Open call for members for D&I Community of Interest
03 March 2022
Colleagues are invited to become a member of the newly created Diversity & Inclusion Community of Interest (COI) or ongoing Awarding Gap Steering Group (AGSG).
What is the D&I Community Of Interest?
Colleagues have communicated that they would like a dedicated space to discuss D&I considerations within Teaching and Learning. This could include the awarding gap, decolonising the curriculum, and creating inclusive T&L settings. This Community of Interest (COI) group will be co-chaired by the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Al Laville and Director of Student Success and Engagement, Anne-Marie Henderson.
Meetings will be held termly for 90 minutes
| Autumn | First and second week of November |
| Spring | First and second week of March |
| March | First and second week of June |
What is the Awarding Gap Steering Group?
The AGSG (chaired by Teaching and Learning Dean Katja Strohfeldt and Director of Student Success and Engagement, Anne-Marie Henderson, guides the strategic direction of the University of Reading’s approach to narrowing differences in attainment between student groups (‘awarding gaps’).
The group meets every six weeks to consider issues such as student experience, inclusive teaching, and student attainment. If you have personal experiences that could inform and develop our work, we want to hear from you. We are looking to build a community whose members contribute to active and dynamic discussions by challenging convention and suggesting new ways of doing things. We will also be inviting students to join the group too.
We’re committed to giving every student the same chance of succeeding, which requires honest, challenging discussions about ourselves and our institution.
How do the opportunities differ?
The steering group contributes to institutional strategy whereas the COI is for the sharing of pedagogic practice and expertise embedding diversity & inclusion within curricula.
The COI would benefit colleagues interested in engaging with new and innovative practice, and potentially scholarship and research
We are specifically looking for staff with lived experience to contribute to the Awarding Gap Steering group. This is an opportunity to participate in strategic decision making and high-level solutions that will directly impact our students. You would be expected to join the steering group for an hour and a half every 6 weeks. Staff are encouraged to speak to their line manager or Head of Function/ School in the first instance about this opportunity as this role requires a time commitment.
Who can join?
These opportunities are open to all staff. It is essential that lived experience is at the core of our efforts and we warmly encourage staff who identify as being from underrepresented communities to apply. This may include staff with disabilities, neurodivergent staff, staff of all ages, sexes, genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, cultural identities, and beliefs.
This can be general and short, for example, “I would like to join the D&I COI to learn more about D&I work and initiatives across other schools/functions”.