Developing Academics’ Pedagogical Acuity by Agentic Engagement and Reflection of Faculty Development Processes

In this paper, we argue for the need to shift towards more sustainable Faculty Development (FD) processes so that academics can become self-regulated, autonomous learners themselves and develop competences that allow them to design efficacious Inclusive Student-centred Pedagogy (ISCP) lessons in their context. Drawing on Hockings (2001), we define ISCP in Higher Education as proactive and intentional teaching and learning activities, course design, curricula and assessment that foster equity during carefully designed learner-centred opportunities for student engagement, self-awareness, self-regulation, and learner autonomy for all stakeholders in higher education; hence, ISCP does not label certain groups of students or individuals who may have additional needs but it attempts to meet all student needs proactively taking into account potential needs of all stakeholders without labelling (Katsampoxaki-Hodgetts, 2022). The Covid pandemic created many challenges that higher education (HE) has to address (EU Commission Directorate, 2021) including the rapid digitalisation of education and the expression of often muted or suppressed academic voices. The digital transformation of education enhanced our awareness that some face-to-face teaching models may not be appropriate as certain groups of students may be under-privileged. In this new landscape, academics ought to revise their teaching and their curricula, listening at the same time to voices that may have been unassumed, like those of students. Incorporating needs, plans and ambitions of all students, regardless of identity, ISCP can address such discrepancy in a context where everyone’s voice can be heard through all available means and students are viewed as equal partners (Cook-Sather, 2016). This need for educational change is highlighted and promoted throughout the EU through University alliances i.e. Circle.U or CIVIS and European Agencies promoting Inclusion i.e. EASIE. Academics’ role needs to adapt to becoming more responsible for cultivating an ...