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Staff development, training and resources - Words of Wisdom

Embedding sustainability within the Open University’s Inclusive Curriculum Tool

The Inclusive Curriculum tool (ICT) is, at its simplest, a reflective tool to support colleagues to consider if the course material that they are creating embodies EDIA principles and Sustainability in the context of assessment and the broader learner journey. The ICT's three aims:

  1. To make material accessible to diverse groups of students (not just in terms of accessibility for disabled students but also in terms of the language and images used)
  2. To represent diverse groups of students in the material
  3. To equip students to participate in a global and diverse world

The ICT is designed to support deeper consideration and discussion of inclusion when designing and creating learning materials or reviewing existing module material. The ICT is not a checklist. It provides prompts to help colleagues reflect but does not give answers. Guidance Notes with examples are included for the prompts and there is space for colleagues to record issues that they notice about the course material they are reflecting on, suggest actions, and note good practice as they work through their learning materials. Examples of two of the prompts can be found within the linked example.

Author: The Open University's Responsible Futures Audit 2024

A badge to indicate the winner of the student vote in November 2025.

Student quotes
"Students want to be able to see themselves in module materials and that EDIA and Sustainability is incorporated into the teaching and learning which starts with the module materials."
"Sustainability is a must for a university. For a university to be sustainable and recognise its impact both ecologically, environmentally and globally it first must realise that not everyone has the same opportunities, resources or abilities."