New perspectives on inclusion
Reflections by Anita Collins and Nadine Cavigioli on a conference paper co-presented with two recent graduates of the Lifelong Learning Centre (LLC), and the collaborative autoethnography which informed it.
As educators who place social justice and equity at the heart of our practice, we strive to make our students’ experience as inclusive as it can be. So, when we were invited to submit a paper proposal for a joint conference of the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) and the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research in the Education of Adults (SCUTREA) at the University of Cambridge this summer, we sought to explore the experiences of our part-time undergraduate students to further inform our inclusive practice.
In line with our commitment to collaborating with our students wherever possible, we approached two recent graduates of our Learning and Teaching with SEND BA about working with us on a collaborative autoethnography. After exploring a range of potential topics and processes with them, we agreed to focus on intersectional identity and experience through the lenses of gender, minoritised ethnicities and working-class.
The data collection had two stages. Stage one was a paired Teams discussion over Microsoft Teams in which our graduates recorded a conversation about their past student experiences in relation to the themes we’d agreed, and we recorded a reflective discussion from our practice perspectives on the same.
Stage two involved sharing and listening to the paired recordings, in preparation for us all coming together to reflect upon and analyse the key content. This process was rich and rewarding, offering opportunities to explore our own and listen to others’ experiences and perspectives within safe, negotiated spaces.
The outcomes were thought-provoking and highlighted an area that we as educators had not anticipated — that of the students’ Muslim faith. Their initial paired discussion emphasised the important role their faith had had, both in motivating their return to study as mature students and in providing a source of strength and inspiration during their time as undergraduates.
A significant challenge for the students arose from cultural expectations around the role of women in the family. Other potential barriers included the holding of University social activities in premises that sell alcohol, difficulty in accessing suitable spaces for prayer, and the challenges of negotiating Ramadan and Eid when this was not accounted for in the University’s curriculum or assessment deadlines.
The power of representation was made clear by the students, for whom meeting LLC staff from the same ethnic and religious community — as well as seeing and meeting other students who wear the hijab — enhanced their sense of belonging at the University of Leeds.
We’re responding to our initial findings in a number of ways. The LLC is committed to the inclusive design and delivery of our programmes and modules, and we’ll be reviewing these in relation to faith, religion and spirituality in recognition of the central place these occupy for some learners. We’ll also be consulting our students about ways to develop this approach further to support their sense of belonging, for example by facilitating a peer support group for students of faith across the LLC.
