How to achieve equity in higher education

Deconstructing equity, diversity and inclusion, part one: how to ensure a rich variety of students and staff have a fair chance to thrive within universities

Why is equity so important in education and how can it be achieved?

This is the first part in our series unpicking the equity, diversity and inclusion work that has become a mainstay at universities around the world. Find advice on adapting pedagogies and services to support varied needs and talents across your campus community, and to close the equity gap so that each individual can fulfil their potential. These resources answer questions including what is equity? How can you bring equity into your teaching and research practices? And how can universities be equitable employers?

Do we need equity or equality to make things ‘fair’? Actually, we need both

Fair, to some people, means everyone getting the same thing. But that’s only fair if everyone begins at the same place and needs the same things to succeed, says Todd Zakrajsek

Todd Zakrajsek

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Equitable access into and through higher education

Advice on developing research informed strategies to widen participation in higher education

Widening access to postgraduate studies: from research to strategy to action

Providing equitable access into and through higher education is a constant battle, especially in postgraduate research, but barriers can be addressed when evidence is connected to action, as Diane Gill explains

Diane Gill

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on steps instructors can take to encourage equitable group dynamics among students

Supporting equity among students in group work

Natasha Holmes and Kira Treibergs share strategies for preventing implicit biases affecting student group dynamics, and facilitating productive and equitable teamwork

Natasha Holmes , Kira Treibergs

Cornell University

Advice on developing early college programmes which improve higher education outcomes for students from underrepresented group

How to design early college programmes that foster success for under-represented students

David Dugger explains what an early college programme should focus on in order to improve outcomes for students from under-represented groups

David Dugger

Eastern Michigan University

Bridging the equity gap in higher education

Equitable teaching that creates pathways to success for all students

Andrew Estrada Phuong and co-authors present a framework for an adaptive equity-oriented pedagogy that helps diverse students achieve better results

Andrew Estrada Phuong, Judy Nguyen, Fabrizio Mejia, Christopher Hunn, Dena Marie

University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Orinda Academy

Co-creation and empowerment: pathways to better student engagement

Effective approaches universities can take to promote equity and improve student learning outcomes and employability, shared by a team from the University of Salford

Sara Namvar, David Greensmith, Niroshini Nirmalan

University of Salford

Advancing anti-racist practices

Advice on questions to ask and actions to take to stop your university perpetuating racism against BAME academics

Yes, your university perpetuates racism against BAME academics: what can you do?

Henrika McCoy and Madeline Lee run through the questions you should ask when examining if your institution perpetuates inequities against BAME academics and what actions you can take to address systemic racism

Henrika McCoy, Madeline Lee

University of Illinois Chicago, California State University San Marcos

Advice on purposefully creating a sense of belonging among black students in majority white universities

How to create a sense of belonging for black students in a majority white academy

Taking active, practical and nuanced approaches to ensuring the belonging of black students in majority white universities, at a micro and macro level, is everyone’s responsibility, explains Edith Lewis

Edith Lewis

Canterbury Christ Church University

Insight on steps to tackle Islamophobia in British universities

Challenging Islamophobia across higher education

Ibtihal Ramadan explains why Islamophobia remains absent from many universities’ efforts to tackle racism and what steps can be taken to address the problem at an institutional and individual level

Ibtihal Ramadan

Swansea University

Equity and inclusion in higher education: focusing on the individual

Fostering freedom in PhD students: how supervisors can shape accessible paths for doctoral research

Clive Palmer looks at alternative approaches to PhDs that open postgraduate research to more candidates – for professional development, career change or just love of learning

Clive Palmer

University of Central Lancashire

Research supervision: working with the individual in front of you

Lorraine Hope explains how to mitigate student anxiety and avoid toxic competition with a person-centred approach to supervision

Lorraine Hope

The University of Portsmouth

How does higher education promote equity in academia?

It is incumbent upon university leaders to create diverse and inclusive communities and curricula

Breaking the oldest rules in the book: making promotion and tenure more equitable

Pardis Mahdavi and Scott Brooks explain how a rethink of the processes that govern promotion and tenure to put diversity work at its heart could result in a more equitable higher education system

Pardis Mahdavi, Scott Brooks

Arizona State University

Selection criteria in academia often creates invisible barriers for underrepresented groups

We must dismantle the invisible career barriers in HE

Despite surface appearances, universities’ recruitment and selection practices still present hidden obstacles to under-represented groups

Rebecca Jarrett

Cranfield University

Australian government has invested heavily in university equity initiatives

Has government investment in higher education equity been worth it?

Evaluating the success of sector-wide initiatives is fraught, but there are some universal truths that should be considered, say Steven Howard and colleagues

Steven Howard, Sarah O'Shea, Kylie Lipscombe, Kellie Buckley-Walker

University of Wollongong

Universal design for learning: achieving equity in the classroom

Universal design for learning: an introduction and getting started

Universal design for learning offers ways to plan teaching and learning to accommodate diverse students and help learners develop the self-efficacy they need to be successful, says Dara Cassidy

Dara Cassidy

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

The case for using universal design for learning at your institution

Universal design for learning can be the answer when searching for true equity in our universities. Jacqui Whittle and Caroline Pike outline the how and why

Jacqui Whittle, Caroline Pike

Arden University

Designing teaching to ensure accessibility and support for all students

Advice on providing evidence-based support for adults with ADHD in higher education

Adult ADHD and higher education: improving the student experience

Alex Conner and James Brown explain why adult ADHD is linked to underachievement in higher education and what institutions can do to support better outcomes for those with the condition

Alex Conner, James Brown

University of Birmingham, Aston University

Online course design and delivery tips that ensure accessibility for disabled students

Making online learning accessible for students with disabilities

Online learning offers opportunities to widen accessibility for disabled students through careful course design and delivery. Clare Mullaney shares three tips to ensure your digital teaching is accessible to all learners

Clare Mullaney

Clemson University

hand reading braille

Teaching visually impaired students – and making class materials more accessible for everyone at the same time

Hannah Thompson, a partially blind academic, offers six tips for ensuring an inclusive learning environment

Hannah Thompson

Royal Holloway, University of London

Advice on using peer assessment to encourage deeper student learning

Online exams are growing in popularity: how can they be fair and robust?

Nicholas Harmer and Alison Hill share advice on using unique datasets to deter student collusion in online exams

Nicholas Harmer, Alison Hill

University of Exeter

Equity, agency and transparency: making assessment work better for students and academics

Carol Evans explains how to design assessment and feedback practices that are authentic and deepen students’ learning and confidence in the long term

Carol Evans

Cardiff University, University of Southampton

Supporting equitable research practices

Building equitable scientific research partnerships with the global south requires trust and equality in decisionmaking

Creating equitable research partnerships across continents

Shabbar Jaffar provides tips for successful international collaborations built on trust, appropriate recognition and inclusiveness in decision-making

Shabbar Jaffar

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Woman explaining to student pointing to a computer screen

Strangers in a strange land: how supervisors can support international research students

Ravinder Anand-Ivell explains how early investment of time and empathy can help international postgraduate research students adapt to a new environment

Ravinder Anand-Ivell

University of Nottingham

Advice for early career researchers on handling challenging workplace issues and misconduct

Advice for early career researchers on handling workplace inequality, prejudice and exclusion

Sarah Jasim and Shaakir Salam offer early career researchers advice on how to navigate issues of inequality, prejudice and exclusion in the workplace and handle misconduct without risking their own positions

Sarah Jasim, Shaakir Salam

The London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s College London