When I began the PG Cert in Jan 2025, I was working as a CSM Climate Justice Curriculum Developer, embedding climate, racial, and social justice into the curriculum. In September 2025, I moved into a new role as Educational Developer. I now work with academic staff to strengthen teaching practices, curriculum design, and learning environments, with a focus on long-term staff development. My role involves creating spaces, tools, and training that help educators embed inclusive, equitable, and innovative pedagogies into their programmes.
In my previous role, I coordinated the Climate Advocates Programme and worked closely with the Jewellery, Textiles and Materials (JTM) programme at CSM. At the January 2025 JTM Programme meeting, staff reflected on how the UAL Climate, Social, and Racial Justice Principles were being embedded into courses. While Principles 1–3 were present to some extent, Principle 4 – Design for human equity, social and racial justice (see image below) – was identified as the least embedded. Staff expressed uncertainty about how to approach these themes, citing a lack of shared vocabulary and confidence in facilitating conversations around equity, social and racial justice.
To explore this further, I collaborated with Climate Advocate Hannah Ogahara and Social Purpose Evidence and Evaluation Manager Rose Thompson to co-design a peer-to-peer interview process centring student voice. We sought to understand how students perceived the presence (or absence) of Principle 4 in their learning and how they envisioned more equitable, inclusive teaching practices.
Ten student representatives from across five JTM courses participated in semi-structured interviews, conducted both in person and online in March 2025. These conversations offered rich insights into how social and racial justice are experienced—or overlooked—within the curriculum.
The findings revealed that while justice-related themes occasionally appear in coursework, they are rarely sustained, assessed, or embedded structurally. Students described a lack of safe, facilitated spaces for honest dialogue, as well as a need for teaching that reflects their lived experiences and cultural contexts. They expressed a clear desire for authentic, participatory learning environments—spaces that combine creative practice, critical reflection, and dialogue around identity and belonging.
These insights directly informed the focus of my ARP, which seeks to develop a staff development training that responds to the gaps and opportunities identified in the case study. The project builds on the themes of equity, identity, and belonging highlighted by students and represents a first development toward embedding Principle 4 more intentionally and consistently within JTM teaching practice.
Below there is the full case study report with detailed thematic analysis and findings.
Reference
Ogahara, H. and Gravagno, M. (2025) P4: Design for human equity, social, and racial justice in JTM – Case Study. Unpublished internal report. London: University of the Arts London (UAL).
The Exchange (2022) UAL Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles. [Unpublished internal document]. University of the Arts London. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/e559543e-1db7-4154-b7c4-d843861603ad (Accessed: 30 September 2025)