Reece Sohdi’s Post

It's been just about 3 weeks since I received the only individual award for the 2023 Vice Chancellor Teaching Fellowship as presented by the VC Sir David Bell himself at the University of Sunderland's Learning and Teaching Conference. Since then, I've already managed to speak to so many people about the work that I'm doing, proving there is both a need and hunger to get involved. My project will focus on creating a toolkit on #DecolonisingTheCurriculum which in the first instance will serve as guidance for staff on how to not only decolonise their curriculum (who could've guessed!) but how to think about the historically authentic, accurate and equitable knowledge they want their students to know. It will ask academics staff to reflect on if the knowledge is truly a representation of marginalised voices (such as #socioeconomic status, #ethnicity, #genderidentity and #neurodiversity - to name a few). I've had so many amazing conversations and emails with colleagues in faculties outside of my own and I've been a sponge with all the resources, readings, podcasts and seminars I've been in - even applying to present at a few conferences and even a book chapter proposal which 2022 me would have never dreamed of doing (whether my proposals will be accepted is another story but small steps count). Onwards and upwards as I continue on this journey into my own professional development and work on making higher education a place where all students feel as though they truly belong. #highereducation #professionaldevelopment #culturalcompetency