Improving Inclusivity In Higher Education

This book addresses issues of access that COVID-19 brought forth in higher education, with a primary focus on Asian countries. In looking to address SDG4 to promote “inclusive and equitable quality education for all”, the volume explores the challenges relating to educational exclusion by considering how specially-abled students have been impacted by the digital divide in the context of the pandemic. It puts a spotlight on the approaches, experiences, and case analyses from various geographies in the region to study transitions in inclusivity. Universities and institutes of higher education have had to reconsider their digital offerings and services all the more since the onset of the pandemic, but have, in many instances, failed to fully account for how Internet access can be limited, unavailable, or unaffordable for many students. As a result, specially-abled learners – students without sufficient technological resources, such as those living in remote areas where there are little or no Internet facilities – have been, however unintentionally, neglected. While universities implemented their own practices, processes and policies to reach, and teach, disadvantaged learners, they had to further adapt these strategies, re-aligning them to meet the unprecedented circumstances, and concomitant needs, of specially-abled learners – and there is still much more to do. This book consolidates regional perspectives on how to work towards goals of inclusivity, and bridge the digital divide, looking into, and beyond, the conditions of the pandemic. Relevant to scholars and policymakers, this book is of interest to those focused on digitisation and the transition to the ‘new normal’ in higher education.

One of the most important issues academic organizations face is how the administration and faculty handle cultural and varied differences in higher education. High racial tensions as well as the ever-increasing need for equality suggest that changes at the highest level are essential to move forward. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in Contemporary Higher Education is an essential reference source that discusses the need for academic organizations to establish policy that is current, alive, and fluid by design, thereby supporting an ongoing examination of best practices with an overt commitment to continued improvement, as well as an influence for future leaders who will emerge from the ranks. Featuring research on topics such as campus climate, university administration, and academic policy, this book is ideally designed for educators, department chairs, guidance professionals, career counselors, administrators, and policymakers who are seeking coverage on designing curricula that impact college and university admissions readiness and success.

This volume provides educators with a global understanding of the successes and challenges associated with facilitating inclusive campuses in higher education amidst the growing diversity of students by providing evidence-based strategies and ideas for implementing equity and inclusion at higher education institutions around the world.

In addition to many other issues that touch higher education around the world, diversity and equity in higher education is fast becoming a major opportunity and challenge to institutions, countries and regions. The increasing centrality of diversity is fueled in part by changing demographics, immigration, social movements, calls for remedies to historic grievances, and the relationship between identity and access to power. This book will provide an opportunity to look at efforts at institutional change with respect to diversity in several countries where issues of diversity are moving beyond simply access for diverse populations to efforts at institutional transformation. Its purpose is to provide a comparative perspective with the hope that we will be able to see patterns across these contexts from which we might learn. Amongst other subjects it will address: The historic and contemporary context for diversity Established and emerging salient identities How diversity is framed at a national and institutional level The prevailing strategies and policies for engaging diversity, again at the national and institutional level The role of special purpose institutions This critical book is essential for higher education scholars and practitioners with backgrounds in higher education.

As higher education has made deliberate strides in recent decades to become more inclusive and accessible, the number of students from non-traditional backgrounds has increased dramatically. There has been much study of the effects of higher education on previously underserved populations, showing that it can lead to higher lifetime income and higher status. But there has been little research on what happens to those students once they are in a university. This book fills that gap, taking a close look at this issue and drawing on case studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to illuminate the problems that face non-traditional students, the resources they and their families are able to draw on, and the ways that administrators and staff can help them succeed. This paperback edition is well suited to postgraduate students and practitioners and alike.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the forefront of current discussion, as these issues have become an international concern for politicians, government agencies, social activists, and the general public. Higher education institutions internationally face considerable challenges in terms of diversity management of both their students and staff, which limits the success of individuals, institutions, and the sector as a whole. The Handbook of Research on Practices for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education reports on current challenges that higher education institutions face in terms of diversity management and provides crucial research on the application of strategies designed to increase organizational change and support and integrate diverse individuals, including physically disabled individuals, women, and people of color, into higher education institutions. Covering a range of topics such as cultural intelligence and racial diversity, this reference work is ideal for researchers, academicians, practitioners, scholars, policymakers, educators, and students.

Inclusive Leadership in Higher Education examines leadership efforts that move beyond simple diversity programs in the journey towards the institutional transformation necessary to create inclusive educational environments. Chapter contributors from higher education institutions across the globe share how leadership is developed and implemented at all levels to create more inclusive organizational cultures. Diverse chapters address the forces and factors associated with organizational change while examining leadership theory, policy, and practices. This important volume provides a comparative perspective, highlighting common themes across a range of institutional and cultural contexts to help leaders promote an organizational mind-set and culture of inclusion and inclusiveness.

This open access book offers pioneering insights and practical methods for promoting diversity and inclusion in higher education classrooms and curricula. It highlights the growing importance of international education programs in Asia and the value of understanding student diversity in a changing, evermore interconnected world. The book explores diversity across physical, psychological and cogitative traits, socio-economic backgrounds, value systems, traditions and emerging identities, as well as diverse expectations around teaching, grading, and assessment. Chapters detail significant trends in active learning pedagogy, writing programs, language acquisition, and implications for teaching in the liberal arts, adult learners, girls and women, and Confucian heritage communities. A quality, relevant, 21st Century education should address multifaceted and intersecting forms of diversity to equip students for deep life-long learning inside and outside the classroom. This timely volume provides a unique toolkit for educators, policy-makers, and professional development experts.