The University of Western Australia's student population is characterised by diversity with regard to, amongst other characteristics, gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation, cultural background and socio-economic status.

Teaching with diversity

Teaching which disregards diversity places students at a disadvantage by reducing their capacity to learn.

An inclusive curriculum which acknowledges, respects and responds appropriately to diversity can contribute to:

• enhanced learning outcomes for a greater number of students
• validation of student experiences and world views
• development of international skills, cross-cultural perspectives, respect for different values and learning styles, and other skills useful in a diverse global environment
• improvement of academic standards and the quality of university teaching
• recruitment and retention of a greater number of students from diverse backgrounds.

Checklist

The following questions and suggestions aim to assist teaching staff develop curricula appropriate to a diverse student population.

1. Curriculum Design
2. Content
3. Delivery
4. Assessment
5. Duty of Care

1. Curriculum Design

In designing the curriculum do you:

• consider your students' gender, cultural backgrounds, learning styles, health and disability status, English language proficiency, numeracy, values and experiences?
• take account of students' prior knowledge and learning?
• seek participation in curriculum design from people with specialist expertise?
• include opportunities for a positive engagement with other cultures, practices and life expectations?
• include texts and readings which reflect a diversity of perspectives?

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2. Content

Does the course content:

• acknowledge the diversity of knowledge and experience of your students?
• use examples/case studies which are free of negative stereotypes or assumptions?*
• examine the implications of diversity as part of the theory or practice being studied?
• encourage students to recognise and understand different ways of knowing?

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3. Delivery

In your teaching do you:

• provide students with a range of learning opportunities?
• encourage students to know and listen to each other?
• avoid using negative or potentially offensive stereotypes or assumptions?*
• actively encourage all students to take responsibility for learning?
• encourage students to use their backgrounds as a learning tool?
• make available teaching notes, overhead transparencies and recorded lectures?
• speak in plain English, explain acronyms and avoid unnecessary colloquialisms?
• actively discourage language or behaviour which is racist, sexist, and homophobic or which demeans people with disabilities?

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4. Assessment

Is your student assessment:

• transparent and able to provide students with timely and appropriate feedback?
• supportive of students developing habits of routinely assessing their own work?
• free of culturally or gender biased examples?*
• able to accurately assess intended learning outcomes?
• in plain English and free of unnecessary colloquialisms and acronyms?
• flexible enough to assess the learning outcomes of students with disabilities?

Consideration of these questions will assist in the development of curricula that will improve learning outcomes for all students.

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5. Duty of Care

In addition to academic responsibilities for teaching and learning, UWA staff have a duty of care towards students to foster and maintain an environment which is physically safe, accepting of individual differences and free from intimidation, Racial and Sexual Harassment and other unlawful behaviour. Issues relating to duty of care might include staff modelling appropriate behaviour, as well as early intervention in instances of racial discrimination, bullying or sexual harassment in teaching situations and elsewhere on campus.

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* Reflects existing UWA policies on racial harrassment, sexual harrassment and use of non-discriminatory language.