Fostering Diversity in Higher Education through NStEP - The National Student Engagement Programme

Introduction

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental pillars of a thriving and equitable society. In higher education, fostering an environment that celebrates diversity is not just an ethical imperative but also a crucial factor in ensuring quality education and student success. In Ireland, initiatives like the National Student Engagement Programme's (NStEP) Representing Diversity training (RDT) highlight the critical importance of this mission.

Higher education serves as a microcosm of society, reflecting its values, priorities, and challenges. Representing diversity within this space - be it through student demographics, curricula, or institutional policies - has profound implications including:

Enhancing Learning Outcomes: Diverse classrooms expose students to a wide range of perspectives, fostering critical thinking, empathy, and innovation.

Reducing Inequities: Inclusive practices help address systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups, enabling them to thrive academically and socially.

Preparing Global Citizens: As Ireland becomes increasingly multicultural, preparing students for a diverse workforce and society is paramount.

However, achieving these outcomes requires more than just enrolling a diverse student body. Institutions must actively work to create inclusive environments where every student feels valued and heard. This is where programmes like NStEP’s RDT come into play.

Representing Diversity Training

RDT is a 90-minute student-led training session that introduces student representatives to key concepts and tools to support them to effectively represent their diverse classmates and empower fellow students from all backgrounds and lived experiences to engage in student decision-making.  It was developed by NStEP Student Associate, Muireann Nic Corcráin, as part of a project focusing on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in student engagement. It aimed to develop resources for students and staff to understand and develop inclusive practices within student engagement in decision-making. Class representatives and students who are more broadly involved in representing their peers have a crucial role in ensuring that higher education is an inclusive and welcoming place, where every voice is heard and every student is encouraged to become involved in shaping their learning experience and community.

Student and class representatives represent a diverse group of peers every day. Each student has different lived experiences, needs and accommodations, and experiences higher education in different ways. Representing Diversity Training acts as a launchpad to inform students and give them useful tools to begin educating themselves on various issues within the EDI sphere.

The training is divided into three sections:

1. Unconscious Bias and Discrimination
2. Addressing Microaggressions and Promoting Inclusivity
3. Universal Design for Learning

Within these sections, topics include:

• an introduction to unconscious bias and recognising your own biases
• understanding racism and discrimination
• intersectionality and how intersectionality impacts students’ experiences in higher education
• accessible and inclusive language
• Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the benefits for increasing student engagement, and
• signposting and support: ‘student sphere of influence’ and knowing who to turn to with queries.

The training is student-led by NStEP’s team of student trainers and is designed to be interactive as it not only includes PowerPoint slides but videos, thought exercises and discussions to encourage conversation amongst participants. By recognising the ways in which participants may have biases in their thoughts or actions, they can begin to understand ways in which people can improve their understanding of issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. This means they can develop a deeper understanding of issues they haven’t experienced or considered before.

Section 1 – Unconscious Bias and Discrimination

This first section focuses on unconscious bias and discrimination, and how these may appear within learning communities in higher education. After being introduced to the concept of unconscious bias, participants are asked to consider how unconscious bias might manifest itself in the experiences of students and staff in their own institution and how they might address it. By recognising the ways in which they may have biases in their thoughts or actions, they can begin to understand ways in which they can improve their understanding of issues of equality, diversity and inclusion, and develop a deeper understanding on issues they haven’t experienced or considered before. Therefore, by being cognisant that no student has the same college experience, student representatives have an important role to play in recognising the ways in which education can be inaccessible or exclusionary and endeavouring to ensure that all their peers have an enjoyable college experience.

Participants are then presented with some tips for beginning to address unconscious bias such as being aware of their own habits and biases, checking their language, actively challenging stereotypes and making a conscious effort to gain different perspectives and learn about their peers.

Initially, unconscious bias is explained as an example of how discrimination (even unintentionally) happens at the individual level, and that individual discrimination is the result of something much deeper and ingrained – institutional, structural and historical discrimination. Participants are then asked to consider and discuss some of the ways in which discrimination might appear at each of these levels in Irish higher education and the impact that it has on staff and students.

Often, discrimination experienced in higher education is intertwined across different areas, which can make tackling discrimination seem daunting to students. At this point in the training session, participants are reminded that although their time as a student in higher education is short, they have unique knowledge of how discrimination is occurring at a grassroots level which is incredibly valuable for creating solutions.

To close out this section participants are introduced to the iReport tool developed by the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR). iReport is an online reporting tool that allows people, communities, and organisations in Ireland to confidentially report racism, including online hate speech. As a student representative it is possible that they or their classmates may encounter a racist incident at their institution, and by using the tool they can support students who experience or witness racism by breaking the silence.

Section 2 – Addressing Microaggressions and Promoting Inclusivity

After exploring the root causes of discrimination and unconscious bias, section 2 of Representing Diversity Training examines how to address microaggressions, and how to cultivate an inclusive learning community as a student representative.

The section begins by explaining to participants that microaggressions are a manifestation of unconscious bias and are negative verbal or non-verbal behaviours that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative attitudes toward certain groups. Microaggressions can either be intentional or unintentional and reinforce biases and stereotypes, often leaving their victims feeling uncomfortable, insulted, othered or excluded.

Participants are then provided with tips for addressing microaggressions as an important step toward cultivating an inclusive learning community for both students and staff.  For example, encouraging participants to be open to discussing their attitudes and biases and prepared to learn more. They are also reminded that mistakes will happen and the steps to take when they get something wrong is to acknowledge the mistake and apologise.

Following on from this, participants are introduced to the concept of intersectionality, highlighting that the lived experiences, including experiences of discrimination, of each individual are different – no single characteristic or identity exists on its own.  Participants are asked to consider how intersectionality might shape the way in which students in their class may experience and engage with higher education, what barriers might be preventing their peers from engaging, and how they can increase social engagement to develop an inclusive learning environment. 

Section 3 – Universal Design for Learning

The third and final major section of this training is about Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Firstly, it introduces participants to the concept of Universal Design for Learning and how UDL aims to improve the educational experience of all students by introducing more flexible methods of teaching, assessment and services to cater for diversity across higher education.

The three principles of UDL (multiple means of engagement, representation and action/expression) are explained to the participants, who are then asked to consider examples that these principles could be enacted either in their course/department or in their respective institutions. Participants are then asked to apply the principles of UDL to a case study and to devise solutions to address this issue.

To close out this section, participants are provided with some tips for using UDL as a student representative, such as incorporating descriptive texts into graphics or social media posts or ensuring that venues for events are fully accessible.

Before ending the session, participants are reminded that while it may be difficult to influence change within their institution, something that might seem like a small change to them, may make a big difference to someone else in their institution. This refers back to section one where their knowledge as a student representative was uniquely valuable, allowing for the student trainers to delve into the ‘student representative sphere of influence’.

Finally, participants are reminded that they are not expected to take on sensitive or personal matters and to recognise when it is better to act as a signpost to individuals or services within their institution who are equipped to resolve issues that are affecting their peers’ learning experience. 

On completion

Upon completion of Representing Diversity Training, participants should be able to:

• explain unconscious bias and discrimination and identify strategies for addressing these in higher education
• identify strategies for addressing microaggressions and cultivating an inclusive learning environment
• describe universal design for learning and how UDL principles can be applied in their role,
• and explain the importance of signposting when addressing EDI related issues.

After the training session, participants are issued with a Digital Badge which they can use to showcase their commitment to fostering an inclusive Irish higher education landscape, and it can also be used as a component towards NStEP’s Student Engagement Recognition Awards for Academic Representation.