Dr Val Chapman (NTF) and Will Bowen Jones

NADP ANNUAL CONFERENCE July 2009 Developing Inclusive Curricula Dr Val Chapman (NTF) and Will Bowen Jones

As a result of engaging with this session you should be able to… • Critique the impact on academic staff of the Appreciative Inquiry approach • Discuss the issues and opportunities arising from the project and decide if the approach would be of use in your own practice

Key features of project (Sept 2007- Sept 08) as defined in the HEA bid • Development of innovative staff development package • Supplementary resources to support academics • Further development of the SCIPS web based resource (www.scips.worc.ac.uk) • Embedding in institutional policy and practice • Piloted with the Institute of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Worcester (UW)

Key research question How can we engage the interest and commitment of staff to further develop their inclusive practice in learning and teaching? • Selection of an Appreciative Inquiry approach

Appreciative Inquiry • Based on David Cooperider’s (1999) doctoral work at Case Western Reserve University • Eschews former Organization Development (OD) deficit models • Espouses a positive approach to change that builds a vision for the future based upon what already works well within an existing system • self-empowering philosophy • ‘4-D’ process (Discover, Dream, Design and Destiny) • Focus on collaborative working of all stakeholders • Engages all stakeholders in systematic participation in a jointly constructed vision of an organization’s future

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) process START DISCOVERY Briefing on inclusion and AI Pre-workshop activity Student’s interviews (VI) Generation of adjectives AI workshop (students) Roll out model to additional departments Students’ Post-it activity Student presentation Generation of propositional statements Focus group interview questions Focus group interview Staff development Further planning & embedding Inaugural ISES staff/student research summit Inclusion survey Prioritisation meeting Staff response DESTINY DESIGN DREAM

Discovery phase (Jan/Feb 08) • Selection of student researchers • Pre-workshop activity • AI workshop • Data collection by student researchers • Post it exercise • Disabled student interview • Focus group interview (conducted by student member of project team) • Answers to reflective questions (pre-workshop activity) • Development of propositional statements

Dream phase (Jan-Mar 08) • Inaugural Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) staff/student research summit • Student researchers’ presentation • Audience: • Vice Chancellor • Guest speaker – Chief Executive, British Paralympic Association • ISES staff • Departmental Learning and Teaching (L&T) representatives

Post-it data from student lectures • Adjectives (n=265): • Enjoyable • Interesting • Challenging • Fun

Student researchers’ experiences of learning • Personal accounts • Inclusive practices • Challenges successfully overcome • Engagement of staff

Propositional statement 1 • All students make a positive contribution to the learning of their peers.

Propositional statement 2 • Students value the School’s strong sense of community and being made to feel part of it.

Propositional statement 3 • Students love it when staff support and celebrate their achievements.

Propositional statement 4 • Staff inspire students through being role models.

Propositional statement 5 • Students really enjoy learning through doing.

Propositional statement 6 • The Institute of Sport and Exercise Science (ISES) offers students a ‘ticket to their future’; it gives them the opportunity to ‘do things for themselves’, ‘become more independent’, to ‘reinvent themselves’ and ‘be their own person’. It offers a ‘liberating’ and transformative experience.

Design phase (Apr 08) • Prioritisation meeting with ISES team to determine: • Individual priorities • Draft priorities for referral to departmental Learning and Teaching Committee • Staff survey – ISES staff confidence ratings in inclusive practice (via survey monkey, 78% response rate) • Analysed to determine staff development priorities

Destiny phase (Ongoing) • Supplemental resources • SCIPS (Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study) www.scips.worc.ac.uk (used 24/7, page ranked by Google 5/10) • Implementation of innovative staff development package • Embedding inclusive policy and practice in existing departmental structures and systems e.g. peer observation

Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting • Share innovative practice; champion good practice; act as advocates for recruitment of disabled ISES staff and students; • Use peer observation to focus on inclusion; • Ensure effective screening to identify disabled/dyslexic students/issues; • Monitor retention & achievement in order to identify issues;

Departmental priorities agreed at May ISES meeting • Identify support strategies for part time/mature/ overseas/’living at a distance’ students; • Integrate inclusive practice throughout all modules rather than just focus in Sport and Disability module (inclusion strategy); • Adopt a more coherent approach to inclusion across the whole school.

Goal… Within the next two years, the ISES team will have an international reputation as leaders in the field of inclusive practice in sport and exercise science.

Individual Inclusivity Profile - aspects covered: • Admission/induction • Course content and design • Course delivery • Teaching styles • Assessment/ examinations • Feedback to students • Physical environment • Technology/ e-learning • Learning resources/ course materials • Course Monitoring • Staff development • Academic Support • Work placement

Individual Inclusivity Profile(example)n= 19 (76%) response rate (H: High; M: Medium)

Opportunities (value added) Provides evidence of UW’s commitment to provide ‘excellent, inclusive education’ as stipulated in its Mission Statement Review and revision of Open Day practice Research informed teaching Students as researchers Raised external profile, e.g. ‘360 degree’ conference presentation

Opportunities (value added) • ‘Step by Step Guide to AI’ (for staff and students) • AI as an approach to identifying and sharing good practice at UW • AI Guide distributed to other HEIs in UK and South Africa • Appointment of a dedicated researcher • AI now being adopted by researchers

Issues Student involvement proved labour intensive for project staff Pressurised timescale Ethics and responsibilities Associated costs Alternative formats for disabled student researchers Roll out

Developing propositional statements • From the given data sets, identify key words or phrases • Transcribe onto post-its and categorise into themes • Draft 3 propositional statements about staff development – these should be a distillation that captures the spirit of the responses

Dr Val Chapman (NTF) and Will Bowen Jones