Helping students see eye to eye : diversifying teaching of sensation and perception in higher education

Abstract

There is current interest in diversifying teaching curricula across university teaching. Psychology, whose research has historically been performed by Western men on particular participant groups, is addressing this challenge too. One of its sub-branches, Sensation and Perception, which focuses on the study of purportedly universal phenomena, is often considered challenging to diversify. Current challenges include both diversity of the topics and teaching tools/materials as well as the diversity that characterises both the student and the teacher populations. We start by describing the diversity present in student and teacher groups, with a UK focus, and review literature showing how inclusive and diverse teaching materials can impact participation and engagement of diverse student groups. We briefly discuss how research can be biased by those asking the research questions and we offer examples of research in sensation and perception that considers differences between participant groups with different characteristics (including gender, ethnicity, disability, culture). Finally, we suggest where one can access resources that can be used to diversify Sensation and Perception teaching, from popular textbooks that cover relevant topics, to activities to include students in the process of exploring diversity in perception research. In this section, we also suggest specific research topics where diversity features in perception, demonstrating inclusive methods and content to engage teachers and students in the process of diversifying the teaching of sensation and perception.