Socio-economic diversity: adapting inclusive teaching methods in higher education

Higher education participation and progress has long been linked to socio-economic status. Under normal circumstances, this is cause for concern. But today amidst the pandemic, when 41% of students say they're worried about running out of food, alarm bells should be ringing.  
 
According to Dr Wendy Purcell, the pandemic revealed weakness within the higher education system surrounding student inequality. And now, it is demanding we respond to them. 

“Students lost access to on-campus jobs, food and health services, and access to Wi-Fi and technology kits,” said Purcell, who is a Harvard Research Scholar focusing on global higher education. “What are we doing to create the ‘next normal’ for global higher education – one that delivers on equality, diversity and inclusion?” 

In this article, we’ll explore the importance of designing inclusive teaching methods to support students of lower-economic status. The goal is to provide an accessible learning experience, both during the pandemic and beyond. 

According to research outlined by the American Psychological Association (APA), students of low-economic status may find the transition to higher education more difficult. Low-economic status individuals are also less likely to complete a four year degree. At the same time, they are less likely to have the same preparation for university as high-economic status students. 

While more students from low-economic backgrounds are being accepted into UK universities, admissions gaps definitely do remain in place. For example, according to research by the Bridge Group, which looked into admissions at 20 UK law schools, students of low socio-economic status are less likely to get accepted to study at 16 of these schools. 

Wolstencroft et al. in their book Achieving Teaching Excellence discuss widening participation and how contextual university admissions that consider both an applicant’s educational and socio-economic background can be useful, though also carry the risk that highlighting differences in students’ backgrounds could have the opposite effect of alienation and distancing them from their peers. 

Socio-economic status and race can be connected. For example, Black and minority families in the UK are two times more likely to live in poverty.  But unlike racial, or gender, age, disability (and sometimes religious) diversity, socio-economic diversity is harder for instructors to see. 
 
Of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. When students were sent to study at home this year, many learners did not have access to a personal computer. Others lacked a safe study space, or a stable living environment.  
 
A 2017 study looked into how homelessness impacts university students in London. Unsurprisingly, it found that student homelessness is a large barrier to success.  One of the study’s authors, Patrick Mulrenan, told The Chronicle of Higher Education this year that student homelessness is “a significant issue but not one that’s measured. Nobody really knows the extent of the issue because nobody collects the data.” 

Nick Cartwright is a senior lecturer at the University of Northampton whose research focuses on the relationship between equality and pedagogy. He noted references to instructors’ lived experiences can exclude certain students in the classroom. 

“Instructors need to not make any assumptions that may not be true, like access to devices, broadband and even being able to go and grab a coffee somewhere with free Wi-Fi,” he said. “Recognising that there are diverse lived experiences is really important - accepting that we may never know them, nor can we understand them.” 

The Yale Poorvu Centre for Teaching and Learning is an excellent resource. It includes ideas and examples on how instructors should put in place inclusive teaching methods. Many address socio-economic diversity and equity.  
 
One recommendation it lists is to adopt an open-door policy. This demonstrates instructors are committed to every student’s success. It also recommends instructors ensure their course content is diverse. As part of this, courses should include different perspectives, so students may recognise themselves in readings and examples.  
 
For more recommendations, you can check out Yale’s page here.  

“We need to pick people up where they are and design our academic programs, learning approaches and assessment tools to enable (rather than dis-able) students’ performance that recognizes and embraces diversity,” said Purcell. “In the same way that equity benefits all, increasing choice of learning styles, measures of learning and so on will benefit more than the ‘target’ group.” 

One way we see instructors supporting students is to provide advice on how they can improve their performance. This is all the more valuable if instructors also allow their students to hand-in rewrites based on this advice.  
 
Another method is to include more formative testing. After all, not all students arrive at university with the same study skills to succeed in high-stake final exams. This is something we expect higher education to move closer towards, anyway. And, as we’re all acutely aware, traditional exams have become more difficult to carry out during the pandemic.  
 
According to Purcell, higher education has opened its doors to diversity. However it hasn’t changed its offer to support inclusion and belonging. “A diversity of students brings with it a diversity of needs – which HE needs to accommodate to enable everyone to thrive.”

The effects of the pandemic will be felt across higher education for some time. However, we believe this is a key time for institutions to strengthen their commitment to diversity and inclusion - and truly put this commitment into action.  
 
At McGraw Hill, inclusion and diversity is a vital part of our mission. With offices around the world, our diverse and inclusive teams strive to ensure all employees, experiences and products truly represent the customers we work with.  
 
Learn more about our commitment to inclusion and diversity here. 

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