Programme leaders’ attitudes towards inclusion and diversity management – first results of an international survey

Student heterogeneity is continuously growing and HEI are asked to shift their focus to accommodate new and different demands. But how well equipped are study programme leaders (PLs) as those responsible for curriculum design, teaching and access to their programmes, to handle this momentum task? What are the problems they are confronted with in managing the diversity of student backgrounds? Despite PLs’ central role in the implementation of inclusive policies, existing research on the level of programme leaders is slim to non-existing. In order to close this knowledge-gap an international survey among more than 200 PLs in four countries is currently being carried out analyzing PLs’ attitudes and approach towards inclusion and diversity management (IDM) and the challenges they face in dealing with student diversity in its various aspects. This contribution will present the first findings of this survey.