The Experiential Learning team had the honour of inviting Professor Roger Slee, Diamond Jubilee Professor of Disability & Inclusion, University of Leeds, to conduct an in-depth workshop on inclusivity for a committed team of educators and staff members from the SUSS Office of Global Programmes and the Office of Service-Learning.
Professor Roger Slee has published widely and served as the advisor on the issue of inclusion to governments and education authorities in several countries including Singapore.
Professor Roger Slee explaining inclusivity and sustainability to the participants
The one-day workshop focused on cultivating and incorporating inclusivity in the College’s new SUSS core courses, NIE301 Learning with Communities and NIE351 Interdisciplinary Global Learning. From July 2023, all matriculating full-time undergraduates will embark on these specially curated experiential courses. Each tutorial group is built around a unique enduring question connecting to themes such as food security, social innovation and wetlands conservation enabling students to connect theory and practice in real-world contexts.
Throughout the workshop, Professor Roger Slee delved into the architecture of inclusion in education by showcasing real-life examples and case studies, enabling educators to envision the possibilities in their own teaching and learning contexts.
Participants engaging in group discussions.
“Professor Roger Slee’s session on inclusion is thought-provoking and very forward-thinking. I think socially and academically, we are still taking small steps towards the larger concept of inclusivity. In Singapore, perhaps we need to start with diversity education; grow beyond tolerance and develop a language to discuss what had been avoided.” commented Alicia Wong, a Specialist from the Office of Global Programmes.
Non-teaching staff members also benefitted from the workshop through lively discussions and exchange of views about how they can provide administrative support for the new courses and keep inclusivity in mind while working with the instructors, students and community partners.
The Experiential Learning team with Professor Roger Slee during the workshop.
As the Experiential Learning team prepares to deliver courses in the new SUSS Core curriculum, this workshop presented an opportunity to harness the power of experiential learning to build a culture of sustainable and inclusive communities.