Universities are complex structures. Like beehives, they require a collective understanding of individuals and their identities to function effectively. We sometimes talk about our ‘student body’ or ‘staff body’, with the underlying assumption that people’s needs are all the same, but it is paramount that we take into account the different identities of our students and staff for effective learning and teaching.
Identities, or how we see ourselves and others, influence our attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviours. Individual differences based on our identities, as well as intersections of those identities, are fundamental to understanding the success, or not, of the educational process.
Keynote Speaker
We are delighted to confirm our keynote speaker:
Dr Billy Wong (Associate Professor at the Institute for Education, University of Reading) who will talk about what makes the ‘ideal’ student.
Invited Symposium
We also have three invited experts discussing how to address educational inequalities relating to racial identities in our Chair’s Symposium, led by Dr Louise Taylor Bunce including:
- Dr Omolabake Fakunle (Chancellor’s Fellow, Institute for Education Community and Society, University of Edinburgh)
- Tamara Reid (Inclusive Curriculum Consultants Lead, Kingston University)
- Jardel Williams (Campaigns Assistant, Brookes Students' Union)