IP Unit: Reflective Report – Developing Inclusive Practice to Support Student and Graduate Sex Workers

Posted on 29th July 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Introduction

This reflective report traces my learning and evolving understanding of inclusive pedagogies through the design and refinement of an intervention to support student and graduate sex workers (SWs) in higher education, specifically at University of the Arts London (UAL). My professional role as Graduate Employability Specialist within the university’s central Careers and Employability department focuses on supporting students and graduates in their transition into employment and developing their professional practice. This places me in a privileged yet complex position of navigating issues of marginalisation, stigma, and systemic inequality in a career-focused academic environment. The focus on sex workers emerged from both professional experiences and lived proximity to this often-invisible community within creative education. As someone whose own positionality includes queerness, disability, and working-class roots, my understanding of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991) and social justice (Kendi, 2019) continues to deepen, especially in a changing world involving the rise of AI and right-wing politics. The Inclusive Practices unit has sharpened my awareness of how systems of oppression interlock across race, class, gender, disability, and faith, and how my practice can move beyond performative inclusion to real structural change, reflected in how we regard SWs at UAL. 

Context

UAL’s creative and liberal ethos does not automatically translate into inclusivity and success stories for marginalised groups. As the UAL EDI data (2024) shows, disappointing disparities persist across student attainment, staff diversity, and graduate outcomes. With Creative Access’ THRIVE 2025 report (2025) noting a decline in inclusive hiring practices or positive progression and career trajectories even off the back of their initiatives and programmes, and UAL graduates facing barriers based on race, religion, gender, and disability, I began considering possible alternative job roles for those with marginalised identities: sex work. Many students and graduates are motivated to consider sex work due to financial necessity, flexibility, or accessibility (Sex Workers’ Union 2023, National Union of Students 2016), particularly those at the intersections of class, neurodivergence, disability, and gendered oppression. The stigma attached to sex work, however, creates silence, shame, and a lack of institutional support. Inspired by scholarship such as Jones (2023), I initially proposed a student-led study to understand their experiences. However, peer and tutor feedback helped me see that involving students at this stage would be ethically precarious without proper institutional frameworks, risk assessments, plus time constraints on the course. Plus the fact I am a new researcher, it would be ethically unfair to handle sensitive information and stories on a taboo subject as a novice in this field. My proposal was too advanced.

Inclusive Learning and Theoretical Rationale

The redesign of my intervention is grounded in intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991), epistemic justice (Kidd, 2017), and inclusive pedagogies (Spratt and Florian, 2013). Drawing on my disability-focused blog, which unpacked how disabled students often outperform peers when supported through inclusive design, I realised the transformative potential of shifting systems rather than “fixing” individuals (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, n.d.). Similarly, in my reflection on faith, I learned how secular academic spaces can inadvertently erase or pathologise religious identity (Rekis, 2023; Ramadan, 2022), which can further alienate individuals from traditional education and similar structures such as routes to employment. My race-focused blog explored how structural whiteness and career progression are tightly linked (Garrett, 2024; Bradbury, 2020). These overlapping insights have encouraged me to centre marginalised voices and move away from institutional norms of professionalism that replicate exclusion (Advance HE, 2024; Arboine, 2023). 

Reflection

Peer feedback included reaching out to support support services, the Arts SU, and other universities and academics who have an interest in this topic. Tutors Victor and Tim helped clarify that my project must start with university staff, if adhering to the educational research ethics guidelines (BERA 2022). The revised intervention involves conducting interviews and surveys with staff to explore their awareness, assumptions, and preparedness to support students or graduates who engage in sex work. This shift, while initially deflating, was critical. It means focusing on culture change within my control. Upon reflection, this a much more manageable and less risky approach while still progressing the conversation – and can inadvertently be a method of recruiting possible collaborators and support if I were to continue this research beyond the course. Tim also challenged me to centre my positionality in the work, rather than hiding behind academic neutrality. This aligns with Bilgin (2021) and Gani and Khan (2024), who emphasise that positionality is not merely declared but enacted through ethical and relational accountability. I realised the risk of “othering” sex workers through research if I detach personally from the topic in an attempt to protect myself form possible backlash or deligitimise my position as an academic researcher (Nash 2023). Or emotionally detach to be ‘neutral’ – which I’ve learned from resources on policy and decision-making, is inherently an unfair institutional power-dynamic. 
 
This reflective process has reinforced that inclusive practice must be accompanied by a strong ethical foundation, particularly when exploring sensitive and marginalised topics such as student sex work. My tutor Kwame’s feedback prompted me to interrogate my university’s stance more directly and review essential readings. Notably, Lahav-Raz and Birnhack’s (2020) study highlighted how institutional attitudes and values deeply shape how sex work is managed within academic contexts, either as a topic of research or as a lived student experience. Their work helped me consider how reputational concerns, public relations, and embedded stigma may impact the university’s willingness to acknowledge or engage with this issue. This aligns with Nash’s (2023) critique that institutional discomfort with sex work may silence student voices and stifle necessary dialogue. 

Also from Kwame’s feedback, I now understanding that the university’s stance on sex work is essential. As Lahav-Raz and Birnhack (2020) argue, institutional narratives often avoid engaging openly with sex work due to fears around reputation, even when support services are present. This suggests a disconnect between policy, practice, and student need, which my proposed intervention seeks to bridge by opening internal dialogue with staff and surfacing attitudes, assumptions, and preparedness. 
 
Kwame also encouraged me to consider student wellbeing in the context of SW. The UK Parliament briefing (House of Commons Library, 2023) reminded me that university life intersects with broader social crises, including rising costs of living, debt, and mental health challenges. These are not external factors, but material drivers that lead some students into sex work. This context reinforced the urgency and relevance of my proposal: to move beyond morality or criminality and instead create structures of support and understanding for students navigating such realities. Wellbeing in important here also because this line of work is linked to gender and homophobic violence, degradation, plus code-switching between work and personal life which can deplete energy and fuel imposter syndrome. 

Another suggested reading from Kwame: Armstrong and Mitchell (2021), pushed me to think deeply about research ethics and reflexivity when working with marginalised groups. Their emphasis on shared authority, informed consent, and non-extractive relationships reframed my role: not simply to gather data, but to advocate, support, and protect. This directly informed my decision to pause on involving students in the current intervention and instead begin by engaging with staff awareness and training, ensuring a more ethically sound foundation for future phases of the project.  

Action

The intervention now seeks to evaluate current knowledge and biases held by staff, identify training needs, and propose strategies to increase preparedness and comfort in supporting SWs. This could lead to better signposting, less moral panic, and a signal to students that staff are ready to support them without judgement. Future work could include co-producing guidance with SWs, but only with adequate funding and ethical clearance. This initial phase could culminate in recommendations for institutional training, potentially feeding into wider staff development programmes such as UAL’s anti-racism strategy (UAL, n.d.). 

Evaluation of the Process

I have learned that meaningful change in inclusive practice begins with personal reflection, followed by cultural shift, then systemic redesign. The process of writing my earlier blog essays helped me practice connecting theory to action, praxis. For instance, applying Kidd’s (2017) concept of epistemic injustice to both faith, and now sex work, showed me that inclusion isn’t about making room for difference but transforming the norms that exclude in the first place. If implemented, I would measure the intervention’s success through pre- and post-surveys of staff comfort and confidence levels, qualitative reflections, and uptake in training offers. Longer term, I’d like to analyse changes in disclosure rates or graduate outcomes for sex-working students, although this would require ethical approval and safeguarding protocols. Being wary of any press coverage, my research and the realities of our changing world and job markets mean this topic is increasing traction through dialogue and awareness. 

Reflecting on the ethics of involving students in research about sex work, Armstrong and Mitchell (2021) emphasise the importance of centring participant wellbeing and considering power asymmetries in research design. This supported the reconsideration from my original approach and understand that even well-intentioned interventions can reproduce harm if not critically evaluated. This reaffirmed peer advice to avoid involving students in data gathering at this stage and instead focus on staff preparedness and institutional culture. 

Conclusion

This unit has challenged and expanded my understanding of inclusive practice. I now see the importance of positioning myself within the work, not just as a practitioner but as an advocate for those marginalised within the academic labour market, to have any weight in the process and gravitational pull in the results and further action. Inclusive pedagogy requires continuous learning, critical reflexivity, and an unwavering commitment to justice, as a personal journey too, not just on the clock. The project on supporting SWs is not merely a professional interest; it is an ethical responsibility. I hope to build on this work in future research, perhaps in collaboration with the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute (UAL, n.d.a), to dismantle the systemic stigma that prevents so many students from thriving fully and visibly within our creative institutions. 


References

Armstrong, L. and Mitchell, G. (2021) Researching the sex industry: Reflections on the role of ethics in feminist fieldwork. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 586235. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.586235/full (Accessed: 20 July 2025).

House of Commons Library (2023) Support for students with mental health issues in higher education, Briefing Paper CBP-8593. Available at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8593/CBP-8593.pdf (Accessed: 20 July 2025).

Lahav-Raz, Y. and Birnhack, M. (2020) Student sex work and the university: Stigma, support, and the role of institutional policy, Sexualities, 23(8), pp.1358–1377. doi:10.1177/1363460720922733.

Advance HE (2024) Advance HE Strategy to 2030. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

British Educational Research Association (BERA) (2022) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (5th ed.). London: BERA. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/publication/ethical-guidelines-for-educational-research-2018 (Accessed: 29 July 2025).

Arboine, J. (2023) Positionality Wheels Workshop: A Project in Progress . University of Glasgow. Available at: https://mediaspace.gla.ac.uk/media/1_i2jp1l9j (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

Bilgin, A. (2021) ‘Why positionalities matter: reflections on power, hierarchy and knowledges in development research’, Third World Quarterly, 42(11), pp. 2688–2707. 

Sex Workers’ Union (2023) Students are turning to sex work to afford university. Vice. Available at: https://www.vice.com/en/article/students-turning-to-sex-work-to-afford-university (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

National Union of Students (2016) Student Sex Work Survey: 5 things we learned. English Collective of Prostitutes. Available at: https://prostitutescollective.net/nus-5-things-we-learned-from-the-student-sex-work-survey (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

Nash, M. (2023) Does reputation get in the way of researching student sex work? Wonkhe [Blog]. Available at: https://wonkhe.com/blogs-sus/does-reputation-get-in-the-way-of-researching-student-sex-work/ (Accessed: 29 July 2025). 

Bradbury, A. (2020) ‘A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis’, Race, Ethnicity and Education, 23(2), pp. 241–247. 

Brown, C. (2023) ‘I’m a trans man with mental health difficulties, and I’m probably not neurotypical’, Transactual UK. 

Crenshaw, K. (1991) ‘Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color’, Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp. 1241–1299. 

Creative Access (2024) THRIVE 2025: An industry in flux. Available at: https://creativeaccess.org.uk/thrive-2025-an-industry-in-flux/ (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

Garrett, R. (2024) ‘Racism shapes careers’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, pp. 2–11. 

Gani, R. and Khan, S. (2024) ‘Positionality statements as a function of coloniality’, Third World Quarterly, 45(2), pp. 280–298. 

Jones, A. (2023) ‘“I Can’t Really Work Any ‘Normal’ Job”: Disability, Sexual Ableism, and Sex Work’, Disability Studies Quarterly, 43(1). 

Kendi, I.X. (2019) How to be an antiracist. London: Bodley Head. 

Kidd, I.J. (2017) ‘Epistemic injustice and religion’, European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 9(1), pp. 89–111. 

Ombudsman (n.d.) Introduction to the Social and Medical Models of Disability. Available at: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk (Accessed: 21 May 2025). 

Rekis, J. (2023) ‘Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account’, Hypatia, 38, pp. 779–800. 

Ramadan, T. (2022) ‘When faith intersects with gender’, Gender and Education, 34(1), pp. 33–48. 

Spratt, J. and Florian, L. (2013) ‘Applying inclusive pedagogy in schools’, Cambridge Journal of Education, 43(2), pp. 233–245. 

UAL (2024) EDI Data Report. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/472836/UAL-EDI-data-report-2024-PDFA.pdf (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

UAL (n.d.) UAL Anti-Racism Strategy. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/strategy-and-governance/anti-racism-strategy (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

UAL (n.d.a) Decolonising Arts Institute. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/ual-decolonising-arts-institute (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

Posted in Unit 2: Inclusive Practice | Leave a comment

Inclusive Practices Blog 3 – Race

Posted on 28th July 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Who benefits from policy design, and how does whiteness remain centred in decision-making? How does UAL legitimise racialised individuals as it acts out its pledge to increase the proportion of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff, student and visiting lecturers, (University of the Arts London, n.d.) alongside other parts of its anti-racism strategy? 

Addressing racism in higher education demands more than statements of intent; it requires systemic transformation. As Bradbury (2020) argues through a critical race theory (CRT) lens, education policy often maintains white dominance even when it appears neutral. Her case study of assessment policy shows how bilingual learners are disadvantaged by frameworks that assume a universal white, English-speaking standard. This reflects wider problems in curriculum and careers support, where structural whiteness is rarely named but deeply felt. For UAL and creative arts education, Burke and McManus (2009) critical examination of admissions practices in art and design higher education, revealing how these processes can perpetuate exclusion and misrecognition, particularly for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Their research highlights that admissions criteria often favour those with access to certain cultural capital, inadvertently marginalising talented individuals who may not conform to traditional expectations, thus impoverishing the arts and its workforce and new thinkers.

At UAL, the racial demographics of the student body are diverse, (based on data from the EDI report University of the Arts London 2024) , but this doesn’t guarantee equitable experience or outcomes. The awarding gap persists, and racialised students, particularly those from working-class or international backgrounds, may struggle with confidence, sense of belonging, or access to professional networks. As Garrett (2024) notes, imagined futures are shaped not only by ambition but by “perceived institutional receptivity.” Therefore, preparing staff to understand and dismantle racism in learning and employability settings is crucial, and vital to anti-racism efforts, as opposed to the passive approach of ‘not racist’. This includes challenging ideas of “professionalism” that centre whiteness (Garrett, 2024) and recognising the additional emotional and cultural labour racialised graduates undertake to “fit in.” 

Garrett (2024) builds on this by examining how racialised PhD students interpret their career prospects in UK academia. Many struggle to envision futures in institutions that reflect neither their lived experience nor values. Instead, their “imagined careers” are shaped by racism, tokenism, and imposter syndrome, especially when compounded by class or gender. This resonates with UAL’s own student body: while demographically diverse, many racialised graduates I support are prone to privately question their place in industries that continue to centre whiteness as the benchmark of professionalism (Jones & Okun, 2001; Garrett, 2024), which I ought to be attuned to in my pedagogy applications.

This backlash is exemplified in Orr’s (2022) video for The Telegraph, which critiques diversity initiatives and teaching by the charity Advanced HE as ideological excess, verging on extreme for awarding efforts. Yet this rhetoric fails to engage with the realities of racial exclusion, and student interviewees praise rather than demonise the EDI strands of their education. It reflects what Brownlee (2022) calls “colour-blind racism” the claim of not “seeing race” while upholding systems that benefit white norms. By contrast, Advance HE’s (2024) strategy to 2030 outlines a coherent, evidence-informed approach to embedding equity across HE leadership, teaching, and governance, including race equity. As the provider of the course and unit, I can see how I am improving my teaching and career support pedagogies through inclusive practices. 

UAL’s Anti-Racism Strategy (University of the Arts London, 2024) aims to increase the proportion of B.A.M.E staff, students, and visiting lecturers, and has succeeded in this. Now 39% for students – 12% higher than the higher education sector overall, plus 25.5% of staff, the forefront of the university’s Social Purpose efforts ought to strongly support these students and staff to come up true on its promises. This and the Decolonising Arts Institute (UAL n.d.b) aim to address these systemic issues, but gaps remain.

For example, the university does not currently report attainment gaps by religion or intersecting identity categories, despite intersectional critiques (Riedel & Rau, 2025) urging institutions to see race and faith as co-constituted aspects of marginalisation, otherwise failing to recognise the nuance within the lived experiences – My role requires helping graduates not only find jobs, but feel entitled to thrive. This means preparing staff and students to navigate industries still resistant to change. Racialised students, particularly Muslim women and visibly minoritised individuals, often report being overlooked or having to work twice as hard to prove themselves (Ramadan, 2022).  This aligns with the emotional labour many graduates perform: editing accents, changing names, removing headscarves: strategies that temporarily ease passage into white-dominant spaces but erode self-worth. Brownlee (2022) underscores how such acts of conformity are misunderstood by well-meaning colleagues who claim not to “see colour,” yet benefit from being able to move freely without cultural translation. 

Sadiq (2023) warns against hollow Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategies and urges organisations to platform those with lived experience, for inclusivity efforts to centre the voices of those affected not only to uplift them, but to avoid further harm through tokenism. He goes on to explain that modules and training only goes so far, true change can only come about if it is habitual, a continuous personal journey of growing, learning, and keeping open and connected. Channel 4’s The School That Tried to End Racism shows a playful approach to uncovering unconscious biases that lead to direct dialogue, suggesting the importance of facilitated, honest, and evidence-based interventions that create space for expanding awareness and understanding.  Without this groundwork, institutions risk either defensiveness or denial when addressing racism. The playful approach is echoed in Jheni Arboine’s (Educational Developer in Academic Enhancement at UAL) Positionality Wheels Workshop (Arboine, 2023) which engages reflective practice, intersectionality, and the importance of educators examining their own position in relation to race and power through a simple crafting team workshop.

Anti-racism in education must go beyond awareness. It demands that institutions like UAL actively review how racism shows up in employability guidance, hiring pipelines, and even in the cultural assumptions of what makes a “good graduate.” The UAL Education Conference 2025 theme, Cultivating Inclusive Futures, speaks to this possibility. But real inclusion requires bravery: to listen, learn, and reshape systems that were never neutral to begin with. To truly support graduate progression, my practice must centre racial equity, not only in outcomes, but in the processes and pedagogies that shape self-belief, access, and resilience. Anti-racist practice is not optional; it’s essential to closing the opportunity gap and ensuring that all graduates are able to pursue futures that reflect their full potential, not their constrained realities. 

References:

Advance HE (2024) Advance HE Strategy to 2030. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

Bradbury, A. (2020) ‘A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: The case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England’, Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(2), pp. 241–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2019.1638952

Burke, P. J. and McManus, J. (2009) Art for a Few: Exclusion and Misrecognition in Art and Design Higher Education Admissions. National Arts Learning Network. Available at: https://www.culturenet.cz/coKmv4d994Swax/uploads/2015/11/Art-for-a-Few-.pdf (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

Brownlee, D. (2022) Dear white people: When you say you don’t see color, this is what we really hear. Forbes. 19 June. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/danabrownlee/2022/06/19/dear-white-people-when-you-say-you-dont-see-color-this-is-what-we-really-hear/ (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

Garrett, R. (2024) ‘Racism shapes careers: Career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education’, Globalisation, Societies and Education, pp. 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2024.2320593

Jones, K. and Okun, T. (2001) White supremacy culture. In: Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups. Changework. Available at: https://www.dismantlingracism.org/ (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

Orr, J. (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke. The Telegraph [YouTube]. 5 August. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

Ramadan, A. (2022) ‘When faith intersects with gender: The challenges and successes in the experiences of Muslim women academics’, Gender and Education, 34(1), pp. 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1893664

Riedel, M. and Rau, V. (2025) ‘Religion and race: The need for an intersectional approach’, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2025.2476300 (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

University of the Arts London (n.d.a) UAL Decolonising Arts Institute. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/ual-decolonising-arts-institute (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

University of the Arts London (n.d.b) Anti-racism strategy. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/strategy-and-governance/anti-racism-strategy (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

University of the Arts London (2024) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data Report 2024. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/472836/UAL-EDI-data-report-2024-PDFA.pdf (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

University of the Arts London (2025) Cultivating inclusive futures. UAL Education Conference 2025. Available at: https://educationconference.arts.ac.uk/2025/cultivating-inclusive-futures/ (Accessed: 21 July 2025).

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Inclusive Practices Blog 2 – Faith

Posted on 27th July 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

“By holding back one’s testimony for fear of this perception, there is a clear ethical harm to the religious speaker, who loses out on an opportunity to participate in knowledge-building projects and offering a religious contribution as a knower. But there is also an epistemic harm. There is risk of further distorting or impoverishing social knowledge, whereby the complexity of one’s religion is distorted from view in the social imaginary”

Jacklyn Rekis 2023 

Faith is more than belief, it is a lens for understanding the world and place in it (paraphrased from Rekis, 2023). Yet in academic and creative spaces that prize critical thinking, faith is often met with discomfort or suspicion. Aziz (1997) notes that difference is framed as deviance when dominant ideologies only recognise majority expressions of identity. This marginalisation can erode belonging for students of faith, an issue that demands attention at UAL. 

Simran Jeet Singh, a Sikh academic and educator, reflects on the everyday burden of being visibly religious in the West. Post-9/11 Islamophobia and racialised media narratives continue to associate turbans, brown skin, and visible religious markers with threat or extremism. Singh, though not Muslim, often contends with anti-Muslim sentiment. He describes how he challenge bias, and deliberately employs disarming tactics by engaging others in conversation surrounding shared family values, using warmth and empathy to disrupt prejudice, and brings this mindset and worldview into his classroom: “If we can try and understand where people are coming from… that allows us to really engage with difference in a constructive way” (Singh, 2016). However, dominant secular norms continue to shape institutions like UAL, rendering other faiths hypervisible and policed (Riedel and Rau, 2025).  

Appiah (2016) offers a cautionary reflection on the misuse of religion across history, particularly in war, colonisation, and opposition to science. But he also warns against dismissing faith altogether. In secularism, while distrust of religion is not unfounded and often viewed as progressive, can perpetuate epistemic injustice by treating religious perspectives as irrational or unacademic. This can lead to self-censorship among religious students and staff, and diminished engagement in knowledge production. Kidd (2017) argues that assuming belief in the supernatural reflects epistemic error contributes to exclusion in knowledge production. This may explain why religious students self-censor, and why institutions rarely collect attainment data by faith (UAL, 2024). 

Examples of this disconnect are everywhere. A news anchor mistook Joe Biden’s Ash Wednesday mark for a bruise, showing how even white Western faith expressions are misunderstood (Daily Mail, 2010). If subtle Christian markers are misread, how much more scrutiny must visible Muslim or Sikh students endure? Ramadan (2021) discusses how Muslim women academics often perform reactive and proactive da’wah—representing their faith positively, working harder to counter bias, and navigating gendered and racialised scrutiny. If racialised and religious people are preoccupied with handling discrimination and constantly validating themselves in spaces where they feel they must work harder to belong and progress, how much growth and innovation can realistically occur under these pressures? 

As an employability educator at UAL, I see how race, nationality, gender and religion intersect to shape opportunity. Ramadan cites Butler (2012), where some Muslim women only found work after removing the hijab, showing me that racialised and religiously marked students, especially Muslim women, face compounding scrutiny, a ‘triple penalty’ (Berthoud and Blekesaune 2007), which can lead to internalising feelings of self-doubt and self-blame. Much like Singh, they shoulder the burden of “representing” their entire identity group. This added labour is unpaid and unacknowledged, therefore justifies positive action initiatives, which in turn support my area of work.

While platforms like Creative Access advocate for equitable employment and create positive action (Government Equalities Office, 2019) programmes, their THRIVE Report 2025 (Creative Access, 2025) signals a downturn in inclusive hiring and positive career trajectories, impacting the diverse range of graduates I support. As an employability educator, I must remain attentive to how faith shapes lived experience, institutional trust, and future opportunity, and inform my practice to better support and improve their horizons. A truly inclusive university environment must recognise and support faith not only as identity, but as an epistemology, a value system, and a driver of resilience and meaning, however UAL does not include religion in its attainment gap data, so we cannot fully know how epistemic injustice is reflected in academic failures. 

References:

  • Appiah, K.A. (2014) Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question). Available at: https://youtu.be/X2et2KO8gcY (Accessed: 21 May 2025). 
  • Aziz, R. (1997) ‘Feminism and the challenge of racism: Deviance or difference?’, in Mirza, H.S. (ed.) Black British Feminism: A Reader. London: Routledge, pp. 70–77. 
  • Ramadan, A. (2022) ‘When faith intersects with gender: The challenges and successes in the experiences of Muslim women academics’, Gender and Education, 34(1), pp. 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2021.1893664 
  • Riedel, M. and Rau, V. (2025) ‘Religion and race: the need for an intersectional approach’, Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2025.2476300 (Accessed: 21 July 2025). 

UAL (2025) Active Dashboards. Available at: https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=99b2fe03-d417-45d3-bea9-1a65ebc250ea&dashcontextid=638773918741985949 

Attainment information at UAL – religion not included as a characteristic

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Formative assessment: Intervention summary proposal 

Posted on 27th May 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff
  • What aspects of diversity do you want to consider and why? 

“I Can’t Stand Up for An Eight Hour Shift, But I Can Bend Over for One” Elizabeth, M. (n.d.)

“People with disabilities face rampant workplace discrimination (Harlan and Robert 1998; Schur 2003; Schur, Kruse, and Blanck 2005; Vedeler 2014; Dick-Mosher 2015). Visible cues of disability often prompt discrimination from employers, managers, and co-workers, and employers sometimes outright refuse to hire people with disabilities (Vedeler 2014)”. (Jones, A. 2022)


Therefore, aspects of diversity I want to consider are the lived experiences, and attainment and graduate outcomes of students and graduates who are either: Women or other marginalised gender and/or Disabled, or any mixture of those characteristics, who may consider, or already engage with, Sex Work (SW) alongside or after their studies. This may be out of desperation or empowerment, either route uncovering a sense of alienation from the scholarly world propped up by traditional frameworks of student to professional pipeline, which is not prevalent for a proportion of UAL students and graduates, of whom 18% declared disabled, 76% identifying as female (University of the Arts London 2024).

“Alice (not her real name) started this line of work when she was at university – it was a way to make some extra cash to top up her student loan. She had always intended to quit sex work after graduating… Upon leaving university, she struggled to retain a job. Traditional employment – with a boss and set working hours – proved impossible during depressive episodes and her job came to an end for that reason. (Ryan, 2019)

  • How does it link to your practice? 

    “Students with disabilities face a range of barriers when transitioning into employment from higher education… Unable to work in many of the sectors that young people typically go into between graduation and their ideal career, some find it difficult to obtain the experience that many employers require.” (Prospects Luminate, n.d.)

As studies suggest, for those who do not adhere to the western ideals, they are underrepresented in the workplace, overlooked for progression, and struggle to gain traditional employment. What with the UK Creative industries being highly competitive, rife with unpaid /underpaid internships, and for those who operate in an expensive city such as London who also embody intersecting marginalising factors, through that logic, would find it hard to start or develop in industry without huge sacrifice or experiencing barriers and debilitating micro-aggressions:


“Research by Comic Relief in 2017 found that as much as 50% of the work disabled people perform is in low-paid, short-term and part-time roles, meaning female disabled workers are contending with the impact of both sex and disability. Even cuts to disability benefits are, in some ways, gendered.” (Ryan, 2019)

Paradoxically, while SW has many occupational hazards, modern modes mean it can be more accessible for those with disabilities, and be a lucrative alternative to traditional employment by taking advantage of the ‘othered’ characteristics, which are often in-turn fetishised.

“As the UK recession and the subsequent austerity measures kicked in, I began to speak to a number of disabled women who had turned to sex work in order to get by… Many of her friends with disabilities and chronic illnesses started sex work for the ease and flexibility it offered to those who are too unwell for traditional employment – or, as she puts it, whose energy levels are sometimes too low to function properly but “who need money to survive in the world”.” (Ryan, 2019)

(Jones, 2022) states “There is a dearth of research at the intersections of disability and sex work studies… there is also a paucity of published academic research about sex workers with disabilities (Erickson 2015; Fritsch et al. 2016; Piper 2019; Tastrom 2020; Jones 2020).” Therefore, taking time to research and spotlight this demographic of the university and graduate cohorts, where the data and realities are unknown and therefore previously ignored, can help to uncover how likely SW is for UAL students and graduates, and what the university can do to understand and support.

As a Graduate Employability Specialist working in the central Careers and Employability team for UAL, my approach to promote inclusive learning in my practice would be to:

  • Gather the data on UAL student and graduate SWs, and where possible, how that reflects attainment and graduate outcomes of students and graduates,
  • Build awareness of the SW industry and possible route into it,
  • Platform voices of the community and lived experiences,
  • Highlight the links between disability, gender, and other possible intersecting marginalisations in relation to SW,
  • Create a learning resource and staff training so UAL can be better informed in order to support SWs pragmatically and without prejudice,
  • Dismantle stigma and negative attitudes towards SW and those who partake in it.

For my practice specifically, my role requires me to have awareness of graduate career journeys and outcomes in order to best support them. So, using the findings from UAL student / graduate EDI data, we cannot ignore this potential income stream, especially during a cost of living crisis, in one of the most expensive cities in the UK, still recovering from a global pandemic with an unstable economy and largely inaccessible Creative Industries.

I aim to create a learning resource and training for UAL staff to become more aware of SW and the wider sex industry, and link it to the realities of UAL student and graduate body. In my work, I support UAL graduands and graduates in their early career. My aim would be for them to know that UAL staff are trained and aware of this line of work so they can speak openly about the support they need to enter or thrive in their chosen industry, whether that be SW, or other, seeing as UAL Careers and Employability’s slogan is: ‘What a Living Doing What You Love’ (University of the Arts London n.d.)

  • How feasible do you think it would be to implement? 

I think it will be hard to implement. This is down to the stigma, misconceptions and prejudice attached to this line of work. After seeing the knee-jerk reaction UAL had to the change in UK supreme court policy making change for trans and non-binary folk, I can see how UAL may also be resistant to considering SW as a reality for its students and graduates as it strives to be progressive, but operates within conservative views enforced by government and senior individuals. But if we are to truly decolonise the curriculum, which ‘seeks to challenge colonial and imperial legacies, disrupting ways of seeing, listening, thinking and making in order to drive cultural, social and institutional change’ (University of the Arts London, n.d.) and create a welcoming learning environment for all, we should work to dismantle this archaic and rigid perception, and take a pragmatic approach to supporting students and graduates who may consider, or already engage with, Sex Work (SW) alongside or after their studies.

Through this process, my practice I hope can positively benefit those who embark on SW as a means of survival or artistic expression, and highlight how SW plays as a test of attitudes an institution such as UAL has generally around workers’ rights and women’s rights combined.

“Often local authorities include sex work under their Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG) due to the idea that sex work is intrinsically violent and degrading to women even though they might not have consulted sex workers themselves and considered whether they share this notion and how they consider sex work in relation to other income livelihood options available to them.” (UK Parliament, n.d.)

I am aware of previous attempts to focus on SWs in the context of university training though University of Durham, and the backlash from the UK press: “The training’s target audience is those who support students, so they understand the legal, safety, and wellbeing concerns of students and how to respond to disclosures sensitively. I am glad the minister agrees that we need to be “raising awareness”, and that is what this training achieves. Anyone who cares about the safety of students should support this training, and educate themselves about its actual content before making poorly judged comments… The vast majority of universities don’t have formal processes in place that staff can follow when they encounter a disclosure – a fact that could be harmful for students. Student sex workers are a fact of modern life, to deny them support in higher education is a grave mistake with real world implications for the students I represent. I am proud of my students’ union for pushing for support, and proud of my university for offering this training.” (Graham, 2021) This response shows that dominant western society is currently not able to accept the compounding realities of students that results in SW.

  • Initial discussions about interventions with your peers, and what do my peers think about the ideas? 

I have presented to my colleagues at UAL Careers and Employability an overview of the law around SW in the UK, and possible routes into this and the wider industry from creative subjects and skill set. This was well-received, with a discussion about next steps and ways UAL staff can learn and contribute.

I requested that colleagues let me know of any interactions they have with people who engage with SW, however more would need to be done to clarify with the SWs how that knowledge and data would be stored, and what would be included, and what for. This proposed intervention for change would act as the moment that this clarity and process is put in place and developed, with guidance.

Having been rejected twice for the UAL Education Conference, Tim Stephens Educational Developer Curriculum gave feedback on the applications of the same theme: that due to its sensitive nature, it would need more thought to realise the idea before taking it to a more exposed arena such as the conference.

Speaking with Arts Student Union, we collaborated on the Student Sex Worker guide, however it was never published.

I have not yet spoken to my course mates about this idea yet, but look forward to their thoughts.

Prospects Luminate (n.d.) Employment levels among graduates with disabilities. Available at: https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/employment-levels-among-graduates-with-disabilities (Accessed: May 2025).

Ryan, F. (2019) Crippled: Austerity and the Demonization of Disabled People. London: Verso Books.

Jones, A. (2022) ‘“I Can’t Really Work Any ‘Normal’ Job”: Disability, Sexual Ableism, and Sex Work’, Disability Studies Quarterly, 42(3). Available at: https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/9094/7750 (Accessed: May 2025).

UK Parliament (n.d.) Written evidence submitted to the Women and Equalities Committee: Written evidence from Changing Lives (MIS0056). Available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/105729/html/ (Accessed: May 2025).

Elizabeth, M. (n.d.) Sex Work & Marxism #2: Disability & Self-Determination. Interviewed by Revolutionary Lumpen Radio [podcast]. Available at: https://soundcloud.com/revolutionarylumpenradio/sex-work-marxism-2-disability-self-determination  (Accessed: May 2025).

University of the Arts London (n.d.) Careers and Employability. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/careers-and-employability (Accessed: May 2025).

University of the Arts London (n.d.) UAL Decolonising Arts Institute. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/ual-decolonising-arts-institute (Accessed: May 2025).

University of the Arts London (2024) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion data report 2024. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/472836/UAL-EDI-data-report-2024-PDFA.pdf (Accessed: May 2025). 

Graham, J. (2021) Coverage of student sex worker training “wildly untrue”. Durham Students’ Union. Available at: https://www.durhamsu.com/articles/jonah-graham-coverage-of-student-sex-worker-training-wildly-untrue (Accessed: May 2025).

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Blog Task 1: Disability

Posted on 22nd May 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Intersectionality reveals how overlapping forms of structural oppression shape experiences of marginalisation (Crenshaw, 1991). Originally rooted in Black feminist thought to explain how race and gender intersect, it now encompasses additional characteristics such as disability, class, and neurodivergence that compound exclusion within dominant white, ableist societies. 

University of the Arts London (UAL) adopts the social model of disability, which “seeks to remove unnecessary barriers which prevent disabled people participating in society, accessing work and living independently. The social model asks what can be done to remove barriers to inclusion. It also recognises that attitudes towards disabled people create unnecessary barriers to inclusion and requires people to take proactive action to remove these barriers.” (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, n.d.). With 18% of UAL students declaring a disability in 2024, a 3% rise from 2022 (University of the Arts London, 2024; 2022), this growth may reflect students’ increasing agency in seeking support and accessible environments. As Spaeth and Pearson (2023) emphasise, “With the increasing recognition of the number of neurodivergent students in higher education, it is essential that we understand how to provide an inclusive educational experience that facilitates a positive learning experience.” 

Moving away from the medical model towards the social model is vital, particularly for those with non-visible disabilities. Yet support systems such as Disabled Student Allowance (DSA) continue to rely on medical diagnosis, which remains inaccessible for many. From personal experience, this requirement creates significant barriers—some students may only realise they are disabled through academic struggles or stress-induced symptoms (Ormel et al., 1997). While UAL offers a range of assistive technologies (Fernandez, n.d.), government-funded support often operates within the medical model and relies on clinical gatekeeping. 

Chay Brown, speaking from his lived experience, shares: “I’m a trans man with mental health difficulties, and I’m probably not neurotypical” (Brown, C. 2023), illustrating how neurodivergence and mental health challenges are often entwined. Emotional regulation difficulties are common among neurodivergent people: “Differences in emotional processing might make It more difficult to regulate the emotional impact of perceived challenges. Many ND people struggle with emotional dysregulation (feeling emotions particularly intensely and finding it hard to control them” (Motti, 2019; Webster, 2018, in Spaeth and Pearson, 2023). Long NHS waiting lists for autism or ADHD assessments, the cost of private routes, and stigma all deter individuals from pursuing diagnoses. UAL’ states “Change buildings, courses, and attitudes” — is constrained by a government model that “focuses on the impairment and what can be done to ‘fix’ the disabled person or provide special services for them as an individual” (Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, n.d.). 

Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory helps unpack these layered barriers. Class and gender inequalities are evident in UAL’s own demographics: “34% of home undergraduate students enrolling in December 2022 are from higher deprivation areas,” and “76% of all students are female; 24% are male” (University of the Arts London, 2024). Showing many UAL students face compounded marginalisation due to class, gender, and neurodivergence, further complicating potential access to support, and attainment and retention gaps.

Chay Brown acknowledges his privileges within the LGBTQ+ community —being white, cis-passing man—allows him to mask some challenges. In contrast, figures like Ade Adepitan cannot mask his visible disabilities or race. Using the visibility of the Paralympics and the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement, Ade spotlights how structural barriers prevent people from thriving. “With the correct support, coaching, and equipment, great things can happen.” As a Black British-Nigerian wheelchair user, Ade envisions a future where race and disability are not obstacles to success, prompting a collective reimagining of societal norms. 

UAL’s own attainment data reinforces this potential. “For 2023/24, degree awarding has increased by 4 percentage points for students declared disabled and around 2 percentage points for students declared not disabled. As a result, the gap between the two groups has increased slightly to 4 percentage points in favour of students declared disabled. This continues the now long-term trend of disabled students having higher degree awarding rates.” (University of the Arts London, 2024). Echoing Ade’s message, this suggests that with the right support, disabled students can outperform peers—challenging assumptions of deficit and need. 

Nationally, disabled educational attainment is improving: “The proportion of disabled people who had a degree or equivalent as their highest form of qualification increased by 9 percentage points between the year to June 2014 and the year to June 2021… In comparison, the proportion of disabled people with no qualifications has decreased steadily in recent years.” (House of Commons Library, 2023). UAL contributes to this shift, exemplifying how inclusive practices and accessible learning can drive educational equity.

Image 1: UAL Active Dashboards 2024/25 Available at : https://dashboards.arts.ac.uk/dashboard/ActiveDashboards/DashboardPage.aspx?dashboardid=5c6bb274-7645-4500-bb75-7e334f68ff24&dashcontextid=638681486282992055 ( Accessed 13 May 2025) 

Image 2: House of Commons Library (2023) UK disability statistics: Prevalence and life experiences. Briefing Paper No. CBP-9602. Available at: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-9602/CBP-9602.pdf (Accessed: 13 May 2025). 

References

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (n.d.) Introduction to the Social and Medical Models of Disability. Available at: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk/sites/default/files/FDN-218144_Introduction_to_the_Social_and_Medical_Models_of_Disability.pdf (Accessed: May 2025). 

Fernandez, C. (n.d.) Assistive tech tools: quick and easy accessibility apps and extensions. Padlet. Available at: https://artslondon.padlet.org/cfernandez190/assistive-tech-tools-quick-and-easy-accessibility-apps-and-e-cvrv23tcnvjsvnp6 (Accessed: May 2025). 

  1. In a representative sample of the UK population we found that common mental disorders (as a group and in ICD–10 diagnostic categories) and subthreshold psychiatric symptoms at baseline were both independently associated with new-onset functional disability and significant days lost from work at 18-month follow-up. Subthreshold symptoms contributed to almost half the aggregate burden of functional disability and over 32 million days lost from work in the year preceding the study. Leaving these symptoms unaccounted for in surveys may lead to gross underestimation of disability related to psychiatric morbidity.  
     
    Ormel, J., VonKorff, M., Ustun, T.B., Pini, S., Korten, A. and Oldehinkel, T. (1997) ‘Common mental disorders and disability: a longitudinal study’, The British Journal of Psychiatry, 171(6), pp. 507–513. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/E9637621B55F1B8251570BBE28E46C49/S0007125000253555a.pdf/common-mental-disorders-subthreshold-symptoms-and-disability-longitudinal-study.pdf (Accessed: May 2025). 
  • Crenshaw, Kimberle´ Williams (1989 and 1991) “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” University of Chicago Legal Forum 1989 
  • Brown, C. (2023). ‘Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023’. Interview with Chay Brown. Interviewed for Parapride, 13 December. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc ( Accessed April 2025) 
  • Adepitan, A. (2020). ‘Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism’. Interview with Ade Adepitan. Interviewed by Nick Webborn for Paralympics GB, 16 October. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU ( Accessed April 2025) 
  • Spaeth, E. and Pearson, A. (2023) ‘A reflective analysis on neurodiversity and student wellbeing: Conceptualising practical strategies for inclusive practice’, Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 11(2). Available at: https://jpaap.ac.uk/JPAAP/article/view/517/662 (Accessed: May 2025). 

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Reflection post 4: Responding to ‘“Could do better?”: Brooks (2008) Students critique of feedback in AD  

Posted on 8th April 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

What did you select and why? 

Ahead of the in-person workshop on Assessment and Feedback, I chose Brooks (2008) “Could do better?”: Students critique of feedback in Art & Design to share my reflections during the session. The pre-context reading enabled some understanding of curriculum assessment ahead of the in-person workshop. 

In my practice, I am exploring how I can improve my graduate employability teaching and career support offer, but currently lack feedback from those I interact with. Reading this article gave some accounts on students critique of feedback, which in lieu of my own practice’s feedback, served as a speculative basis to work from.  

What did you find interesting?  

The research results outlined the value of one-to-one tutorials and dialogic feedback for fostering belonging and engagement, which is an important factor in my work. This intense interaction offers a wider emotional dimension than just written feedback, so the added input from the tutor sews the rewards through heightened trust and appreciation from the learners. 

During the workshop, we covered:  

  • Constructive Alignment 
  • Formative vs. Summative Assessment 
  • Authentic Assessment: Emphasises real-world relevance and application of skills 

The most intriguing was the small mention of ipsative assessment, which evaluates individuals based on their personal progress, rather than comparing them to external standards or peers. To me, incorporating this into employability teaching practices encourages graduates to focus on their own development trajectories rahter than suffer from ‘comparisonitus’ Channer, A. (2020), which often thwarts them rather than encourages and inspires them in their early career journey. 

Actively engaging with available tools and resources demonstrates a commitment to learning and adaptability, a more meaningful learning arc. This proactive approach is often more valuable than a more experienced professional who remains stagnant and resists further development. 

Miller and Konstantinou (2022) speaks to how authentic assessments that mirror real-world tasks can effectively embed employability skills within higher education curricula, which helps prepare them for the graduate career market by the time they enter my support. This article also corroborates the notion that learners are more likely to engage with assessment if they see how it links with other modules or goals. Advance HE. (2023) covers how these types of assessments challenge students to apply their knowledge in practical scenarios, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving abilities essential for career advancement.  

What action has it inspired you to take? 

My graduate learners are at varying stages of career development and industry awareness, therefore what is important to my assessment approach is that they showcase significant progress in their engagement, and in-turn build self-reflection skills and confidence in their abilities to best compete in the graduate job market. 

This can look like ipsative assessment, mixed with more organic peer reviews, and stakeholder input informing their support programme. Barrow (2006) explores how design students engage in self-evaluative assessment practices that develop personal narratives and self-awareness. This aligns with the principles of ipsative assessment, as learners are guided to track their development over time, measuring success in relation to their past work and evolving self-concept, rather than strictly external benchmarks. By prioritising personal growth through ipsative assessment, myself and other educators can better prepare graduates to manage their careers proactively. This approach not only enhances individual employability but also contributes to a workforce that is adaptable, reflective, and continuously evolving. 

References 

Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect’, Studies in Higher Education, 31(3), pp. 357–372. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600680544  

Miller, E. and Konstantinou, I. (2022), “Using reflective, authentic assessments to embed employability skills in higher education”, Journal of Work-Applied Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWAM-02-2021-0014  

Brooks, K. (2008) ‘“Could do better?”: Students critique of feedback in Art & Design 

Hughes, G. (2021) Ipsative assessment: measuring personal improvement. ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/350287547_Ipsative_assessment_measuring_personal_improvement (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

Channer, A. (2020) The Comparison Game and Mental Health: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others. LinkedIn. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/comparison-game-mental-health-stop-comparing-yourself-channer/ (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

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Reflective post 3: 28 Feb 2025 – Workshop 3 theme on Assessment & Feedback, Experiences / Insights / Expectations, Assessment in the Arts, and Crits

Posted on 8th April 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Reflection on Workshop 3: Assessment & Feedback – Experiences / Insights / Expectations, Assessment in the Arts, and Crits. 

Summary  

We read a handout: Supporting inclusive and developmental crits: a guidance for staff at UAL document, sharing our thoughts with peers. Followed by designing an Inclusive Critique process by deciding on a teaching scenario, identifying a common student challenge to respond to, considering a range of participation strategies, incorporating at least one principal from each category from the handout guide. In groups, we presented or observed the critique designs of different teams, sharing feedback.  

Reflection  

For the Inclusive Crit design, the challenge we chose to address was providing a healthy balance between peer reviews and tutor / teacher checkpoints, to foster a sense of independence and progress alongside, and separately, from the course leaders.  

This is best supported by focusing on ‘A’ principle:  

“Ask the individual: Personalising discussions by asking what an individual would find most helpful in terms of feedback helps ensure focused and constructive comments. This also recognises their agency in the space and help flatten the hierarchy.”  

Our design incorporates 2 tutor crits, supplemented by 3 incremental peer checkpoints, to offer several touchpoints for comprehension and progression, and slow down the process and widen the scope for a variety of voices and viewpoints to input each other. This was a focus on ‘B’ principle’:  

“Build up: It can take students time to build confidence in and understanding of the crit process. Provide scaffolding for students, in terms of how to present and give feedback, and support them to build up skills incrementally over time.”   

Brooks (2008) highlights how feedback that feels vague or impersonal can alienate learners—prompting my decision to embed personalised checkpoints into critique structures. 

By creating the opportunity for students to create their own peer review platforms throughout the process, this allows them to choose their preferred format and methods, and self-organise for regular peer checkpoints using these as a basis for complimentary groupings. Barrow (2006) frames assessment as a tool for reflexive self-development—this resonates with my growing interest in post-university learning spaces where identity, confidence and direction continue evolving. Principle ‘C’: 

 “Choice: Equality Act 2010 requires us to make anticipatory adjustments. Proactively offer students a choice of ways to participate in Crits. This might include the choice of presenting in groups, online or via video recording, or providing a text summary over verbal description. When feeding back, this might include allowing students to feedback in Post-its, in pairs or online.”  

Presenting and answering questions about the design helped to formulate a better understanding for myself, as well. Being put on the spot to declare thoughts and decisions and possible development brought my confidence of the subject matter and design-thinking skills to a higher level.  

Next steps to apply learning  

Being in an extra-curricular, opt-in service for people who have finished their university degree, I feel detached from the concepts around assessments seeing as I associate them with grades. And so do the graduates I interact with. “Danvers (2007) argues for the value of formative dialogue in creative disciplines—an approach I now see as highly transferable to post-course employability learning.” By doing this exercise I saw that I could utilise assessment practice for post-university learning too, to mirror the learning experiences from course level into graduate employability. The principles facilitated pinpointing concepts helpful for me to introduce into peer-to-peer learning, which I have identified is a gap in my learning content and delivery, based on the workshop and readings around the positives of assessment. As Race (2001) outlines, peer and self-assessment practices enable students to build ownership of their learning journey, and gain insight into the criteria that define quality work. The first trial of this approach has been to organise professional portfolio crits, making it clear that it is not a space to develop creative practice, but instead have peers critique and learn about producing and presenting portfolios for the job market, not for graded coursework.

References 

Ellis, M., Sherwood, C. and Tran, D. (2024) Supporting inclusive and developmental crits: a guidance for staff at UAL. University of the Arts London and Arts Students’ Union. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/381364/Compassionate-feedback-prompts_Final_November-2022-3.pdf [Accessed 4 Apr. 2025]. 

Danvers, J. (2007) ‘Perspectives on creativity in visual arts education’, Journal of Art & Design Education, 26(2), pp. 232–241.  

Race, P. (2001) A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment. LTSN Generic Centre.

Brooks, K. (2008) ‘“Could do better?”: Students’ critique of written feedback’, Networks, 11, University of the West of England.

Barrow, M. (2006) ‘Assessment regimes and technologies of the self’, International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(1), pp. 63–79.

Examples of Inclusive Crit designs
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Reflective post 2: Online Lecture: Jheni Arboine & Siobhan Clay (UAL’s Academic Enhancement team) on ‘Data-informed practice’

Posted on 8th April 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Summary 

UAL Academic Enhancement presented how student data on UAL dashboard is interpreted to understand the impact of teaching and assessment on attainment gaps, informing their work and relevance in the curriculum. 

Starting with warm-up activities, we then looked at examples from the data dashboards, discussing terminology and sources used to compile the results. The session ended with a declaration of an action each of us will take to apply the learning, and further questions. 

In the ‘Data-informed practice’ presentation, it was revealed that the attainment gap has been growing since previous years, but improved during Covid pandemic years. We discussed possible reasons for this, but also how the basis is speculative and ought to remain anonymised to stay detached from personal experiences clouding objective truths. 

Reflection 

It was re-iterated that closing the gap is the responsibility of everyone working at UAL, which was important for me to take on in the context of the national ‘Graduate Outcomes’ survey. Given the national importance of Graduate Outcomes data in shaping university reputation and policy (Office for Students, 2023), understanding how attainment gaps may echo into post-university trajectories becomes essential in supporting graduate futures. 

From my experience of calling graduates, I shared how some are classified as ‘Home’ but are in fact ‘International’. Therefore, our data and understanding of how many ‘B.A.M.E’ or underprivileged graduates we support is warped, and most likely larger than documented. 

As framed in the Professional Standards Framework (Advance HE, 2023), engaging with institutional data to inform and evaluate practice reflects a commitment to inclusive, evidence-based teaching 

Next steps to apply learning 

I declared in the ‘action pledge’ part that after the session, I wanted to ‘close the data loop’ with the graduates I support. Which to me means having graduates become more aware of how their input shapes and informs our delivery, which by design is responsive to their needs and the changing graduate job market, which I look further into in my case study. Closing the feedback loop with graduates also mirrors principles from Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2018), which advocate for the dynamic shaping of practice in response to learner experience and context. This idea aligns with Universal Design for Learning (UDL)’s emphasis on responsiveness and flexibility, ensuring learning environments adapt based on learner variability and feedback. 

However, it may also mean being transparent and sharing the UAL specific data results, and what that means when handling graduates from that course, or going into certain industries. Next steps will include presenting my ideas to management on the benefits of looping our stakeholders into our content design, and crediting them better, but also deciding how honest we want to be in sharing the Graduate Outcomes survey results to best represent the job market for UAL leavers and creative industries in general. 

The project leads for UAL’s ‘Rethinking Employability’, designed to embed employability into the curriculum to improve graduate outcomes results, may hold the answer on if there is a link between attainment gap and positive career outcomes, based on the data, and be open to devising ideas on how we may work together to combat this going forward. As Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall (2015) argue, curriculum design should be underpinned by both reflection and evidence, ensuring that employability is embedded meaningfully and equitably. 

References

Advance HE (2023) The Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023). Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/teaching-and-learning/psf#psf2023 (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

Office for Students (2023) About the Graduate Outcomes Survey. Available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/graduate-outcomes/ (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

Sant, R. (2023) UAL Rethinking Employability. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/d420e3c1-2726-47b8-8bdf-cd20281d1841 (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Available at: http://udlguidelines.cast.org (Accessed: 4 April 2025). 

Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S. (2015) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice. 4th edn. Oxford: Routledge 

Arboine. J, Clay. S (UAL’s Academic Enhancement team) on ‘Data-informed practice’ (March 2025)

Screenshot of the webinar slides including my quote on how our 'red grads' are more international than home classification, which changes the meaning of our data results, and therefore the graduate outcomes data.
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Case Study 2 – Planning and teaching for effective learning

Posted on 4th April 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Contextual Background

A consistent challenge in my role delivering graduate career support at UAL is the lack of direct participant feedback. This creates a gap in evaluating the effectiveness of the support offered. However, recurring themes from one-to-one appointments and email enquiries often serve as informal feedback loops. These interactions prompt the development of new workshops and resources to respond to commonly raised questions, demystify industry expectations, and support wider audiences. Visualising this could reinforce learner agency, cultivate a sense of belonging, and help graduates feel that their input shapes the support they receive.

Evaluation

I encourage graduates to follow up with email questions or book a one-to-one session after workshops. This supports the transition from student to professional by blending collective learning with personalised guidance. In these conversations, I aim to validate their concerns, offer relevant resources, and work with them to agree actionable next steps. I provide a career action planner and where appropriate, I refer to curated bank of internal or external content aligned with UAL’s Graduate Employability offer. Any gaps in resources or knowledge provided in this bank become opportunities for future development. However, a key limitation remains: lacking a mechanism to track graduate engagement with these resources, their career action planner, or implement the guidance provided or actions agreed. The absence of a structured tool to monitor progress—such as a shared checklist —makes it difficult to assess impact or support ongoing development.

One persistent, sector-wide issue is limited stakeholder feedback. The silence cannot be interpreted as satisfaction. As Boud and Molloy (2013) assert, feedback must be understood as a dialogic process—active and ongoing—not simply as a comment passed from teacher to learner. While peer observations of my teaching have offered valuable developmental insights from fellow professionals, graduate feedback remains the missing piece. Without it, I cannot be confident that the learning is effective or meaningfully applied.

As Race (2001) outlines, enabling learners to assess, reflect, and contribute to their own learning journey strengthens engagement and fosters deeper understanding. While formal feedback from graduates is limited, informal dialogue and queries guide the creation of new content, effectively positioning graduates as co-creators of the learning experience.

Moving forwards

Training on fostering a sense of belonging in online learning spaces, Ross, Lewis (2022) a key insight resonated with me: building a strong relationship with the facilitator often precedes confidence in peer-to-peer engagement (Thomas, 2012). This affirms the importance of relational pedagogy in career education, where trust with the facilitator can unlock learner participation. While I promote one-to-one follow-ups, engagement is inconsistent. Previously, I trialled requesting updates a few weeks after the initial session. Despite good intentions, the low response rates made the time-intensive nature unsustainable.

However, follow-up and feedback should not be omitted. Rather, signals the need to embed follow-up opportunities more organically into the graduate offer. Designing a development journey that inherently includes check-ins—perhaps tied to milestone moments or the structure of a learning programme—could make reflection and feedback feel like a natural part of the learning cycle.

Moving forward, I plan to trial a self-tracking checklist integrated into workshop resources, encouraging graduates to monitor their own progress while giving me a clearer view of their development pathway. This low-barrier tool may provide a more sustainable means of dialogue, accountability, and insight into graduate learning journeys.

References:

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Case Study 1 – Assessing learning and exchanging feedback

Posted on 4th April 2025 by Leila Duffy-Tetzlaff

Contextual Background

Graduate employability support at UAL operates on an opt-in, extra-curricular basis. Participants span from final-year students to alumni up to five years post-graduation. This inherently creates a diverse cohort across disciplines, career stages, and levels of industry awareness. Many graduates face intersecting challenges: navigating a competitive and often inequitable job market, managing learning differences, balancing financial pressures, and, for international graduates, contending with cultural and linguistic barriers. These factors can impact their confidence, wellbeing, and motivation to pursue creative career paths.

Evaluation

To better understand participant needs, my webinar booking forms include a question:

“What do you hope to gain from this session?”

This helps me identify expectations and steer discussions accordingly. Despite encouraging learners to share needs before and after sessions, response rates remain low. In line with Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2018), I therefore strive to create inclusive, flexible learning environments from the outset, without requiring prior disclosure. In-session, I offer practical tools such as a career action planner, curated follow-up resources, and bookable one-to-ones for more tailored support and to assess individual learning outcomes.

Moving forwards

Inspired by observing a colleague from Academic Support Bowen, E. (2025), I incorporated a collaborative tool—Padlet—into a recent webinar. It added interactivity and offered examples of applying learning beyond the session. However, engagement was low. Reflecting on this, I recognised the task’s complexity as a potential barrier. Next time, I plan to simplify instructions, use it only live (not in recordings), and provide clearer scaffolding to support participation without overwhelming learners.

A peer observation in a physical classroom prompted reflections on group composition. A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Fry, Ketteridge and Marshall, 2015) supports the idea that diverse groups promote adaptability and broader learning, yet also acknowledges that homogenous groups can feel safer and foster a quicker sense of belonging. This was particularly relevant for international graduates I work with, who often express urgency in demonstrating the return on their educational investment. Creating a psychologically safe space can be more important than immediate exposure to difference. In practice, this has led me to trial tailored support spaces—such as international-only networking events and one-to-ones—to assess whether this enhances engagement and motivation. The evaluation of this approach will let me know if it is a model I could echo for other identifiable groups of graduates, if proving to be successful.

Dall’Alba (2005) argues that teaching should move beyond skill acquisition to support graduates in developing ways of being, embracing their evolving identities. While I recognise the value of preparing learners for globalised and diverse workplaces, I also acknowledge the immediate pressures many face, and communicate to me through the support interactions and feedback surveys. Striking a balance between celebrating diversity and recognising shared experiences is key. Rather than “seeing graduates as one” who require a blanket support approach that currently pushes for immediate adaptability, I am exploring how shared identity—whether by nationality, stage, or discipline—can provide a launchpad for deeper learning and progression, catapulting graduates towards their achievable goals to help build foundations for confidence and progression.

This reflection aligns with the ongoing development of my practice: to design inclusive, compassionate, and context-aware learning environments that meet graduates where they are, while nudging them toward where they could go. This approach reflects Race’s (2001) emphasis on recognising the diverse ways in which students engage with learning and assessment, and the value of offering differentiated and adaptive strategies that support inclusion and ownership of learning.

References:

  • CAST (2018) Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Available at: http://udlguidelines.cast.org (Accessed: 12 March 2025).
  • Dall’Alba, G. (2005) ‘Improving teaching: Enhancing ways of being university teachers’, Higher Education Research & Development, 24(4), pp.361–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360500284771
  • Fry, H., Ketteridge, S. and Marshall, S. (eds.) (2015) A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Enhancing Academic Practice. 4th edn. Oxford: Routledge.
  • Race, P. (2001). A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment. LTSN Generic Centre.

Bowen, E. (2025) Researching skilfully through object reading, 31 January. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://academicsupportonline.arts.ac.uk/workshops-tutorials/110755? (Accessed: 31 Jan April 2025).

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