practices … should celebrate diversity and be inclusive of student identities. This means giving thought to the attitudes, beliefs and expectations of students as individuals, and considering how these influence their approaches to learning and their interactions with yourself and with peers. In the design of curricula, in the translation of curricula into day-to-day teaching and learning, and in the assessment of learning, every effort should be made to be aware of student diversity and to devise experiences that allow all students to participate equally and to benefit equally."

James, R. & Baldwin, G. 1997, Tutoring and Demonstrating: A Guide for the University of Melbourne, Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of Melbourne, viewed 23 March 2004, URL: http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/bookpages/chap5.html

REFERENCES to the learning and teaching literature for this Guideline

Download the TOOLKIT document for this Guideline