I did an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion internship with the university over the summer of 2025. My internship topic was evaluating accessibility and inclusivity in teaching materials, supervised by Dr Zeshu Shao. This is something that I’m passionate about because, being neurodivergent, I understand how important it is to access equal learning opportunities which take individual differences into consideration. Furthermore, it is also important to feel represented within teaching practices.
My first task was to create a Content Review Checklist which I could use to review materials. I decided to focus on the Level 2 and 3 methodology courses, as methodology is a unit that I know can feel particularly daunting at the undergraduate level. After collecting research on accessibility and inclusivity in teaching materials, I split my checklist into five sections: Accessible Visuals and Design, Accessible Resource Files, Accessible Video and Audio Materials, Accessible Course Content, and Accessible Support and Feedback.
I did research for developing a checklist to ensure I included as many accessibility elements as possible. This involved reading the university'sonline tools, resources and policies, as well as collecting information from other educational organisations and articles. Importantly, I familiarised myself with terminology guides, such as Neurodivergent Affirming Language Guide, and Inclusive Language, UK Gov. My research led me to discover accessibility tools that I was previously unaware of, such as Accessibility Checker, and also provided insight on promoting inclusivity for learning differences like British Dyslexia Association.
After creating the checklist, I went through lecture PowerPoints, lecture recordings, assignment briefs, course information documents, and the layout of the course materials on the online platform Blackboard. I used the checklist to assess materials, which helped identifycommon areas that were particularly good for accessibility and inclusivity, as well as areas that could benefit from change. Finally, I reviewed the checklists and prepared a general course evaluation for L2 and L3 methods, outlining common issues and offering recommendations to optimise the teaching materials for all students taking these courses.
Some of the points raised in the evaluation included keeping the font at an acceptable size, providing correct answers/explanations for quiz questions, and highlighting points of contact for students. Additionally, I found thatterminology should be clearly explainedto avoid overwhelming students with newinformation.I shared my findings with the course coordinators so they could make improvements in the relevant course areas.
As a whole, I was happy to find that the majority of teaching materials adhered to recommended inclusivity guidelines. It was positive to see that the School of Psychology is committed to providing every student with a good learning experience.
One thing that I found valuable during this internship was communicating with the other interns. We discussed ideas and worked together for the EDI (equality, diversity, and inclusion) stall during welcome week. This was a good opportunity to build confidence socially and present our projects to other people. I was initially nervous to do this; however, I ended up really enjoying myself and would be much more prepared to do this again in the future.
I definitely feel more confident about doing my thesis this academic year. I think the internship was a really good chance to work both collaboratively and independently on a project using skills such as research and evaluation, which will be useful towards various aspects of my degree and career going forward.
Overall, I am grateful to have had the opportunity of doing an internship, and I feel I have benefited from my work this summer in so many ways. I also have a sense of achievement in having worked on something that truly matters and has the potential to support others. I highly recommend this to other students as an invaluable experience to step out of your comfort zone and try something new.
Grace is currently in their 4th year of Psychology at the University of Aberdeen.
