A methodology for an inclusive and accessible digital curriculum

In today's educational landscape, an inclusive and accessible digital curriculum is essential for supporting diverse students and equitable learning environments. An inclusive curriculum not only accommodates students’ needs but also promotes engagement, participation, growth and empowerment among students, enhancing academic success and wellbeing. This paper presents a participatory methodology for creating an inclusive curriculum framework, embedding it in processes and practice, and reviewing digital curricula in order to enhance inclusive practice.

The Arden Inclusive Curriculum Framework was developed using a participatory approach with diverse staff and students. Once approved, it was embedded in validation, quality and learning design processes for all new programmes and modules. The Arden EDI team then conducted an extensive review of the 225 modules that pre-dated the framework but were still being delivered to students. This involved page-by-page analysis to identify barriers to accessibility and inclusivity, and suggest changes in accordance with the framework. The review identified 43,378 areas where current practice is not aligned with best practice in accessibility and inclusion. These areas align to specific EDI themes, including issues with digital accessibility, lack of diverse representation in certain curriculum areas, non-inclusive language, lack of trigger warnings on distressing content, and areas where activities or content should be more accessible for disabled or neurodivergent learners.

The findings of this study show that diversity of academic staff alone does not guarantee inclusive curricula; there is a need for a purposive approach to inclusion and accessibility. By sharing our methodology and findings, we aim to provide a replicable framework for institutions seeking to enrich their own curricula towards a more inclusive educational environment.