2B Inclusivity
Discussion with Carys Kennedy
28 Sept 3pm
Summary Conversation
My discussion with Carys Kennedy, fit well within my research question: “How does student self-assessment impact critical thinking, anxiety, and compassion among students and staff in a Higher Education teaching and learning environment?”
Carys underlined the importance of structured, compassionate feedback that suits diverse ways of presentation. This aligns with my research into how self-assessment can foster a compassionate teaching and learning atmosphere. She also pointed out the challenges of non-flexible learning outcomes, particularly for students with disabilities, and introduced the idea of pass-fail and blind marking as alternatives to traditional grading systems. These alternatives could potentially lower anxiety among students and staff.
For my part, I explored the potential of peer assessment to minimise bias and subjective judgement. My focus here connects with my research by questioning whether peer assessment could enhance critical thinking while potentially reducing anxiety by removing a hierarchical judgement system.
Carys and I agreed that peer assessments should be designed to meet individual student’s skill levels and readiness, offering flexible assessments and lesser mandatory outcomes. This relates to my research question by proposing methods to encourage critical thinking and compassion while reducing anxiety.
All in all, our dialogue converged on the necessity for educational practices that are both inclusive and adaptable, elements that will be important as I further investigate my research question.
Bullet point conversation
- Feedback Methods
- Crits and Verbal Feedback: Traditional methods of assessment and critique.
- Post-it Notes: Quick, one-word assessments.
- Visual Ways: Alternative methods for students who find verbal feedback challenging.
- Social Elements in Feedback
- Social Elements: Impact on group dynamics.
- Inclusive Group Work: Developing rules of engagement for diverse groups.
- Assumed Knowledge: The pitfalls of assuming everyone knows how to give or receive feedback.
- Student Interviews and Silence
- Interview Students: Instances when no one provides any feedback.
- Compassionate and Inclusive Feedback
- Compassionate Feedback: Feedback that is sensitive and thoughtful.
- Presenting in Different Ways: Allowing for different modes of presentation.
- Learning Outcomes and Adaptability
- Learning Outcomes: Importance of clearly stated and flexible learning objectives.
- Meeting Students at Different Stages: Tailoring assessments to individual readiness.
- Reduced Outcomes: Simplifying required outcomes for flexibility.
- Choice and Personalization
- Inclusive by Design: Playing to individual strengths.
- Offering Choices: Providing multiple options for completing assessments.
- Range of Length: Flexibility in submission length.
- Academic Regulations and Quality Control
- Academic Regulation: Role in shaping assessments.
- Formative Feedback: Feedback that guides rather than grades.
- Assessment Techniques
- Blind Marking: Anonymizing work to remove bias.
- Peer Assessment: Peer-to-peer evaluation.
- Pass/Fail and Student Feedback
- Pass/Fail: An alternative to traditional grading.
- Student Feedback: Involving students in assessment design and review.
- Special Considerations
- Why Crip Assessment? (Jain, 2023): Exploring the importance of inclusive assessment practices.
Annotated Bibliography
- Inclusive Group Work: Emphasizes making group work inclusive, outlining strategies for overcoming participation barriers, respecting diverse student populations, and ensuring compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
- Recording Taught Sessions: Highlights the benefits of recording taught sessions for access and inclusion, especially for disabled students, as revision tools, aids for understanding, and support for engagement.
- A Social Model Approach to Student Wellbeing and Inclusion: Focuses on applying the social model of disability to enhance student wellbeing and inclusion, advocating for adjustments that foster connectedness and support diverse needs.
- Using Moodle for Access and Inclusion: Highlights the importance of Moodle in creating an inclusive learning environment, with practical tips for making materials accessible and supporting diverse student needs.
- UAL Inclusive Marking of Written Work Guidelines for Staff: Provides guidelines for marking written work inclusively, emphasizing clarity, consistency, and the importance of constructive feedback while acknowledging diverse language use.
- Planning Academic Visits: Offers guidance on organizing accessible academic visits, emphasizing advanced planning, clear communication, and consideration of individual needs to ensure inclusivity.
- Embedding Inclusive Practices: Discusses a pilot project aimed at embedding inclusive practices within the curriculum, covering the social model of disability, anticipatory adjustments, and practical inclusive strategies.
- Inclusive Practices Statement: Outlines the inclusive practices expected from the LCC Moving Image and Digital Arts (MIDA) programme, emphasizing flexibility, understanding, and commitment to addressing access barriers.
- Recommendations for Embedding Inclusive Practices: Outlines recommendations from a pilot project aimed at embedding inclusive practices, identifying immediate and longer-term goals to foster an inclusive learning environment.
- Why Crip Assessment? Critical Disability Studies Theories to Advance Assessment for Inclusion: Explores the intersection of critical disability studies theories and assessment practices to advance inclusivity, advocating for assessments that embrace diversity and challenge ableist structures.
Bibliography
- Noce, K. and Kennedy, C. (2023) ‘Summary of conversation on educational practices and assessment’, Microsoft Teams, 28 September. Available at: https://kimnoce.myblog.arts.ac.uk/2023/09/29/2b-inclusivity
- Teaching and Learning Exchange AdvanceHE, CPD, Fellowship, Professional Recognition, PRP. “Carys Kennedy: applying for Senior Fellowship (SFHEA),” March 7, 2023. News Professional Recognition March 7, 2023 Teaching and Learning Exchange AdvanceHE, CPD, Fellowship, professional recognition, PRP
- University of the Arts London. (2019). Inclusive Group Work. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- University of the Arts London. (2019). Recording Taught Sessions. Available at: upon request (Accessed: : 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- Kennedy, C. (2019). A Social Model Approach to Student Wellbeing and Inclusion. University of the Arts London, Disability Service. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- University of the Arts London. (2019). Using Moodle for Access and Inclusion. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- University of the Arts London. (2019). UAL Inclusive Marking of Written Work Guidelines for Staff. Available at: https://assessmentfeedback.arts.ac.uk/inclusive.php (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- University of the Arts London. (2018). Planning Academic Visits. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- LCC Moving Image and Digital Arts & Disability Service. (2023). Embedding Inclusive Practices. University of the Arts London. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- LCC Moving Image and Digital Arts (MIDA). (2023). Inclusive Practices Statement. University of the Arts London. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- LCC MIDA x Disability Service. (Date of Publication). Recommendations for Embedding Inclusive Practices. University of the Arts London. Available at: upon request (Accessed: 05 December 2023 – 03 February 2024).
- Jain, N.R. (Year of Publication). Why Crip Assessment? Critical Disability Studies Theories to Advance Assessment for Inclusion. DOI: 10.4324/9781003293101-5.
Documents
Carys Kennedy: applying for Senior Fellowship (SFHEA)
Carys Kennedy, Deputy Manager of the University of the Arts London (UAL) Disability Service, recently shared her experience applying for a Senior Fellowship (SFHEA) via the Professional Recognition Programme. The Fellowship recognizes commitment to teaching, learning, and student experience and does not necessarily coordinate with job titles or roles. With a decade of experience at UAL, Carys oversees disability advice services, managing Senior Disability Advisers and coordinating staff development. She opted for SFHEA after successfully completing FHEA, encouraged by colleagues. The application took around five months to complete, requiring a dedicated timeslot amidst her busy schedule.
Carys mentioned that the biggest challenge was managing time for the application alongside her full-time job. However, she received immense support from colleagues and mentors throughout the process. She advised potential applicants to plan ahead, prioritize case studies that cover more descriptors, and allocate periodic protected time to work on the application. While it’s too early to assess the full impact of her SFHEA recognition, Carys stated that the achievement has boosted her confidence and validated the positive impact of her work at UAL.
References
Teaching and Learning Exchange AdvanceHE, CPD, Fellowship, Professional Recognition, PRP. “Carys Kennedy: applying for Senior Fellowship (SFHEA),” March 7, 2023. News Professional Recognition March 7, 2023 Teaching and Learning Exchange AdvanceHE, CPD, Fellowship, professional recognition, PRP
Text:
Carys is the Deputy Manager of the the UAL Disability Service.
AdvanceHE Fellowship demonstrates a personal commitment to teaching, learning and the student experience. It provides formal recognition that can be used for career planning and progression. UAL’s Professional Recognition Programme provides staff with structured guidance to prepare an application for Associate, Fellow, or Senior Fellow. Whether you are starting out, want to move in a new direction or have significant experience managing teaching and learning activity, Fellowship recognises the professional status of your existing expertise.The categories of Fellowship don’t necessarily coordinate with specific job titles, roles or seniority. Use this series of case studies to understand the variety of experiences that may allow you to gain Fellowship.
Hi Carys, welcome. Could you give an overview of your role(s) and responsibilities at UAL please?
I’m the Deputy Manager of the Disability Service: I’ll be celebrating 10 years working in UAL’s Disability Service in September 2023. I’m part of the Disability Service management team, heading up the Disability Advice part of our service. I line manage 2 Senior Disability Advisers and the Support Work Coordinator. I also provide direct disability advice for a small caseload of around 150 students. As part of my role, I coordinate the Disability Services’s staff development and training provision and our print publications. I’m also working on a few projects related to UAL’s access and participation plan.
What made you decide that applying for SFHEA was a good idea? How did you think it would benefit you?
I successfully completed FHEA as part of my PGCert Academic Practice. The colleagues who reviewed my application warmly encouraged me to apply for SFHEA – so that’s what I did!
How long did it take you to create your application?
I joined the Professional Recognition Programme workshops in September 2022, and managed to submit my application in January 2023. So I was working on it off-and-on for around 5 months. It’s hard to say how much time I spent on it? I blocked out an hour a week from around October to chip away at it, but that timeslot quite often got bumped by other things.
Did your thinking about your teaching and learning practice change during the course of making the application?
I’m not sure if my practice changed during the application but I did appreciate the time to pause and reflect on my work and its impact. It was quite a reassuring process and has helped to build my confidence.
What was the biggest challenge to overcome? Did you have any setbacks?
There are never enough hours in the day, so finding time to work on the application alongside my full-time job and MA Academic Practice was very challenging. Blocking out an hour per week to work on it helped me to keep it moving forward, slowly but surely.
Did anything surprise you about going through the process of creating and making your application?
I was amazed by the amount of kind support I got from so many colleagues across UAL. My mentor Vikki, my referees Anna and Jo, and the recognition leads Neil and Santanu were all incredibly generous with their time, advice and support. A couple of other colleagues, Cath and Amy, also kindly contributed short testimonials when I asked them to. I felt awkward about doing this, but they were very understanding, especially as they were familiar with the SFHEA application so understood why I was asking. Thank you so much, everyone who supported me with my application!
Now you’ve achieved SFHEA, what impacts has it had for you, if any?
It’s been less than a month since I had confirmation that I have achieved SFHEA so it’s perhaps a little too soon to comment on its impact. What I can say is that I’m really proud to have achieved SFHEA, especially given that I’m not an academic member of staff. It’s really reassuring to have positive feedback about the impact of my work across UAL. Like many people, I experience a bit of imposter syndrome, especially when it comes to advising academic colleagues. Being awarded SFHEA reassured me that I am on the right track.
What advice would you have for anyone looking to make an SFHEA application?
I really recommend using the mapping/audit document to plan what to write about. It helped me to decide which case studies to prioritise, as some of my possible case studies covered more of the descriptors than others. Everyone works differently, so blocking and hour out each week might not work for you but I do think ensuring you have protected time periodically helps to keep things moving forward too.