Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education
Accessibility, inclusive teaching, and student support are multi-faceted; they are dependent on wider institutional factors, such as leadership, resource, systems, and culture. To be truly inclusive requires a whole institution approach, with voices, perspectives, and stakeholder buy-in sought from...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/8/571 |
| _version_ | 1827600204203819008 |
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| author | Kate Lister Victoria K. Pearson Tim Coughlan Felipe Tessarolo |
| author_facet | Kate Lister Victoria K. Pearson Tim Coughlan Felipe Tessarolo |
| author_sort | Kate Lister |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Accessibility, inclusive teaching, and student support are multi-faceted; they are dependent on wider institutional factors, such as leadership, resource, systems, and culture. To be truly inclusive requires a whole institution approach, with voices, perspectives, and stakeholder buy-in sought from across the institution. This can be extremely challenging because these can be sensitive to myriad institutional, sector, and societal changes that can influence working practices, resource management, and capacity. In this paper, we analyse responses from three iterations of a biennial staff survey conducted in 2017, 2019, and 2021 at the Open University (OU), capturing views on accessibility and inclusion before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging circumstances. These responses, from tutors, module and programme teams, educational technologists, library staff, and student support teams, reveal crucial insight into the (in)accessibility of support and practice across the institution, as well as insight into staff skills, attitudes, and knowledge around accessibility, and the fitness for purpose of the systems and structures in place. In this analysis, we explore how staff practices and perceptions change over time; identify the themes that remain constant over time, despite global circumstances; and explore how these themes can inform a whole-institution approach to accessibility and inclusion. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:31:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-47f2c76f03ea4d598d5fb00a8ff3115a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:31:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-47f2c76f03ea4d598d5fb00a8ff3115a2023-12-03T13:34:01ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022022-08-0112857110.3390/educsci12080571Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher EducationKate Lister0Victoria K. Pearson1Tim Coughlan2Felipe Tessarolo3Faculty of Learning and Teaching, Arden University, Coventry CV3 4FJ, UKFaculty of STEM, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKInstitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKInstitute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UKAccessibility, inclusive teaching, and student support are multi-faceted; they are dependent on wider institutional factors, such as leadership, resource, systems, and culture. To be truly inclusive requires a whole institution approach, with voices, perspectives, and stakeholder buy-in sought from across the institution. This can be extremely challenging because these can be sensitive to myriad institutional, sector, and societal changes that can influence working practices, resource management, and capacity. In this paper, we analyse responses from three iterations of a biennial staff survey conducted in 2017, 2019, and 2021 at the Open University (OU), capturing views on accessibility and inclusion before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenging circumstances. These responses, from tutors, module and programme teams, educational technologists, library staff, and student support teams, reveal crucial insight into the (in)accessibility of support and practice across the institution, as well as insight into staff skills, attitudes, and knowledge around accessibility, and the fitness for purpose of the systems and structures in place. In this analysis, we explore how staff practices and perceptions change over time; identify the themes that remain constant over time, despite global circumstances; and explore how these themes can inform a whole-institution approach to accessibility and inclusion.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/8/571accessibilityinclusioneducationstudentssurveychange |
| spellingShingle | Kate Lister Victoria K. Pearson Tim Coughlan Felipe Tessarolo Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education Education Sciences accessibility inclusion education students survey change |
| title | Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education |
| title_full | Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education |
| title_fullStr | Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education |
| title_short | Inclusion in Uncertain Times: Changes in Practices, Perceptions, and Attitudes around Accessibility and Inclusive Practice in Higher Education |
| title_sort | inclusion in uncertain times changes in practices perceptions and attitudes around accessibility and inclusive practice in higher education |
| topic | accessibility inclusion education students survey change |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/12/8/571 |
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