As outlined in Aalto’s values and Code of Conduct, we aim to be a diverse and inclusive community and we want every community member to feel welcome and safe. We aim to provide a non-discriminatory, equal and accessible environment in which students with diverse backgrounds receive fair treatment and are free to study and work for fulfilling their professional, educational and other aspirations, without discrimination.
‘A student’s sense of belonging is strongly correlated with the ability to learn, motivation, academic self-confidence, academic engagement and achievement. Similarly, feelings of exclusion or marginalisation hinder learning. Developing inclusive teaching and learning practices is one priority for development in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan,’ says Provost Kristiina Mäkelä.
To support the development of an inclusive culture, a question about inclusion will be added to the course feedback survey from the beginning of this academic year. The question reads: ‘Which factors in the course served to promote the accessibility of the teaching, encourage participation, and reduce discrimination (e.g., in the selected teaching and assessment methods, course material, or learning environment)?"
Piloting and formulating the questions
The new question is the result of joint development work. The initiative came originally from the School of Business, and two questions, one qualitative and one quantitative, were piloted there in two periods. The data collected was reviewed and the questions were edited. The Learning Steering group discussed whether to use the qualitative or the quantitative question. The purpose of the qualitative question is to increase people's understanding of inclusion and the development of an inclusive culture. It helps students to reflect on how they perceive inclusion and verbalise their thinking around it. For teachers, the qualitative data offers insight and understanding on what kind of actions are inclusive from the students’ perspective, highlighting the positive. The quantitative question will be added to the question bank, and teachers can add it to their survey, if they wish to get quantitative data to monitor the development of inclusion in their teaching. The final formulation was discussed and decided on in the Learning Steering Group in June. The new question about inclusion will appear in all surveys from the beginning of this academic year.
Further development of course feedback
The previous Aalto-level question, about workload, was added in 2017, and there are now altogether five Aalto questions in the survey, complemented by the school’s own questions, as well as teachers’ own course-related questions. Plans for developing course feedback next academic year include creating a process for adding Aalto- and school-level questions. A goal is to ensure that when adding questions, all parties are included in the process and the survey as a whole is reviewed.
