A Professional Collaboration

Inclusive pedagogy to maximise participation for all students

Abstract

As online learning within higher education continues to expand, it raises important questions related to epistemological access, participation, and inclusion within the online learning environment. While online education is often associated with flexibility and widening access, unequal access to technology, varying levels of digital fluency, and diverse student learning experiences may unintentionally reproduce forms of exclusion within online spaces. Within the South African higher education context, these questions call for ongoing reflection on how online teaching and learning environments are designed to support diverse students.
This paper is a conceptual and reflective discussion emerging from a collaborative pedagogical engagement between lecturers in the fields of Information and Communication Technology and Inclusive Education during the transition to a new learning management system at STADIO Higher Education. Drawing on Florian’s Inclusive Pedagogical Approach in Action, the paper reflects how collaborative pedagogical engagement created opportunities to reconsider existing course design practices and incorporate inclusive practices in online learning contexts.
Through reflective engagement with online course redesign, the authors considered how inclusive teaching approaches may contribute towards more responsive teaching and learning strategies to strengthen participation and epistemological access for diverse students. The paper further argues that professional collaboration creates an important space to discuss pedagogical choices, challenge assumptions about student participation, and capability.