Background  

Utrecht University (UU) is committed to promoting diversity and inclusiveness (D&I) among staff and students in order to create a safe as well as inspiring learning environment. This toolbox was developed to further that goal as a part of the UU project “Developing an Inclusive Curriculum and Learning Environment“. The project involves three faculties (Social and Behavioural Sciences, Medicine, and the Law School), is supported by educational scientists, and is funded by the Utrecht Education Incentive Fund. The toolbox is a collection of guidelines, best practices, instructional strategies, and recommended further reading that address inclusiveness in the curriculum and learning environment. It includes specific teaching strategies, tools to discuss diversity and inclusiveness within teaching teams, and a guide with examples to facilitate discussing sensitive topics in class. 

In addition to this toolbox, the UU project team developed a reflection tool for course coordinators, teachers, and students (for access email: inclusivecurriculum@uu.nl). This tool is designed to facilitate reflection specifically on the diversity and inclusiveness of different aspects of courses including reading lists, classroom activities, and assessment. A similar but broader tool was developed for programme leaders, which seeks to facilitate their reflection more wholistically on the overall inclusivity and diversity of the curriculum within a programme. Completing the reflection tool is recommended prior to utilising this toolbox, as teachers indicated that it made them aware of issues that they previously had not considered and helped them to identify which aspect of D&I they wanted to prioritise. 

Why use the Toolbox? 

Before developing this toolbox, the UU project team conducted focus groups of students, which revealed that there continue to be situations in the classroom that make them feel unsafe, unwelcome, or excluded. Several students reported feelings of discomfort during class when stereotyped examples are used. A student from medicine commented that in cases relating to HIV/AIDS, the patients were often mentioned to be homosexual, but not in cases of heart disease or diabetes: all people regardless of their sexuality can suffer from these illnesses! A student from psychology noted that:  

“When we learned about autism in a lecture, a very stereotypical image was given of people with autism. If you have autism, you will not be able to have a romantic relationship, you will not be able to study at university, and so on. Or at least, I felt it like this. But it is not like that for everyone with autism. I understand that people have prejudices, but if you teach, you have to be able to let these prejudices go. I did not dare to raise my hand during the lecture and say: ‘hello, I have autism and am sitting here’ but perhaps I should have done that.” 

Additionally, students highlighted the need for more inclusive practices in the classroom. For instance, a student with multiple physical disabilities shared how teaching and learning activities can be exclusive:  

“Mostly, introduction activities or ice breakers are organised as being a physical activity. This makes it impossible for me to participate, even in the very first activity of the course.” 

Teachers at UU stated that they wanted to have more tools and information on how to avoid or respond better to such situations. Many of them felt the need to address sensitive issues in their courses, but needed extra guidance as to how to do so in an open, respectful, and yet critical manner. A teacher from the Law School noted that debate on Zwarte Pete (Black Pete) arose every year in their class on non-discrimination, and that it was a challenge to manage discussion in an international and diverse classroom. At the higher level, programme leaders also face issues relating to D&I. For example, are learning outcomes formulated in such a way that reflect a diversity of ideas and perspectives? Does the programme facilitate students with a range of (dis)abilities?  

This toolbox was developed to aid UU staff in dealing with these complex issues and to foster more inclusive teaching.  

What do we mean by inclusive teaching? 

By ‘inclusive teaching’ we mean teaching in which  

• Different ways of thinking and perspectives are represented and valued; 

• Individuals with different characteristics and backgrounds can participate in a meaningful way; 
• These differences (between individuals and perspectives) are actively recognised as qualities; and 
• Where the atmosphere is characterised by safety, respect, and equal opportunities. 

  According to the UU EDI Office inclusion refers to “a community where everyone feels at home and is valued” (https://www.uu.nl/sites/default/files/UU-EDI-Strategie-en-Actieplan.pdf). This means that efforts to create an inclusive curriculum and learning environment should be aimed at reaching that goal.  

Who should use the Toolbox? 

The toolbox contains tools that are mostly relevant for teachers, course coordinators, and programme leaders in higher education. Students may also find sections that are relevant for them to use during their education or when interacting with peers. For instance, tools on inclusive language can be used by students to improve their communication.  

UU staff and students can also submit examples of (good/poor) practices of diversity and inclusiveness in curricula and give feedback for improving the tool by emailing inclusivecurriculum@uu.nl. 

How was the Toolbox constructed? 

The toolbox covers a range of topics regarding diversity and inclusiveness in higher education organised according to different aspects of pedagogy, including assessment, learning objectives, and learning material. These elements are also included in the reflection tool. Within these areas, topics were selected based on issues that were most prevalent in focus groups with students (article results focus groups), discussions with teachers, and addressed in the literature. 

Per topic, relevant (practice-based) literature and tools were collected and then the project team: 

• Curated tools and teaching strategies: meaning that we gave a short description and/or summary of existing tools and literature; 
• Combined tools and teaching strategies: meaning that we selected and synthesised relevant information per topic; 
• Adapted tools and teaching strategies: meaning that we adjusted or updated existing material to fit the needs of teachers or course coordinators at UU; 
• Constructed tools: meaning that based on the existing literature, we created new tools to enhance inclusiveness of education at the university.  

The classroom examples and quotes used in the toolbox are mostly based on the focus groups with students, discussions with teachers, as well as literature on the topic. These examples were sometimes slightly adapted to ensure anonymity and/or simplified for the sake of readability.  

Based on users’ contributions, the materials and explanations are improved and expanded continuously. Should you have any feedback on the tools or teaching strategies described in the toolbox, or should you wish to add a relevant case regarding inclusive education, please contact us via: inclusivecurriculum@uu.nl. 

Want to know more? 

Do you want to know more about the project? Then have a look at the project’s website. For any further questions, please contact: inclusivecurriculum@uu.nl