Academic Communication for Widening Participation: Crafting learning spaces for and with students

Dr Ariane Smart (Academic Communication Centre)

10 minute talk

Over a decade working with international students and partners has taught me how exclusionary academia can feel. In my new role at the Academic Communication Centre (ACC) I meet many bright, talented and driven students “from non-traditional backgrounds” who struggle to see the academic space as their own.
A great deal of effort has been going into Widening Participation at UCL. But what are the practical steps that we, educators, can take once students are “in”? I propose to consider new partnerships and new models of “student support” that can become integral to our students’ educational journey (rather than add-on services).
As the very notion of learning space is being redefined (A. Mihai), I propose to discuss how we can collaboratively craft extra spaces for students to gradually occupy, and where they can grow and develop their own distinct voices.