Four students of different ethnic backgrounds stand smiling against bold color panels.

Gender and Diversity in Curriculum Development

This practical seminar for university lecturers shows how to integrate gender and diversity considerations into curriculum development and create inclusive learning experiences.

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This practical seminar is designed for university lecturers who want to systematically integrate gender and diversity perspectives into curriculum development. Many dimensions of societal diversity influence learning behaviour and participation without being immediately visible to educators. Differences in gender, age, disability, socio-economic background, or cultural context significantly shape expectations and learning experiences in higher education.

Curriculum development involves more than ensuring formally equal access to learning opportunities. Discriminatory or exclusionary elements can unintentionally enter curricula through the selection of topics, texts, or case studies. For example, materials may reflect eurocentric, masculine, or heteronormative perspectives that marginalise certain groups of students.

A central objective of this seminar is therefore to make unconscious bias visible and critically reflect on its influence in curriculum design. Participants learn how to review curricula from both structural and content perspectives and identify potential barriers to inclusive participation.

A gender- and diversity-sensitive approach to curriculum development directly enhances teaching quality. By addressing the diverse backgrounds and needs of students, lecturers unlock a broader range of perspectives, contributions, and solution pathways. Discussions become richer, problem-solving more creative, and learning experiences more relevant for all participants. The seminar provides practical tools to not only consider diversity in the classroom, but to actively leverage it.

Topics and Content

Diversity & Inclusion in higher education
Challenges, needs, and opportunities of key diversity categories:

Age
Disability
Ethnic background
Gender
Religion
Sexual orientation

The impact of socio-economic background on participation and learning success
Intersectionality: interrelations between diversity categories
Structural and content-related barriers in curricula
Unconscious bias in curriculum development
Reviewing and adapting participants’ own curriculum designs
Concepts for creating inclusive learning experiences

This seminar is ideal for

Lecturers at universities and higher education institutions

Prerequisites