Project Lead:
Ms. Aileen Kennedy (aileen.kennedy@mtu.ie)
Project Status
Withdrawn
Project Lead Home Department:
MTU Kerry-Central Services- Academic Affairs and Registrar’s Office
Alignment to HEA and NFETLHE SATLE 2022-23 Themes
- Education for Sustainable Development (ESD);
- Best Practice in Upholding and Cultivating Academic Integrity;
Alignment to MTU Strategy Themes
- Learner Education & Experience;
- People & Community;
Project Description
Objective:
The objective of this project is to enhance stakeholder accessibility to MTU approved academic/student affairs policies and procedures in support of teaching, learning, assessment and student engagement. This project will review a sample number of these policies and procedures through the lens of universal design principles (with a focus on representation, expression and engagement) and on review make recommendations on a universal design accessibility framework for MTU academic/student affairs policies and procedures. The recruitment of the role of UD Quality Officer from the WAM Programme evidences MTU commitment to capturing the active voice of people with disabilities in this process and supports the capacity of the university in building a more inclusive MTU community for staff and students. The project will create an evidence base of how to enhance equitable access and engagement beyond the pilot phase to wider MTU academic/student affairs policies and procedures.
What is the anticipated impact of this project?
Those who Teach:
- self-represented in MTU academic/student affairs policies and procedures in their content and format
- Ease of access and understanding
- Alternative policy and procedure representation, engagement and expression possibilities
- Engage wider audience of staff therefore enhance quality assurance in staff practices
- Enhance inclusive practices and experiences
- Cross campus coherence and continuity of practices
- WAM Graduate Opportunity Development within MTU
- Recruited WAM Graduate project skills enhancement
Those who Learn:
- Self-represented in MTU academic/student affairs policies and procedures in content and format
- Ease of access and understanding
- Alternative policy and procedure representation, engagement and expression possibilities
- engage wider audience of students therefore enhancing student engagement and partnership
- Enhance inclusive practices and experiences
- Cross campus coherence and continuity of experiences
What will the outputs of this project be?
- Pilot UD designed MTU sample academic/student affairs policies and procedures referred to MTU Universal Design Framework Implementation Steering Committee with the role of strategic coordination and oversight of this project.
- Template/Rubric for UD review of policies and procedures
- UD Accessibility Framework for policies and procedures
- All project findings will be shared on project completion with whole MTU Community, by internal communication systems and MTU T&L web pages.
- Project outputs will be shared nationally with other HEIs working in collaboration with MTU in UD space and external organisations such as AHEAD, NStEPs.
Team Members:
- Margaret Finch, Registrars and Student Engagement Office, Kerry campus, project coordination role;
- Staff mentor to the Universal Design Quality Officer. Position to be recruited based on evidenced knowledge, commitment and expertise in Universal Design.
- Universal Design Quality Officer, Kerry campus reviewer of MTU academic policies and procedures. Position to be recruited through the WAM (Willing, Able and Mentored) Programme of AHEAD. AHEAD is a non-profit organisation working to create inclusive environments in education and employment for people with disabilities. The WAM Programme (https://www.ahead.ie/wam) is a paid 6 months minimum graduate level internship employment opportunity. The central objective of the WAM Programme is to widen access to mainstream employment for graduates with disabilities while working with supporting and building the capacity of employers to create a more inclusive workplace. Such internships offer real life work settings to identify the issues facing both employers and graduates in the retention and recruitment of people with disabilities.
- MTU students, Cork and Kerry campuses, role as both consultants and partners.
- MTU academic administration and student affairs professional management and support services staff, Cork and Kerry campuses, role as both consultants and partners.
- MTU academic staff and management, Cork and Kerry campuses, role as both consultants and partners.
- MTU Universal Design Framework Implementation Steering Committee, role of strategic coordination and oversight of the pilot project.
- MTU Academic Council and Integration and Development Committees of Academic Council, role as feedback provider.
External organisations and other HEIs with relevant universal design expertise as consultants (ATU; TUS; AHEAD; NStEPS).
