Learner diversity and inclusion
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Background and introduction

Students had written card to their tutor; ‘Merry Christmas’ was the message and in a variety of languages: English, Italian, Chinese, Polish, African, German, Malaysian, Spanish and others, which remained unidentified (tutor’s limitations). It was touching, but more than that it was a sharp reminder that for teaching to be relevant and meaningful to students, course design and teaching has to take into account the issues, needs and opportunities presented by learner diversity and increasing globalisation.

An inclusive definition of diversity

A personal, anecdotal recognition of the importance of student diversity is backed by weight of evidence and research. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (2005), identified that of all first degree students in 2003/4, at least 6.4% were known to have a disability, c. 56% were female and 16% part time. Numerous references, projects, papers and discussions are dedicated to the topics of diversity and its stable mate ‘widening participation’. They have emerged, not only in specialist HE channels such as the HEFCE website but also, as noted by Watson (2006 p.2), ‘into the general conversation and discourse of our wider society.’

As well as nationality, language, culture, race, gender, modes of study and disability, learner diversity can and does cover: family circumstances, dependents, finances, previous learning history, (Watson 2008, Hockings et al 2008), different types of learners, e.g. Activists, Reflectors,