International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education (Mar 2015)

Inclusive pedagogy in Australian universities: A review of current policies and professional development activities

  • Danielle Hitch,
  • Susie Macfarlane,
  • Claire Nihill

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5204/intjfyhe.v6i1.254
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 135 – 145

Abstract

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This article reports on activities undertaken by Australian universities to support academic staff to provide inclusive teaching. The findings of two lines of inquiry are reported - a desktop audit of the presence of inclusive teaching or universal design for learning (UDL) in publically available policies and procedures documents, and a survey of the methods adopted to build staff capacity to provide inclusive teaching and learning. Just over a third (34.21%) of Australian universities referred to inclusive teaching or UDL in their policies and procedures. A wide range of current practices in professional development for inclusive teaching was reported, with the most frequent being one-off workshops focussing on accommodating specific groups of students. Improved institutional support through policies, procedures and professional development would enable Australian higher education teachers to provide quality inclusive teaching to all students.

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