Trinity Inclusive Curriculum - Trinity College, Dublin Web viewWelcome to the eight issue of the Trinity Inclusive ... apply principles of universal design and inclusion ......

Newsletter October 11

NewsletterWelcome to the eight issue of the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum (TIC) newsletter.

TIC supports and guides staff seeking to enhance the inclusivity of their teaching,

learning and assessment practices to enhance the learning experience of all their

students. Inclusive practices in teaching, learning and assessment help to

remove barriers to engagement for all students by enhancing the clarity, flexibility

and responsiveness of the curriculum.

Contents this issueWelcome from the Development officer P.1 Recent activities P.2News P.3Contact P.5

Welcome from the TIC Development officer:Dear Colleague,

As we enter the new academic year TIC reaches the end of its three year funding

cycle and becomes ‘business as usual’ in TCD. Over its funding cycle TIC

developed two key resources that are available to staff both within TCD and

externally. These resources are:

An online self-evaluation application to assist in the design and review of

teaching and assessment practices, and

A resource website offering multimedia resources to help staff create a

more inclusive learning environment.

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Newsletter October 11

These interconnected online platforms can guide and support you as you seek to

use best practice teaching and

assessment practices to fully engage

all your students. They have been

designed to be user friendly, engaging

and intuitive, and can be used

together or separately to provide you

with all information needed to

confidently apply principles of

universal design and inclusion to your teaching and assessment.

Michelle Garvey

Recent ActivitiesTIC end of project evaluation reportTIC's funding cycle ended on September 31st 2011. TIC has produced an “End

of Project Evaluation Report” evaluating progress to date and offering

recommendations for future actions. You can access this report at http://

www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/assets/doc/tic-reports/end-eval.doc (Word, 789kb).

PBL ReportIn the academic year 2010/11, TIC collaborated with PBL practitioners from

across the College to investigate any accessibility issues that may arise from

aspects of PBL. A survey on student perceptions of PBL went out to students

registered on:

• Medicine,

• Occupational Therapy,

• Dentistry,

• Clinical Speech and Language Studies, and

• Pharmacy

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Newsletter October 11

You can access the PBL Survey report at

http://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/assets/doc/tic-reports/pbl-report.doc (Word,

1.01mb).

What is a subject Librarian? During the summer 2011 TIC worked with Greg

Sheaf, Subject Librarian for Nursing and

Midwifery, to create AV materials aimed at both

staff and students to explain the role of subject

librarians. By following

http://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/projects/inclusive-

libraries/index.php you can view two videos - one aimed at staff and one aimed at

students where Greg discusses the role of the subject librarian and how they can

help you and your students.

NEWS:TIC shortlisted for an awardTIC has been shortlisted for the JISC Techdis OASES Award for Institutional

Progress on Equality using Technology. This

award has been introduced by TechDis to

recognise and to spread the word about good

practice. TechDis is a UK advisory service on

technologies for inclusion. They explore and promote inclusive practices,

resources and advice for learning and teaching in UK higher education, further

education and skills sector, and independent and specialist colleges.

In December 2009 TechDis’ Simon Ball visited TCD on invitation from the Centre

for Learning Technology and TIC to give a series of workshops on Accessible

Information. You can view podcasts of Simon’s workshops at

http://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/accessible-info/presentations.php.

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Newsletter October 11

TIC new look toolA year after the original launch, the TIC self-evaluation tool has received a

makeover.

Following a year of feedback, TIC revamped the tool to enhance the ease of

navigation and to declutter and modernise its look. Textual information has been

reduced, with additional colour,

icons and signposting to make

the user experience clearer and

more enjoyable.

The tool, created following

extensive pilots with College

academic staff, provides the

opportunity for staff to self-

evaluate their practices to see if

they are engaging all students

as much as possible.

To date the tool, which is open

for use by staff across all HEIs,

has

121 registered users across at least 13 higher level institutions from the UK and

Ireland.

If you are interested in organising a demonstration of the revamped online TIC

tool for personnel within your area please contact the TIC development officer at

[email protected].

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Newsletter October 11

Example of Inclusive Practice: Occupational TherapyIn the academic year 10/11 Michelle Spirtos and Sarah Quinn piloted choice of

assessment across a senior sophister module within the BSc in Occupational

Therapy in TCD.

Students were required to bring an existing piece of research up to a standard

where it could be presented to professionals in their field. Research could be

presented as a:

conference presentation,

poster presentation, or

journal article.

Following the pilot Michelle and Sarah spoke to TIC about their experience.

Recordings were made and can be accessed from

http://www.tcd.ie/CAPSL/TIC/guidelines/assessments/assessment-choice.php.

Pathways to TrinityThe TCD Disability Service has launched a new website called ‘Pathways to

Trinity’ (www.tcd.ie/pathways-to-trinity). This website aims to help prospective

students with disabilities understand, prepare for, and successfully apply to

College. The website offers:

• Information on matriculation and

admission requirements,

• support when choosing a course,

including advice from current staff

and students,

• study skills resources for the

leaving certificate,

• information on College life,

including supports available, and

• a transition planning tool for current senior cycle second level students.

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Newsletter October 11

The Disability Service will be piloting a series of preparatory workshops involving

the use of the transition planning tool for second level students with Disabilities

over the coming year.

Inclusive Curriculum Advisory ServiceAre you currently:

• designing a new programme/module?

• reviewing an existing programme/module?

• reviewing or redesigning your teaching

materials or other student resources?

Are you interested in a demonstration of the online TIC tool for personnel within your area?If you would like to:

book a demonstration,

seek advice on how to ensure your resources, modules and programmes

meet inclusive curriculum standards,

• offer feedback or suggestions on the TIC resources

please contact the Inclusion Development Officer at: [email protected].

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