Creating inclusive environments

What Is An Inclusive Environment?

An inclusive learning environment is one in which all those participating feel able to actively engage, feel safe and feel welcome. An inclusive learning environment also acknowledges and celebrates difference as part of everyday life.

The Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences is committed to recruiting students from diverse backgrounds and to meeting the educational needs of those students. As outlined in the Faculty's Teaching and Learning plan:

Goal number 8 states that the FMHS will:

"Continue with our commitment to increasing the representation of Māori in the health workforce through access to our programmes."

Goal number 10 states that the Faculty will:

"value and encourage diversity in our students, and recruit appropriately from under-represented and international groups." 

 The commitment to meeting the needs of diverse students is explicitly stated in goal number 12 which states that the Faculty will,

"Support teaching and learning with appropriate facilities, staff and student support and resources aligned with priorities."

It is highly recommended to visit the University of Auckland's ‘Equity’ web pages which provide a range of information on equal opportunity policies, strategies and support structures. The page has information for students from diverse backgrounds also. 

Additional reading would include  Kia Oritē - Achieving Equity: The New Zealand Code of Practice for an Inclusive Tertiary Education Environment for Students with Impairments. 

Positive and Affirmative Action

Inclusive education considers the impact of previous educational and life experiences at all stages of a student's engagement with tertiary education:

• Pre-entry - in recruitment and promotional literature, admissions and selection processes
• During the programme or course itself - teaching and learning methods, assessment processes, social activities, access to learning resources, timing of classes, assignments and opening hours of libraries or learning spaces
• On and after graduation - in helping students consider potential careers or further study.

A range of positive or affirmative action programmes can be set in place under law to encourage applications from and support specific previously under-represented or disadvantaged groups.

In the Faculty, such schemes include:

• MAPAS (Māori and Pacific Admission Scheme) 

Relevant University policy:

• Undergraduate targeted admission scheme policy

Monitoring student progress in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, domestic responsibilities and graduate employment helps to identify whether positive action or other inclusivity schemes are having a positive impact.

Diverse educational experiences that promote learning help to prepare citizens to engage effectively in multicultural settings and, in New Zealand and other countries with an indigenous population, in bi-cultural settings also.  Enabling students, particularly those who are going on to be health professionals, to work and interact effectively with others who hold different perceptions and have different norms and values is essential.

Cultural Competence and Safety

In the classroom, laboratory, e-learning or workplace teaching setting, teachers need to consider how the design and delivery of learning opportunities helps meet the needs of a diverse student body. Maslow's hierarchy of needs tells us that students will not be able to learn effectively if their safety and belonging needs are not met. Teachers need to demonstrate cultural sensitivity and safety in classroom and workplace practice (for example in patient-centred care) as well as in the wider learning environment.

Cultural competence and safety is defined by theNational Aboriginal and Health Organisation as follows:

"cultural awareness is the beginning step in the learning process, which involves understanding difference, while cultural sensitivity is an intermediate step where self-exploration of the student begins. Cultural safety is the final outcome of this learning process". 

However, theNursing Council of New Zealand  goes beyond the first definition to define cultural competency very broadly:

"cultural safety education is delivered according to the Nursing Council's definition, which is broad in its application and extends beyond ethnic groups, includes age or generation; gender; sexual orientation; occupation and socioeconomic status; ethnic origin or migrant experience; religious or spiritual belief; and disability. 

Practice Points

In practice, many of the skills in creating an inclusive learning environment are those of the effective small group facilitator, such as:

• Providing opportunities for all members of a group to engage in the learning process
• Managing the teaching environment so that shy or reticent learners can make positive contributions e.g. through splitting the class into pairs and small groups and mixing groups so that students learn to work with a range of different people
• Role modeling culturally safe and competent practice
• Showing respect for a diverse range of views
• Being able to challenge students' views or behaviours which demonstrate a lack of respect towards others
• Providing opportunities for learners to bring their previous experiences positively into the learning process
• Avoiding the use of cultural stereotypes and gendered or ethnically biased language or visual images
• Being aware of the potential impact on learning of earlier educational or cultural experiences.