Trinity College Dublin Inclusive Curriculum Project – Trinity-INC

Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Project and Student Learning and Development are delighted to present this practical session with Trinity-INC Student Partner Athi Ralarala, to help international undergraduate students navigate Trinity’s academic culture. Next session TBD.

The second workshop of this three-week series will be focused on how recent international students can improve your non-verbal communication with lecturers and peers.

Topics include:

-Email writing.

-Sending appeals e.g., medical extensions

-Asking for help on academic content.

-Setting meetings with lecturers and supervisors.

This space is meant to be a conversation starter, an opportunity to acknowledge and empathize with the international student experience. This is a space to share experiences and information.

What is Blackboard Ally?

Blackboard Ally is a tool that complements the main Blackboard VLE. With Blackboard Ally, students can download learning material in various formats such as Braille, HTML and audio. This can be a great help to students with accessibility requirements and others who would benefit from having the material presented in different ways – such as commuting students or busy student parents who may like to listen to articles or lectures on audio, for example. Ally does the conversion work automatically. All that is needed are the learning materials – in Word, PowerPoint or PDF – to be accessible. Blackboard Ally also shows staff how accessible their material is and what they can do to improve.

Benefits for Staff

• Ally creates accessible formats effortlessly, allowing you to easily cater to your different students’ learning and accessibility needs.
• Ally helps you make your document accessible from the beginning, helping you save time in the long run.
• Creating accessible documents means that your teaching will be more inclusive.
• You will be complying with Trinity’s Accessible Information Policy.

Benefits for Students

• Ally allows students to download course material in different formats to suit their learning and accessibility needs.
• Students facing a long commute can download a lecture in audio version to listen to during the trip.
• Students with limited access to technology can download an article in EPUB to read on their phone or tablet
• Students who require a screen reader can download the material in HTML and avoid having to approach their lecturer for other formats.

Blackboard and Ally Training for Staff

Why Do this Training?

These quick, bite-sized sessions will teach you all you need to know in order to make your documents easy to use for all students, regardless of their learning backgrounds, preferences or abilities. You will come away with tips and tools that are quick and easy to implement. You’ll also be complying with Trinity’s Accessible Information Policy and doing your part to make Trinity a more inclusive learning environment.

Want to learn more about Ally and the impact that it can have on your teaching? Disability Services, in conjunction with the Trinity Inclusive Curriculum Project, will be running workshops on Blackboard Ally and document accessibility.

• ALLY AND MS WORD ON YOUTUBE

• ALLY FOR STAFF ON YOUTUBE

• ALLY FOR STUDENTS ON YOUTUBE

• MAKING YOUR BLACKBOARD MODULE CLEARER FOR STUDENTS ON YOUTUBE 

#InclusiveTrinity Festival 2022

The #InclusiveTrinity Festival 2022 showcased a snapshot of the #InclusiveTrinity initiatives and activities happening across Trinity. The Festival was a reminder that Trinity's campuses are open to everyone and for everyone to enjoy. Check out these and many more event recordings on our YouTube:

• Let's Talk about Race and Ethnicity - #Inclusive Trinity Festival 2022

• Trans Ally in the Classroom - #Inclusive Trinity Festival 2022

Trinity-INC Food For Thought Lunchtime Seminar Series

The Trinity-INC Food for Thought Lunchtime Seminar Series showcases in-dept discussions around different aspects of inclusion and accessibility by leading experts, while also focusing on what students have to say about these issues. Check out the Lunchtime Seminars below on our YouTube plus many more.

• Trinity-INC Lunchtime Seminar: Intersectionality in Higher Education with Dr Phil Mullen & Aliyah Sy

• Trinity-INC Lunchtime Seminar: Queer Inclusion - In Higher Education, Healthcare, and Beyond.

The next roll out will commence October 2023.

The Trinity-INC Professional Learning Module in Inclusive Practices for Teaching and Learning is targeted to the needs of academic staff and all who teach or support teaching and learning at Trinity. 

The module is grounded in the principles of Universal Design for Learning ('UDL') but does not intend to provide 'one' way of doing inclusion. It suggests that inclusive practice is adaptive, iterative, and highly contextual. We hope the module offers you a toolkit of suggestions that can be easily adapted for use in your own practice.

The Module is inherently flexible to help you manage it around your other life and professional commitments. A 'light touch' assignment involves a short reflection upon your learning and one example of a UDL change in your practice. 

The Module is tailored to the Trinity context, modelled on the National Forum for Teaching and Learning (NF), AHEAD and UCD 'Digital Badge in Universal Design for Learning'. Those who complete this module will also receive the Digital Badge.

The Module commences in October 2023 and runs for 8 weeks, taking no more than 20 hours of your time in total, with most weeks of the module involving two hours engagement at the most.

Engagement throughout the Module:

• Self-directed learning - on the key pillars of Universal Design for Learning and other Inclusive Practices. You will be enrolled in a Blackboard module where all the materials - for reading, listening, and watching - are clearly laid out for your engagement. 
• Peer-Engagement - is the cornerstone of the Module.  Peer triad meetings are arranged at a time that suits the members of your group.
• Live seminars/webinars - led by members of the Trinity-INC Team and supported by Trinity staff and students and experts both from within Trinity and elsewhere, are held at the beginning, middle and end of the Module. These sessions are intended to enable you to come together in a community of practice in live time to share ideas and experiences. (While there is added value in attending these sessions to take part in the discussions, the presentations will be recorded) 
• Seminar 1: Wed 22nd Feb 2023, 14:00-15:30 (Hybrid - in person in Global Room, and online)
  
• Seminar 2: Tues 21st March, time TBC (Hybrid) 
• Seminar 3: Wed 12th April, 15:00-16:00 (Hybrid)
• Accessibility: The Global Room is accessible. ISL Interpretation will be available. 

Who may find this Module useful?
The Module is open to all who teach or support teaching and learning in Trinity. e.g.
-Academic staff 
-Teaching Fellows
-TAs / PhD researchers
-EOs and School Professional staff
-Student Support Services staff
-Anyone else engaged in teaching or supporting teaching and learning at Trinity

Module Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the Module, learners will be able to:

• Reflect on the diversity of learners and colleagues in their School or workplace and Trinity more generally;
• Develop insight into Universal Design for Learning and other inclusive pedagogical approaches and work practices;
• Supported through peer engagement, explore and reflect on existing practice and identify 'quick win' changes in line with a UDL approach. 

For queries, please contact Dr Derina Johnson, Trinity-INC Project Manager, on trinityinc@tcd.ie