How can your students acquire diversity competences in class?

There are different models (IRC, CIMIC, …) to distinguish diversity competences. Based on the UAntwerp competence profile, different aspects of diversity competences can be honed in students.

In actual practice, all of these aspects of diversity competences are of course inextricably linked. For example, the reflective competence enables students to better understand how a person's own background is likely to influence that person's communication style. In an integrated manner, we teach students to apply these competences in a metropolitan context, which is the context of the University of Antwerp. Authentic learning situations such as project work, internships and Community Service Learning are particularly suitable for this. 

Through self-reflection and/or through communication with other students or in group work, you can get students to think about their own prejudices, frame of reference and stereotypes, so they become more actively aware of them. You can also have your students regularly ask for feedback from fellow students or others to improve their diversity skills. By letting students provide feedback on the lecture itself, you create space for them to actively participate and reflect on the content and didactics in a diversity-responsive manner.

• Read tools, tips & tricks for creating a safer and more inclusive learning environment.
• Listen to the podcast by Winny Ang and Liesbeth Verpooten.

By leveraging the diverse composition of the student population during group work, discussions, role plays and collaboration, students learn to deal with difficulties that students with different frames of reference tend to encounter. Intercultural competences are important in this regard. Students with different backgrounds can be encouraged to share their perspectives through interaction, whereby the importance of inclusive language can be emphasised and taught. This way, students learn to use language that is respectful of different cultural backgrounds and identities. In an international classroom, students with different language backgrounds can also improve their language skills by interacting with international students. Constructive feedback helps students improve their (international) and intercultural communication skills.

• ​Read the note international classroom, accessible only to UA staff members.

By integrating case studies and examples from diverse cultures and communities in your lectures, you do your part in building a curriculum that is diverse and encompasses different perspectives and cultures. In a constructive and playful way (e.g. through 'serious gaming') you can give students exercises to understand and deal with different approaches and perspectives. The game designed by and for the Product Development study programme has players confront their own biases, their own views of the world. The aim is to make players aware that they need to take different perspectives.

• Get inspired by Kristof Vaes' video.
• Get inspired by the video of Herman Van Goethem.

There are several simple ways to create heterogeneous student groups in your classroom without stigmatising or pigeonholing students. Here are some specific tips on how to do that:

During group work in heterogeneous student groups, you can have your students exchange ideas with fellow students while putting themselves in other people's shoes. In practical exercises and research projects, you can provide space for different opinions using deep democracy questions such as: 'I hear many similar points of view, but I'd also like to hear conflicting opinions'. This also stimulates collaboration and communication between students.

When determining the final competences for diversity and inclusion of your programme component, it is important to align them with the core competences regarding diversity that were established at the study programme level by the Education Committee. Competences can be built up throughout the curriculum gradually. For starting students, emphasis should be placed on basic knowledge about diversity as a societal theme. Using a few simple cases, you can guide students in acquiring these competences. As students become more advanced, they can acquire more complex diversity competences. As different aspects of diversity are broached, students can tackle increasingly complex problems in a self-directed manner. In the master years, diversity competences can be further developed independently over the course of internships, projects, etc. Various learning trajectories (e.g. sustainability and diversity, communication skills, academic skills) can be linked to a transversal theme such as diversity & inclusion fairly easily.

• ​Be inspired by the testimonial of Kristof Vaes (Product Development study programme)
• Listen to the podcast by Winny Ang and Liesbeth Verpooten (Medicine study programme)