The goal of the module
Professor Gita Sedghi added a new equality, diversity and inclusion module to the Year One Chemistry students' timetable. This module was created to engage students in discussions about equality, diversity and inclusion. Professor Gita Sedghi is a Professor of Chemistry Education and the Director of Equality, Diversion and Inclusivity (EDI) in the School of Physical Sciences. Alongside Charlotte Ford and Dominique Price from the University’s Careers and Employability team, Professor Sedghi had all first year Chemistry students answer the question:
"Why is equality, diversity and inclusion important in chemical sciences?"
How it worked
To answer this question, students were randomly mixed into small groups to mimic the diversity you might see in a workplace. This encouraged students to share and encounter unique cultural views and perspectives. The module kicked off with a fun quiz based on EDI to get initial conversations flowing.
Each group was tasked with creating a 'Digital Story' to express their thoughts, ideas and experiences on the question. This module contained lessons on how to produce digital stories in Canvas, giving students useful, transferable digital skills unique to this module. Students were encouraged to meet outside teaching hours to work on their projects.
All Chemistry students had the chance to take part, and their marks made up about 8% of their overall module result. Careful thought and planning went into creating tasks that gave students useful skills for their future workplaces--Including linking to the Royal Society for Chemistry’s Inclusion and Diversity Strategy.
Student responses
Students have been active and engaged learners in the task, commenting:
- "This is a very useful activity because we don't necessarily think about EDI and the related issues with people from protected characteristics unless something like this task brings them to our attention".
- “I liked that the University is focusing on the importance of EDI and ensuring students have to do research into these issues.”
- “It was a good way of experiencing the meaning of EDI by working with a group of diverse people.”
More from Professor Gita Sedghi
Professor Gita Sedghi is Professor of Chemistry Education, Director of Equality, Diversion and Inclusivity (EDI) in the School of Physical Sciences and the Chair of the Culture & Student Experience Subgroup of the Race Equality Charter Self-Assessment Team.
Commenting on the initiative, Professor Gita Sedghi said,
“I am very proud of how our first year Chemistry students engage with the task and make the most of this opportunity to work with peers in a diverse group.
“Although the task was inspired by the University’s application to the Race Equality Charter, we were able to touch on so many aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion and really maximise students’ exposure to different points of view and lived experiences.
“By framing the task around their future careers in the field of chemistry, it has given our students useful and transferable EDI skills which they can take forward in their workplaces of the future.”
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