Although our stone may disappear, the ripples extend to the oceans

Enhancing faculty engagement to achieve

equity for disabled students

Presented by Alexandra Smith

Contributors Rachel Anderson Smith & Ava Gibson

• Collaborative inquiry

• Making it work for us and Faculty

• Learning from each others practice

• Working out a similar objective

- enhancing inclusive practice

- encouraging student achievement

Faculty Engagement: What is it?

• New Zealand Code of Practice for an Inclusive Tertiary Education Environment

• Tool to assist TEIS create greater inclusion for disabled students

• Provides principles, best practice guidelines, and legislative framework

• Endorsed by TEC as the guideline for TEIs to use in providing support for students with impairments

• Victoria University has a commitment to its implementation. First step, an audit

Kia Orite: Catalyst for Change

• Teaching and Learning

• Faculty of Education

• Disability Liaison Person

Finding a place to begin

• To inform the audit

• Reach a wider audience

• To give solidity to our findings

• To encourage further debate and discussion

Research as a tool

• Creates a powerful platform for change• Discovers the best of what is• Every persons story is of value • Draws on the traditions of narrative,

strength based and solutions focused therapy, positive psychology, and social constructivism

• Brings the themes together, builds collaboration and shared vision

• Energises and inspires

Choosing Appreciative Inquiry

• Provide recent examples of good teaching and learning practice

• Gather qualitative data about successful inclusion strategies to inform practice

• Contribute to international and local research on students with impairments

Objectives

• Meetings and discussion

• Developing questions and research proposal, ethics

• Planning and practice –

focus groups trial

• Running focus groups

• Review and writing up

Research Process

• Being aware of our assumptions

• What do we mean by inclusive practice and does it fit with research? Flexibility in the focus groups.

• Both groups bring different things to the table

Challenges of Research and Practice

• Joys …– Fun, laughter, sharing– Stimulating, greater

opportunity for learning– Encouraging, shares the

work load – Expands into other areas

and interests

Working Collaboratively

• Challenges ….– Different expectations – Different experiences and philosophies– Working through disagreements– Achieving multiple outcomes, research

agenda, vs audit, vs structural & cultural change

– Deadlines & time commitments – Changes in membership– Managing the writing

Working Collaboratively

• Learnings…– Clarify expectations and commitments

at the beginning– Review expectations and

commitments as it progresses– Need to articulate assumptions and

beliefs– If you throw a stone, there will be

ripples– You can’t control where the ripples go

Working Collaboratively

• Highlighted Kia Orite in School of Education. • Topic on agenda at staff meetings e.g.

assessment and curriculum material• More accurate information on DSS processes• Greater Liaison with DSS by Faculty

Administrators • Qualitative findings and report • Collaborated on paper and research

What we have achieved

• Future papers are in the planning stages to contribute to the research in the area of tertiary inclusion for Students with Disabilities

• Led us to thinking more about how we are working to support students

• How might this process work in your organisation?

Future ripples for us

Enhancing faculty engagement to

achieve equity for disabled students

Thank You