LTA Connect: Decolonisation and Anti-Racism in the Classroom

Session Resources

Session slides | Session Recording 

Session Outline

This session will provide an overview of the Decolonising DMU work at De Montfort University.  It will outline DMU’s journey to building an anti-racist university and the embedding of decolonising practices into the infrastructure of the University.  In particular this session will focus on mindset changes in disrupting/decolonising teaching and learning practices, spaces and experiences, it will look at culturally accessible curriculum and it will consider how students are reflected in the curriculum.  Importantly the session will demonstrate tools used by DMU staff in their decolonising journey alongside a few case studies.

Presenter Bio

Kaushika Patel

Kaushika is the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at De Montfort University (DMU) and the Director for Decolonising DMU through which she has led the university work on race equity which, in April 2023, resulted in the awarding of the first ever sector Silver Race Equality Charter award.  In addition, Kaushika led the teams successful 2023 application for a CATE (Collaborative Award in Teaching Excellence) award for their Decolonising DMU work and finally the team were also successful in being awarded the Green Gowns and UKRI EDI and sustainability award.

Kaushika has been in academia since 2006.  Prior to entering academia, she practised and managed for 17 years as a qualified social worker working with young offenders, looked after children and child protection in Leicester.

Kaushika is the Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at De Montfort University (DMU) and the Director for Decolonising DMU through which she has led the university work on race equity which, in April 2023, resulted in the awarding of the first ever sector Silver Race Equality Charter award.  In addition, Kaushika led the teams successful 2023 application for a CATE (Collaborative Award in Teaching Excellence) award for their Decolonising DMU work and finally the team were also successful in being awarded the Green Gowns and UKRI EDI and sustainability award.

Kaushika joined academia as a lecturer, and in 17+ years at DMU she has undertaken every academic role imaginable which places her in a very strong position to fully appreciate the challenges academics and students experience in their day-to-day work, study and life, when looking for progression, and challenging discrimination.

Kaushika’s approach is to ensure inclusivity in engagement, to ensure that all voices are heard equitably and she is especially conscious of ensuring that she supports and enables the ‘othered’ voices to be heard and have their space.

Kaushika holds a number of external roles which include being a member of the Advance HE Race Equality Charter Governance Committee and the Advance HE Advisory group for Integrated Framework for Equality Charters project.  She is also a member of the sector wide Senior Women of Colour (SWOC) Group and a member of the Blackbullion student scholarships advisory group.

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