Toolkit for Inclusive Higher Education Institutions - Now Digital!
The Toolkit for Inclusive Higher Education Institutions was developed for use in the higher education sector, in response to the need for a whole-institution response to access, participation, and success of under-represented students in higher education. We have now redeveloped this Toolkit as a digital resource for use in our University for All workshops!
It is offered as a tool to assist universities and colleges to progress mainstreaming and inclusion for all students. The Toolkit offers a strategic institution-wide lens to assess progress, identify opportunities for improvement, and create a bespoke action plan to develop a whole-institution approach to inclusion, where every student feels, welcome, that they belong, and valued. You can learn about how we are using the Toolkit to make access and inclusion everyone's business in UCD!
The implementation of UCD’s University for All initiative served as a catalyst for the development of this Toolkit. While the enthusiasm and commitment of UCD faculty and staff to access and inclusion were clearly evident, it became clear that there was an absence of know-how and confidence around these issues that hindered opportunities to capitalise on this energy and engagement. A substantial body of academic literature considers access, participation, and success in higher education. Implementation practice, however, points to a ‘gap’ and prompted the development of this ‘how-to’ guide. Hence, this Toolkit is designed as a practical resource, which is intended for use by university and college leaders, faculty members, and professional and administrative staff. It is hoped that it will provide a road map to mainstream access and inclusion, foster confidence, and build a body of good whole-institution practice.
In 2021 we have worked to redevelop the Toolkit as an online interactive resource which has facilitated ease of use in online workshops which have taken place during since remote working became prevalent. You'll find a demo link to the Digital Toolkit below - simply select DEMO in answer to 'REps' and you'll be brought to a series of our Toolkit self-assessment statements. Select a statement to have a look at how the Digital Toolkit works.
You can then select a score and you'll see prompts appear to help with recording good practice and possible actions. For demo purposes we ask you not to record responses. If you work in UCD you'll be invited by your local Widening Participation Representative to attend a workshop where you will use this toolkit with your colleagues. We use this digital toolkit in our University for All workshops where faculty and professional staff from programme areas and units work together using the Toolkit to assess the current state of access and inclusion in the programme area, School, College or Unit, gather examples of good practice and identify priority areas for action. Widening Participation Representatives then use this information to plan and develop projects based on these results.
If you are outside UCD and wish to use this digital toolkit in your own institution please email (opens in a new window)Universityforall@ucd.ie and we'll provide you with the details you need to make this happen in your institution. To translate our Toolkit into an interactive digital tool we worked with eConcepts Web Solutions who would be happy to work with you to use this Toolkit in your own institution.
If you have any questions about using the toolkit, please feel free to email us at (opens in a new window)universityforall@ucd.ie