Developing a framework for inclusiveness in internationalisation

School:  Moray House School of Education and Sport

Team Members:  Omolabake Fakunle, Velda McCune, Seongsook Choi, Nasar Meer

Abstract

The project connects two important agendas at the University of Edinburgh (UoE): internationalisation and equality and diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategies. The first being a stated purpose of the UoE Strategy 2030 that offers “a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation…through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally” (p. 6). The diversity of staff and students, an aspect of internationalisation, therefore, contributes to the University’s global impact. Second, the commitment of the University to embed EDI in the curriculum is evident in the Learning and Teaching Committee Report (2019) based on a task group consultation with staff and students. However, a key finding in the report revealed that “staff were less likely than students to be clear on how to engage with this [EDI] agenda in their disciplinary contexts” (p.5), despite the diversity of staff and students at the University as an internationalised institution (Fakunle, 2021). This is not surprising as a lack of connectivity between internationalisation and integration of EDI is an identified area of much-needed research (Glass, Godwin and Matross-Helms, 2021) as institutions are becoming more internationalised.

This project, therefore, aims to examine staff understanding of inclusiveness and how this is conceptualised and enacted, or not, in their practice. A mixed-method approach will be used to collect data from UoE staff across three Colleges. The project findings will provide researchinformed evidence to support UoE’s strategic agendas and values to utilise the strength in the diversity of its people towards embedding inclusivity in policy and practice.