Changing our Story: The pursuit of inclusive education

• How can we rewrite the dominant story of inclusion in higher education?

• How can we support an inclusive learning environment in higher educational institutes?

The Changing our Story: The pursuit of inclusive education (E+CHOS) project aims to challenge and demystify the application of inclusive principles within higher education via storytelling.

In recent years, there has been increasing attention to issues of diversity and inclusion within university class settings.

The need for inclusive practices and policy has increased as inherent inequalities have negatively affected student outcomes. For instance, students of racially minoritized, LGBTQA+, disabled, low-income or migrant backgrounds are likelier to report feeling excluded in the classroom.

Conversely, educators and faculty members struggle to make inclusive education a reality and fail to understand the diverse needs of students. The E+CHOS partnering universities recognize that this complex problem is not limited to their respective institutions or countries - it is a global issue. Through this project, the partners will contribute to the knowledge and professionalization of inclusive education from beyond their countries.

The use of storytelling

The E+CHOS project uses the tradition of storytelling to invite counsellors, academic staff and higher education students worldwide to share stories that address the challenges they currently face in their institutions. These stories will inform the following outputs, which will stand as significant contributions to the field:

• an online course for academic professionals
• a student-led art exhibit
• a documentary detailing the work behind this project

With these activities, the project supports the education of academic professionals and the inclusion of student voices to promote values of inclusion and diversity in higher education. As a result, this project hopes that those academic professionals and student will be better equipped to bring tailored solutions to inclusive education in their institutions.

The project commenced in November 2021 and will be finalized in October 2024.

Collaborations

(E+CHOS), is led by researchers and educators from the University of West Bohemia (UWB) in the Czech Republic, Constantine the Philosopher University (CPU) in the Slovak Republic, the University for Development Studies in Ghana, along with The Hague University of Applied Sciences and the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands.