Introduction to the toolkit

This module has become everything I wanted teaching to be.

(Sabrina Gilani, tutor, Aboriginal Law)

 

The Intercultural Encounters module was an elective I had chosen purely based off the fact that the title and content seemed interesting… What I didn’t expect was that it would completely change my way of thinking… for the better.

(Skye Marzell, student)

When you work in a large institution, it can be hard to find out about others’ teaching techniques, especially in different faculties. I know that many tutors at the University of Sussex are using excellent inclusive practices, and I wanted to showcase them in a toolkit that would be useful to teachers at Sussex and at other universities across the UK and beyond.

A key aim of this toolkit is to demonstrate how inclusive practices can be used to narrow ethnicity awarding gaps. ‘The ethnicity degree awarding gap at universities means that white students are more likely to be awarded top grades in their degrees than Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) students’ (Universities UK 2022).^[1] The ethnicity degree awarding gap in UK universities was 11.5% in 2023/24 (AdvanceHE 2026). At the University of Sussex, the awarding gaps between UK white and Asian, Black, Mixed and Other (ABMO) students have narrowed from 15.5% in 2022/23, 13.7% in 2023/24 to 9.5% in 2024/25.^[2]

While the primary scope of this work is around ethnicity awarding gaps, the toolkit has much wider potential to enhance inclusive teaching across a range of aspects of lived experience, including protected characteristics and from an intersectional perspective. There are two main aspects to inclusive teaching practices – an inclusive curriculum and inclusive pedagogy. An inclusive curriculum is:

universal and intended to improve the experience, skills and attainment of all students including those in protected characteristic groups. It aims to ensure that the principles of inclusivity are embedded within all aspects of the academic cycle (Advance HE (n.d.).

Inclusive pedagogy is ‘concerned with making learning materials and teaching methods accessible to as many students as possible by considering a range of diverse student identities, including race, gender, sexuality, and abilities and centering these diverse identities in developing educational practices’ (Hijri 2022). This toolkit contains examples of both inclusive curriculum and pedagogy.

To create this resource, I invited contributions from tutors who focus on using inclusive pedagogy, identifying them through several channels. I requested recommendations from our Curriculum Change Connectors – students who are working across the University to advise on how to make the curriculum more inclusive to narrow and close ethnicity degree awarding gaps (Diggins et al. 2026). Other suggestions came from our Race Equity Advocates (a student-led collaboration with the University focused on improving the experience of students of colour and closing awarding gaps) and from individual students. Tutors also recommended colleagues. It is an ongoing project; I plan to add more materials.

This is a practical toolkit not an academic publication. In some cases, authors have supplied research evidence to support their practice and/or carried out studies to prove its effectiveness. In addition, preliminary findings from University of Sussex data appear to indicate that modules in this toolkit that have been designed with inclusivity at the heart of them have narrowed or eliminated ethnicity awarding gaps. Further analysis is required, however.^[3]

Although the quantitative data is currently limited, the toolkit entries are aligned with six key practices that have been shown to narrow ethnicity awarding gaps. I give brief details of this evidence below, including the QAA Awarding Map (QAA 2024), research studies, examples and references to the TASO Theory of Change project to tackle ethnicity awarding gaps.^[4] I then offer guidance on how to use the toolkit.

The six key practices are:

• Decolonisation of the curriculum and anti-racist pedagogy
• Co-creation of the curriculum
• Inclusive assessment
• Student engagement
• Fostering sense of belonging
• Academic skills and student support.

1 Decolonisation of the curriculum and anti–racist pedagogy

University curricula need to be ‘inclusive and reflective of diverse perspectives’, as Banerjee states in her evidence-based recommendations for narrowing ethnicity awarding gaps (Banerjee 2024). Working to decolonise the curriculum is a fundamental way to achieve this. The QAA Awarding Map has practical tools that can help, including Decolonising the Curriculum (University of Reading), which includes case studies of good practice. Many universities have similar resources; the University of Sussex Library resource on Decolonisation and Anti-Racism provides materials for decolonising curricula and academic practice.

Decolonising the curriculum starts at the basic level of diversifying the names used in case studies and the authors in reading lists. To go further requires ‘a deeper reflection on thoughts and assumptions underlying knowledge’ (de Sousa, Fatilewa and Mistry 2021). The TASO Theory of Change project at the University of Law undertook to review and update all the core module content in consultation with ethnically diverse students, including reading lists, case studies and assessments (University of Law 2024). The rationale was to ensure that students of colour would be represented in the curriculum, making it easier for them to access the content, engage with it and prepare more effectively for assessments. This toolkit contains several examples of decolonising the curriculum, such as Dr Sabrina Gilani and Dr Ashleigh Keall’s Aboriginal Law module (Law), which focuses explicitly on Indigenous perspectives (see chapter 4).

Inclusive reading lists

Revising reading lists is a core component of decolonisation. The University of Kent has worked to decolonise its reading lists in the social sciences to achieve a Diversity Mark (Adewumi 2024). This is an award for reviewing reading lists and reflecting on module content with a Diversity Mark officer – a student employed in this role. The university library has worked with staff and students to create a toolkit to help other staff to find resources to improve the diversity of their reading lists. When Eleanor Newbigin and Sarah Tucker redesigned their core first-year history module at SOAS, they made the reading list inclusive to challenge ‘unequal power relations in their own learning and scholarship’. They invited PhD students to help them find resources and included many perspectives on the reading list (Newbigin and Tucker 2025). In this toolkit, Dr Birgul Kutan’s Education, Peacebuilding and Conflict module (Education) incorporates many perspectives, and she co-creates the reading list with her students (see chapter 2).

Anti–racist pedagogy

Fundamental to narrowing awarding gaps, adopting anti-racist pedagogical approaches requires training and resources for teachers. The Awarding Map contains the Anti-Racist Curriculum Project (QAA Scotland and Advance HE), which provides resources for tackling racism within the curriculum and fostering anti-racist teaching practices. The TASO Theory of Change project at Birmingham City University includes anti-racism training for staff as well as implementing anti-racist pedagogies (Birmingham City University 2024). A successful approach is to start from the experiences of the students, allowing them to discuss their viewpoints and experiences in a safe space (QAA 2024: 21). Jo Osborne does this in the Language and Culture in Intercultural Communication module (English; see chapter 10).

2 Co-creation of the curriculum

Linked to decolonisation is the involvement of students in decision-making processes, which includes co-creating the curriculum (QAA 2024: 22). As at Sussex, Kingston University students are employed as Curriculum Consultants, using their own diverse lived experiences to create ‘more accessible, meaningful and globally-relevant curricula’ at all levels. They developed Kingston’s Guided Independent Learning template, adapting a staff document into a student-facing resource that would be meaningful for learners (Hughes et al. 2019). Student co-creation of assessments gives students agency and makes the assignments more relevant and engaging (Canal and Child 2025). For their first-year History module at SOAS, Newbigin and Tucker allowed students to decide on their assessment output. Students had to communicate ideas from their discussions in a non-academic format, explaining who the project was for, why it was important and the change they wanted to achieve (Newbigin and Tucker 2025: 12). In Professor Zahid Pranjol’s Introduction to Human Disease module (Life Sciences), groups of students decide on their own creative, innovative and inclusive output (see chapter 16). In her Conservation Biology module (Life Sciences), Deborah Glass runs debates on topical issues; the participants work in groups to co-create the materials (see chapter 8).

3 Inclusive assessment

The SOAS and Sussex examples above are inclusive assessments, which can be defined as ‘the provision of assessments that allow all students to do well without receiving alternative or adapted assessments’ (Bain 2023). The Awarding Map notes that: ‘Diversification of assessment type, either in place of or in addition to more traditional assessment methods, may have a positive impact on student experience and degree outcomes’ (QAA 2024: 26). Canal and Child agree that diversification is vital. They highlight the importance of developing

…discipline-specific or authentic ‘real world’ tasks to demonstrate their [students’] learning and development of a range of skills relevant to their discipline and future work. Using a variety of assessment types, such as examinations, essays, presentations, group work and practical assessments, can cater to different learning styles and reduce awarding gaps (Canal and Child 2025: 991).

Jeanette Ashton and Dr Verona Ní Drisceoil’s Professional Skills: Law in Action module (Law) has these attributes (see chapter 22).

Supporting students to prepare for assessments is vital. The TASO Theory of Change Project at Birmingham City University focuses on assessment literacy, helping students to understand how to approach assessments and scaffolding their learning (Birmingham City University 2024). This means providing temporary support to help students learn new concepts or skills. Including more formative feedback also assists students to prepare well (Banerjee 2024: 49). In Dr Verona Ní Drisceoil’s English Legal System module (Law), students have ample opportunities to practise and develop the skills required to excel (see chapter 21).

4 Fostering student engagement

The student-centred practices above all foster engagement. As Newbigin and Tucker note, when you incorporate these practices, the tutor’s role becomes ‘curatorial and facilitative’. Students take part in discovering knowledge rather than passively receiving it. They use their lived experiences to connect learning to issues relevant to their lives (Newbigin and Tucker 2025: 11). In Chris Stocking and Jo Osborne’s interculturality modules (English), students relate the module readings to their own knowledge and experience, which leads to a high level of participation and engagement (see chapter 3 and chapter 10). When learning feels relevant, students are more likely to attend regularly. Good attendance – an important factor of student engagement – has been linked to achievement. At the University of Sussex, Dr Wendy Garnham showed that Foundation students who achieved over 70 per cent had an average attendance of more than 70 per cent, while students who failed the year had an average attendance of under 40 per cent (Garnham 2024). Other student-centred practices that foster student engagement are active learning and team-based learning.

Active learning

As Paolo Oprandi and Tab Betts explain, active learning strategies ‘engage students in a series of activities which require them to produce observable evidence of their learning’ (Oprandi and Betts 2022: 3). They provide a framework for students to tackle a task either individually, in pairs or in groups, and to reflect on the process afterwards, with the aim of developing higher order thinking skills (ibid.). This ‘active and collaborative approach to learning and teaching… has benefits to all students, [and] removes gaps in student engagement, attendance, attainment and progression’ (Nottingham Trent University 2019, in Oprandi and Betts 2022: 69). The teaching practices in the toolkit all involve active learning elements.

Team-based learning and group work

Team-based learning – where students work together on a problem task – has been demonstrated to narrow ethnicity awarding gaps, especially in the final year of an undergraduate degree. When Cagliesi and Ghanei examined two waves of cohorts, they found that the ethnicity awarding gaps at Level 5 were eliminated in the Level 6 Economics module where they used team-based learning (Cagliesi 2019). Canal and Child found that modules with group work (not specifically identified as team-based learning) had lower awarding gaps than those without (Canal and Child 2025: 986). Group work in general also reduces social isolation and builds a sense of belonging. The team-based learning and group work section from chapter 16 to chapter 20 has several examples.

5 Fostering sense of belonging

Students feel a greater sense of belonging when they see their own experiences reflected in the curriculum. The TASO Theory of Change curriculum review project at the University of Law noted as an impact that students of colour ‘show an increased sense of belonging as they identify more with the content of the curricula – are more engaged and find accessing curricular content easier, as it is more relevant to them’ (University of Law). Xiangming (Tommy) Tao’s Business School modules contain diverse protagonists in business case studies, making the curriculum more representative and strengthening students’ sense of belonging (see chapter 1). Feelings of belonging at university are linked to narrowing ethnicity awarding gaps. According to Banerjee, ‘When students feel connected to their institution and have a sense of belonging, they are more likely to persist and complete their degrees. This can help to reduce degree awarding gaps and improve outcomes for all students.’ (Banerjee 2024: 43). She cites Thomas (2012), who summarises the findings from the ‘What Works? Student Retention & Success programme’, a five-year research project involving 13 UK universities. The report highlights that student engagement and sense of belonging are important for student success (ibid.).

6 Academic skills and student support

Providing tailored academic skills support can also help to narrow awarding gaps. At the University of Birmingham, the Birmingham Scholar programme is ‘designed to support students from all backgrounds to thrive at university and beyond.’ It is offered to black students from the most deprived neighbourhoods, care leavers and students from non-selective state schools. ‘Preliminary quantitative evidence… suggests the Scholar programme may help to reduce awarding gaps by improving degree outcomes for Scholars who engage with the programme’ (Harper and Campbell 2023). With the support of TASO, in 2023 the University of Southampton launched dissertation writing retreats as part of its awarding gaps project. The funded residential retreats were offered to black final-year undergraduates to support them to excel in this important part of their degree and to increase their sense of belonging (O’Connell 2024). The students who participated achieved higher grades than those who had not attended (Wickremashinghe 2024). They reported increased confidence, motivation and productivity, and a greater sense of belonging (O’Connell and Chipato 2025). Based on Museus’s Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model of success for racially diverse student populations (Museus 2014), Hengyi Wang’s Learning Community programme (Business School) extends far beyond academic skills to provide a comprehensive developmental model that incorporates personal development support (see chapter 29).

Limitations

I created this resource as a short scholarship project, and the range of examples in this first edition is limited. The toolkit does not have sections on all the inclusive teaching practices that can narrow ethnicity awarding gaps. For instance, transitions support and employability skills are also significant; it would be valuable to create sections on these in future.

The toolkit is focused on module-level impacts. Newbigin and Tucker realised that the approach developed in their inclusive history module would be far more effective if it was adopted for the whole programme (Newbigin and Tucker 2025: 26). To eliminate awarding gaps requires an institution-wide approach, including academic and professional services, and more diverse staff. A diverse staff team can provide role models for underrepresented student groups and broaden perspectives in teaching (Banerjee 2024: 49).This ‘may further help to reduce the awarding gap and mend the leaky academic pipeline’ (Gutman and Younas 2025). To achieve this diversification requires recruiting more diverse staff and retaining them through equitable progression opportunities and inclusive cultures for staff as well as students.

At London Metropolitan University, for instance, the ethnicity awarding gap has reduced substantially. Senior leadership teams made it a priority, allocating resources and evaluating progress. They worked towards holistic system change, improving staff diversity, curriculum and teaching practice. The professional services team was crucial to the shift too. At all levels, managers had to explain what they were doing to reduce the gap. Data was generated to monitor change, and staff were trained to use it. High-quality Equality, Diversity and Inclusion staff training was provided, involving critical race theory and inclusive pedagogy (Khan 2023). As of 2025, the awarding gap at London Metropolitan had halved over a four-year period (London Metropolitan University 2025).

Students’ experience outside the classroom has a substantial impact too. As Banerjee notes, they may face challenges and hardships in their lives because of their background. She contends that: ‘Universities must, therefore, develop and implement academic, financial, and pastoral care support, particularly focusing on students facing difficulties. This comprehensive support is essential in creating an equitable educational landscape’ (Banerjee 2024: 48). In other words, to eliminate ethnicity awarding gaps, it is necessary to decolonise the entire student journey (Paul 2024).

How to use this toolkit

Here you’ll find a range of examples that can be adapted to different disciplines, from easy-to-implement tips for encouraging more engagement in the classroom, to deeper-level change involving rethinking systems of knowledge. The toolkit is organised in sections that I hope will be handy for teachers looking for resources. They don’t match the six factors above because most of the contributions relate to more than one factor for narrowing awarding gaps.

• Decolonising the curriculum
• Seminars
• Lectures
• Team-based learning and group work
• Assessment
• Academic skills and student support

The contributions are all structured in the same way with a summary, course information, description of the practice and outcomes – how the practice can help to narrow ethnicity awarding gaps. Some include comments and reflections from students and/or tutors. The Resources section has links to materials for narrowing ethnicity awarding gaps from Sussex and other universities.

Working on this toolkit has inspired me to rethink how I teach, and the insights I’ve gained will inform all my future teaching. I hope it will spark your creativity and help you to invigorate your practice, too.

Cath Senker

September 2026

References

Adewumi, B. (2024) ‘Race Equity and Inclusive Curriculum: Diversity Mark and Making a Lasting Impression on the Institution’, in Hensby, A. and Adwumi, B. (eds) Race, Capital, and Equity in Higher Education, London: Palgrave Macmillan, 249

AdvanceHE (2026) 2025 Student Equality Data Dashboards, 25 March (accessed 12 May 2026)

Bain, K. (2023) ‘Inclusive Assessment in Higher Education: What Does the Literature Tells Us On How To Define and Design Inclusive Assessments?’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 27: 1, https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi27.1014 (accessed 12 May 2026)

Banerjee, P. (2024) ‘Connecting The Dots: A Systematic Review Of Explanatory Factors Linking Contextual Indicators, Institutional Culture And Degree’, Higher Education Evaluation and Development 18.1: 48, https://doi.org/10.1108/HEED-07-2023-0020 (accessed 15 April 2026)

Birmingham City University (2024), ‘Accessible Assessment Principles’, TASO (accessed 24 April 2026)

Cagliesi, G. (2019) ‘Can We Mend the Gap? Team Based Learning (TBL): Developing Diversity into Inclusivity’, AdvanceHE, 2 August (accessed 24 April 2026)

Canal, M.M. and Child, R. (2025) ‘Impact of the Type of Assessment on Awarding Gaps In Bioscience Undergraduate Degrees’, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 50.6: 991, https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2500365 (accessed 15 April 2026)

Diggins, J. et al. (2026) ‘Enhanced Theory of Change – Curriculum Change Connectors Intervention’, University of Sussex (accessed 12 May 2026)

Garnham, W. (2024) ‘What Is Challenging About the Transition to University and How Does That Play Out in Our Foundation Modules?’ Paper presented at Central Foundation Year Symposium, 25 June, University of Sussex

Gutman, M. and Younas, F. (2025) ‘Understanding the Awarding Gap Through the Lived Experiences of Minority Ethnic Students: An Intersectional Approach’, British Educational Research Journal 51: 993, https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4108 (accessed 21 April 2026)

Harper, P. and Campbell, L.B.M. (2023) ‘Addressing the Awarding Gap, Fostering Belonging: Developing Enhanced Academic Skills Support for our Birmingham Scholars’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education 29: 1, https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi29.1074 (accessed 24 April 2026)

Hijri, Z. (2022) ‘Diversity is a Fact, Inclusion in an Act’, Association of College and Research Libraries (accessed 8 April 2026)

Hughes, A. L.; Michener, C.; Mohamed, K. and McDuff, N. (2019) ‘Curriculum Co-Creation as a Transformative Strategy To Address Differential Student Outcomes: The Example of Kingston University’s Student Curriculum Consultant Programme’, Compass: Journal of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education 12.1: 7, https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v12i1.955 (accessed 15 April 2026)

Khan, Z. (2023) ‘Opening Plenary Remarks’, paper presented at Closing the Ethnicity Awarding Gaps Conference 27 April (online)

London Metropolitan University (2025) ‘London Met Among Top Universities for Closing the Awarding Gap’, 20 November (accessed 21 April 2026)

Museus, S.D. (2014) ‘The Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) Model: A New Theory of Success Among Racially Diverse College Student Populations’, in Paulsen, M. (eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research 29, London: Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8005-6_5 (accessed 12 May 2026)

Newbigin, E. and Tucker, S. (2025) ‘Teaching History Inclusively: A Pedagogical Case Study from an Institution Shaped by Empire’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 1–27, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0080440125100510 (accessed 12 May 2026)

O’Connell, J. (2024), ‘Dissertation Writing Retreats: Strengthening Curriculum and Community’, blog 18 April, TASO (accessed 24 April 2026)

O’Connell, J. and Chipato, C. (2025) ‘Addressing Ethnicity Degree Awarding Gaps Using Collaborative Approaches’, University of Southampton, 29 January (accessed 24 April 2026)

Oprandi, P. and Betts, T. (eds) (2022) 100 Ideas for Active Learning, Brighton: Open Press, University of Sussex Library

Paul, G. (2024) ‘Examples of Best Practice’, paper from University of Sunderland presented at the Closing the Ethnicity Awarding Gaps Conference, 23 April, Woburn House, London

QAA (2024) ‘The Awarding Map’, available to QAA members (accessed 27 January 2026)

Thomas, L. (2012) ‘Building Student Engagement and Belonging in Higher Education at a Time of Change: Final Report from the What Works? Student Retention & Success Programme’, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, LondonUniversities UK (2022) ‘Closing the Gap: Three Years On Introduction (accessed 8 April 2026)

University of Law (2024), Monitoring of Inclusive Learning (MOIL) Panel, TASO (accessed 15 April 2026)

Wickremashinghe, S. (2024) ‘Effective Evaluation: What Works?,’ paper from the University of Southampton presented at the Closing the Ethnicity Awarding Gaps Conference, 23 April, Woburn House, London