‘I’m not alone’: outcomes of a faculty-wide initiative for co-creating inclusive science curricula through student–staff partnership

ABSTRACT

We explored the experiences of and outcomes for students and staff working in partnership on an academic development project aiming to enhance the inclusivity of science curricula across a faculty. Quantitative survey data revealed changes in student and staff perceptions, including increases in sense of belonging for both, perceptions of fairness in decision-making for students, and increased adoption of inclusive teaching practices for staff. Open responses articulated the benefits and challenges of the project. Implications of this research will be relevant to academic developers working in similar spaces, such as decolonising the curriculum or engaging students as partners in development work.

KEYWORDS:

• Student–staff partnership
• inclusive curriculum
• sense of belonging
• science education

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge all members of the DISC project for their contributions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author (WMH). The data are not publicly available as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2021.1988618.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by a Social Impact Grant from the UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion.

Notes on contributors

Lucy Mercer-Mapstone

Lucy Mercer-Mapstone is a Lecturer in Curriculum at the University of Sydney. She was a Lecturer in Higher Education Learning Design at the University of Technology Sydney for the duration of the project described in this paper. Twitter: @LucyMercerMaps.

Kasia Banas

Kasia Banas is a Lecturer in Behavioural Sciences in Healthcare at the University of Glasgow, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Nursing. She is a psychologist by training and is interested in how psychological variables, such as identity and belonging, influence student learning.

Yvonne Davila

Yvonne Davila is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education Learning Design in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney. Her interests include student-centred learning and teaching in the science disciplines.

Wilhelmina Huston

Wilhelmina Huston was the Associate Head of School for Education and Students in the School of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney at the time of the project. Her interests are in microbiology and authentic assessment approaches. Twitter: @willaonthego.

Peter Meier

Peter Meier was the Associate Dean Education and Students at the University of Technology, Faculty of Science at the time of the project. He has over 25 years of experience in academia and over 15 years in senior teaching learning leadership roles. His interests include science curriculum design, digital media learning and work integrated learning.

Bethlehem Mekonnen

Bethlehem Mekonnen is a science student at the University of Technology Sydney. She is a strong advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion. Twitter: @BethlehemMk