Researchers

• prof.dr. R.M. van der Rijst - coordinator
• dr. M.O. de Jonge - coordinator
• dr. T.L. Mearns - (expert

and Kallia Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts, Eleni Katsarou (Crete), Elena Marin (Bucharest), Elia-Maria Fernandez (Cantabria), Meeri Hellstén, Helena Reierstam (Stockholm), Marite Kravale-Pauliņa (Daugavpils)

The Covid pandemic created many challenges that higher education (HE) has to address including the rapid digitalization of education and the expression of often muted or suppressed voices. In this new landscape, academics adapt their teaching and their curricula, listening at the same time to voices that may have been suppressed. Inclusive student-centered pedagogies incorporating needs, plans and ambitions of all students, regardless of identity, disability or background can address such discrepancy in a context where everyone’s voice can be heard through all available means and students are viewed as equal partners. COALITION is a European interuniversity collaboration between Leiden University, University of Crete, Stockholm University, University of Bucharest, University of Cantabria, and University of Daugavpils. We will develop inclusive student-centered pedagogies content and systems along with innovative teaching practices.

In response to all the aforementioned tensions in HE, inclusive student-centered practices urge higher education stakeholders for the provision of effective support structures and processes for both instructor and students. Lack of inclusive pedagogies in some current practices is manifested as an inherent conflict between student agency and instructor control. To overcome such conflict in HE, many researchers in the education community call for more inclusive pedagogies that empower students as equal partners to inform academics towards the design of supportive learning environments providing feedback about course design, instructional practices, engagement opportunities, attitudes, tools and assessment.

In response to all the aforementioned tensions in HE, inclusive pedagogies urge HE stakeholders for the provision of effective support structures and processes for both instructor and students. To this end, COALITION will produce educational relevant content and employ processes and tools that can support the participating faculty members to build the necessary competences. More specific COALITION objectives are:

• To map and analyze faculty members’ needs and competences for incorporating inclusive pedagogies in HE;
• To create an active community of practice for academics' development as inclusive educators who pay attention to their students’ needs;
• To develop an educational inclusive pedagogies package of resources, exercises and interactive activities for faculty members, in response to the competences to be built. This package will be delivered through an e-book and an accredited MOOC;
• To create an open access diagnostic tool and repository of content facilitating interaction and reflective practices that will guide faculty towards targeted lessons;
• To test in practice, and in local contexts inclusive pedagogical materials;
• To reflect on all experience that will be acquired through an inclusive pedagogies guidebook for faculty developers, adult educators, trainers and other stakeholders;
• To put forward evidence-based inclusive policy recommendations that will enhance cooperation and capacity building among all HE stakeholders, and render COALITION interventions sustainable.

Output

• Website
• MOOC
• Teaching guide
• Conference presentations and research articles

• higher education
• inclusive education

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