CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM: EXPLORING TELT’S POTENTIAL TO HELP DIVERSE STUDENTS THRIVE IN A MASSIFYING UNIVERSITY

Three trends are transforming Australian universities: massification, internationalisation, and the push to adopt technology-enabled learning and teaching (TELT).
This paper examines TELT's potential to address the pedagogic challenges posed by increasing class sizes and the growing diversity of student populations. Drawing on empirical findings from research conducted at the University of New South Wales, this paper discusses the impact that TELT, and specifically threaded discussion forums, have had in promoting greater student participation and student-to-student dialogue in large lecture classes. It examines how discussion forums assist in creating more inclusive spaces of learning by providing an avenue for those who are not orally proficient or who are not culturally oriented to speak up in class to contribute their opinions. Findings from the study demonstrated that a large majority of students reported enhanced pedagogic outcomes using TELT, stating that the forums helped them to think more deeply about the course concepts and argument, interact with other students, and play an active part in shaping the discussions in the course. The goal of this research is to support strategic change in higher education.