Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Education to Transform Lives and Create a Fairer Society
We see Equality, Diversity and Inclusion as central to all aspects of our work in the School of Education. We aim to foster a dynamic and engaged community of diverse staff and students, showing kindness and compassion for individuals within it. We work to develop and maintain a highly supportive, equitable and inclusive environment. Our innovative teaching and cutting-edge, internationally renowned research have real impact in education – working to create a fairer society.
School of Education Directors of Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture:
Our Directors of Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture support our staff body and leadership team in maintaining a clear focus on EDI issues throughout our work.
| Name | Bio | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Sarah Cole | s.e.cole@exeter.ac.uk |
Dr Sarah Cole is a Senior Lecturer in Education. Her research interests are broadly located in the Sociology of Education, encompassing issues of social justice; gender, sexuality, domestic and sexual violence and feminist theory. This crosses interdisciplinary boundaries to children and young people’s mental health, wellbeing and positive psychology, with related themes that include leadership, mentoring and coaching. |
| Dr Caitlin Kight | C.R.Kight@exeter.ac.uk |
Dr Caitlin Kight studies the value of self-study as an approach to support the development of confidence, compassion, and expertise; I am especially keen to explore these reflective techniques as a means of supporting teachers to engage with social justice activities within their education practice. I am also interested in education within the heritage sector -- thinking about how to decolonise heritage spaces and equip visitors, volunteers, and heritage practitioners to fruitfully engage with historical spaces and artefacts even when they are emotionally and mentally challenging. |
| Dr Sally Palmer | S.B.Palmer@exeter.ac.uk | Dr Sally Palmer is a developmental social psychologist. She examines psychological mechanisms that help explain when and why children and adolescents act prosocially, and when they don't. Broadly, Sally is interested in how issues of social justice are understood across childhood and adolescence, in educational settings and wider society. |
Our EDI themes
Race Equality Resource Officer (RERO)
Whilst it is our experience at Exeter University that the majority of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students thrive here, some have thrived despite racist incidents or attitudes. Therefore, we provide additional support to 'level the playing field' where necessary, and to this end, we have established the RERO role within the School of Education to support students from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic backgrounds. (We employ this phrase cautiously whilst acknowledging the problematic nature of it: the incorrect implication that these students form a homogenous group and the negative connotations of the acronym 'BAME').
The role was initially established to support student teachers and subsequently extended to Masters students at the School of Education. Ruth Flanagan, our Race Equality Resource Officer, is available to work closely with students from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The RERO role is not part of the student assessment process, and in this role, Ruth offers:
- A safe, confidential and non-judgmental place to discuss issues and concerns
- Practical support to manage issues such as housing and finance
- Referral to appropriate agencies for specialist advice, information and support
Dr George Tarling Lecturer in Education and Student Experience Lead and Javiera Salazar Rivera, PhD Student (School of Education).
This project involved conducting focus group interviews with students (from a range of programmes within the department) and staff (from across the different disability accessibility services) to rethink how to make digital accessibility by default a sustainable proposition. The aim was to ensure that we moved beyond the ‘basics’ of accessibility in terms of simply considering navigation of course content and accessibility through certain technologies, in order to consider what accessibility might mean in relation to pedagogical decision making. The project sought to work with staff to give them the confidence to design courses and use our digital learning environment in ways which would make them accessible for all.
Dr Annabel Watson Senior Lecturer in Language Education in the School of Education, Dr Jonathan Doney Director of PGR School of Education, Dr Shane Glackin Senior Lecturer Philosophy, Dr Robert Herian Associate Professor Law, and Dr Sarah Cooper, Faculty Senior Tutor.
'Good academic practice' is a contextual and culturally-determined concept. International students studying at Exeter are expected to adhere to and uphold conventions relating to independent writing, referencing, paraphrasing and integration of sources, in response to concepts of authorship and intellectual ownership which are socially and culturally constituted. The challenges of developing an original academic 'voice', and of expressing understanding by paraphrasing and synthesising are also significantly complicated when English is not a native language. This project brought together groups of international students across the HASS faculty to articulate and explore some of the particular issues and barriers that they face with respect to academic practice. It also brought together representatives from a range of university services which support good academic practice, including INTO, the Study Zone, the Library and Academic Conduct Officers, to map our current provision and consider how to improve support for international students. The ultimate goal was to develop an informed understanding of the issues that students face and the support options that were available, in order to better target future provision and educational initiatives.
Dr Tamsin Kilner (SFHEA) Senior Lecturer in Education Practice in the School of Education.
Dr Tamsin Kilner has been teaching and supporting learning in HE for eighteen years and is particularly interested in inclusive ways to develop and deliver curricula, and in meaningful wellbeing practice. Tamsin is a Colleague Mental Health & Wellbeing Champion and has learned over the last year or so that for her, wellbeing sometimes involves making very small changes that have a surprisingly large impact. This project was one of the results of that realisation. The literature indicates that neurodiverse students face greater challenges in HE, both in terms of engagement in learning and retention (see for example Clouder et al. 2020 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6). They are also at greater risk of mental health and wellbeing challenges. The project involved a facilitated workshop which brought together colleagues with a range of experience of universal design for learning, with student partners from across the institution. It sought to explore various ways in which to embed principles of UDL in a workable and 'light touch' manner, in order to enable educators across the institution to engage with this approach in session, module, and programme design.
