Inclusive Curriculum Project
Aim
The project is designed to develop, disseminate and embed resources for supporting
disabled students studying geography, earth and environmental sciences in higher
education and to transfer the generic lessons widely to subject-based academics,
educational developers, learning support staff and disability advisors.
Project Team
The GDN is a consortium of old and new universities based at the University
of Gloucestershire. For this project the same team, with one or two changes
of personnel, as undertook the previous HEFCE Disability project, has been assembled,
which includes lecturers from geography, earth and environmental sciences, educational
developers, disability advisors and staff with research experience of disability
issues.
Outputs
We shall produce seven main outputs:
- A survey report on 'The experience of disabled students
in geography, earth and environmental sciences of teaching, learning and assessment
in HE'.
- A set of case studies on the experience of disabled students
of teaching, learning and assessment in HE, and the experience of departments
and disability advisory units of supporting the learning of disabled students.
- One guide aimed primarily at students: Studying at University: a
guide for students with learning difficulties and disabilities studying
geography, earth and environmental sciences. This is an entirely new
guide.
- Nine complementary guides, aimed primarily at staff in geography, earth
and environmental sciences:
- Issues in developing an inclusive curriculum
- Developing an inclusive curriculum for students who are wheel chair users
or have mobility difficulties
- Developing an inclusive curriculum for blind or partially sighted students
- Developing an inclusive curriculum for deaf or hard of hearing students
- Developing an inclusive curriculum for students with mental health difficulties
or Autistic Spectrum Disorder / Asperger Syndrome
- Developing an inclusive curriculum for students with hidden disabilities
or dyslexia
- Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for heads of departments and
course leaders
- Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for lecturers
- Developing an inclusive curriculum: a guide for departmental support staff
(i.e. administrators and technicians)
Funding and timetable
HEFCE has awarded the project £147,363 from 1 January 2003 - 31 December
2005 under its Improving Provision for Disabled Students' programme.
The project is being undertaken in consultation with the Learning and Teaching
Support Network Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Subject Centre (LTSN-GEES).
It has the strong support of the main professional associations and representatives
of Heads of Departments in the geography, earth and environmental sciences sector:
- The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers
(RGS-IBG)
- The Geological Society (GeolSoc)
- The Conference of Heads of Departments of Geography in Higher Education
Institutions (CHDGHE)
- The Committee of Heads of Environmental Sciences (CHES)
- The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
- Committee of Heads of University Geoscience Departments (CHUGD)
The GDN Team for this project consists of:
Lead Site
University of Gloucestershire
- Project Director
- Professor Mick Healey (Geographer)
- Project Manager
- Michele Hills
- Team members
- Dr Jacky Birnie (Environmental Scientist)
- Anna Donough (Disability Advisor)
- Dr Phil Gravestock (Earth Scientist)
- Dr Tim Hall (Geographer)
- Dr Margaret Harrison (Geographer)
- Carolyn Roberts (Environmental Scientist)
Consortium
Lancaster University
- Team members
- Dr Gordon Clark (Geographer)
- Terry Wareham (Educational Developer)
- Rosemary Turner (Disability Advisor)
Liverpool John Moores University
- Team members
- Dr Claire Milsom (Earth Scientist)
- Naseem Anwar (Disability Advisor)
- Sue Thompson (Educational Developer)
Middlesex University
- Team member
- Professor Ifan Shepherd (Geographer)
Oxford Brookes University
- Team members
- Professor Alan Jenkins (Educational Developer)
- Jonathan Leach (Disability Researcher)
University of Plymouth
- Team members
- Professor Brian Chalkley (Geographer)
- Judith Waterfield (Disability Advisor)
Advisory Panel
- Professor Lawrence Berg (Okanagan University College, British Columbia,
Canada)
- Dr Rita Gardner (Chair, LTSN-GEES Subject Centre Steering Group)
- Professor Graham Gibbs (National Co-ordination Team, Open University)
- Dr Annie Grant (University of Leicester)
- Judy Hartley (Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia)
- Professor Brenda Smith (LTSN Generic Centre)
- Alison Robinson (Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education,
ILTHE)
Further Information
- Professor Mick Healey, Project Director
- Tel: +44 (0)1242 543364, Email: mhealey@glos.ac.uk
- Michele Hills, Project Manager
- Tel: +44 (0)1242 531014, Email: mhills@glos.ac.uk
- Address:
- Geography & Environmental Management Research Unit (GEMRU), University
of Gloucestershire, Francis Close Hall, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ, UK (Fax: + 44 (0)1242 543283)