University College Birmingham successfully held its second Inclusivity Conference, while celebrating the halving of its awarding gap, meaning that students from all backgrounds are less likely to see differences in their educational results.

This year’s theme, Understanding Inclusive Education With An Intersectional, Co-Creation And Reflective Lens, was prevalent throughout all workshops and keynotes from staff and guests alike.

The conference began with a morning keynote from Dr Paul Campbell, Associate Professor of Sociology and Distinguished Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester as well as the inaugural Director of the Leicester Institute for Inclusivity in HE, Chair of the Leicester Race Equality Action Group and a National Teaching Fellow.

Dr Campbell’s keynote discussed inclusive education in terms of race-based inequalities within higher education assessments. While exploring the extent of social and cultural factors affecting the performance and satisfaction of students from BAME backgrounds, Dr Campbell also provided recommendations for how staff can acknowledge these inequities and improve their teaching practice.

Workshops throughout the day included the Inclusivity Framework For Curriculum Design and Delivery Through Staff and Student Co-Creation from Stephen Dudley, Director of Learning Services; Dr Luciana Akemi Iwasa, Employability Tutor; and Richard Taylor, Senior Lecturer. The workshop explored the inclusive curriculum framework for curriculum design and delivery co-created by staff and students between October 2022 to March 2023.

Other workshops included:

The Journey to Inclusion

Chelsey McNeil, Head of Department, Creative Industries and the Aesthetic Practitioner team on the 4x4 training undertaken to enhance inclusivity across the programme

Inclusivity Within Hired Employability Practice

Cherry Buckley, Employability Tutor

Reframing the English Language curriculum with relevance and inclusivity at its heart

Deborah Orrock, English Curriculum Leader
Nadia Ambreen, English Lecturer

Exploring Inclusive Approaches in Sport and Nutrition Education

Darren Chesworth, Interim Deputy Head of Sport and Nutrition
Nathan Price, Lecturer - Sport, Coaching and Fitness

Teaching and Learning: The International Student Perspective

Nancy Mpofu, Lecturer - Hospitality and Tourism

Using EP and co-creation with our students: my experiences with Pre-Sessional

English groups and how you might try this with your modules
Dr Julia Clifford, Deputy Head of Department (EAP), Centre for Academic Skills and English

LGBTQ+ Student Advocacy and Allyship

Jay Henri, student activist and former QueerSoc president