Student Perspectives: Inclusion at UOW

Nearing the end of Autumn session of 2024, we spoke with students about their perspectives on inclusion and gathered insights on how the University of Wollongong (UOW) can foster more inclusive learning and teaching environments.

Below, we share Priyanka Bedi's perspective as an international student in the bachelor of psychological science.

Text transcript

For me, as an international student from India, it means seeing more of faces like me and being respected when I come to the campus and bridging the gap between cultures and communities and seeing a bit of more representation at the university and the faculty and the people in charge.

I think for any student who comes from overseas, they're leaving their home behind and they come here with an aim to build a home here, and the only way that you feel comfortable and safe enough is when you feel included in that space. So inclusion for me means that there are people around me who are helping me create a home here away from home. I see that my culture is treated as an asset and it's something that's very beautiful and something very welcoming about me and that those very facts make me feel welcome and included. So we go through a lot of research papers in our psych faculty to study about different cultures all over the world. And as someone who is from India, when I see something that's been said about the Asian culture and when I feel that it's not something that's represented very rightfully by said and said authors, I see my tutors take that very graciously and in a very compassionate and empathetic way. I see them understand where I'm coming from. Not once have I had an experience where I was dealt in a way that, Oh no, this is the way it's done. This is the way it's said.

I feel there's a lot of space and a lot of accommodation for change and diversity. And that is something that had a very positive and good experience within classrooms. I have this tutor, Noah, and he has had a huge impact on me by simply stating one statement before our one of the biggest assessments that I'm excited to read what you write. It goes unnoticed by a lot of people, but these little words of encouragement can be a big boost to students because most of us are here in a batch of 500 in lecture halls and 20, 25 in tutors and we are just waiting to be seen. We are just waiting to be noticed that our hard work, even if we are not the grade A students, we just want to be acknowledged and we want to be seen as making progress because that little word of encouragement really goes a long way. And the biggest testament is that just him saying that one thing actually led me to working so hard that I got a high distinction for my very assignment.

So I think just being a bit more, they already do it, but having a bit more words of affirmations in class and just, having a bit more personalised time with every single student would be a great addition to the already good programme.