What is Inclusive Curriculum Design? An inclusive curriculum ensures that the content of education is relevant and meaningful to a diverse student body. This involves integrating diverse perspectives into the curriculum, teaching critical thinking about social justice issues, and ensuring that all students see themselves reflected in the literature they study. An inclusive curriculum is also flexible and responsive to the needs of diverse learners, for example, by providing materials in multiple formats and utilizing teaching strategies that engage a variety of learners.
The Inclusive Curriculum Design Toolkit was developed by the Higher Education Academy of Advance HE (a member-led charity group of HE institutions across the United Kingdom) as a guide to inspire educators to think creatively about inclusive curriculum design. It provides both generic and subject-specific guidelines.
The guide is divided into four sections that move through underpinning principles, features of the curriculum design process, generic and subject considerations, and resources. The four sections are as follows:
- Introduction and overview,
- Generic considerations of inclusive curriculum design,
- Subject-specific considerations, and
- References and resources.
For ease of access, the different sections and subject-specific guides are all published as separate documents. Section one includes a contents page providing links to the other 26 documents that make up the full publication.
- This guide draws on a wide range of activity and innovation within the sector and offers examples of effective strategies and general resources to support the curriculum design process.
- The guide is designed for all staff involved in learning and teaching and, in particular, the curriculum design process. By focusing on the design process, it is possible to take a wider and more holistic view that is based on the recognition that all students are entitled to a quality learning experience.
- Attention to curriculum design encourages pre-planning and allows staff involved in teaching in higher education to adopt a proactive, anticipatory approach to their learning and teaching.
Downloads
Download all the documents in the Inclusive Curriculum Design Toolkit here.