Widening Participation in Education

University for All

At the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, we are committed to promoting the University's achievement of a diverse and inclusive scholarly student community, making UCD a University for All. University for All is a whole-institution, evidence-based approach to mainstreaming inclusion in UCD, ensuring that all students feel welcome, belong and are valued. The (opens in a new window)University for All Initiative is sponsored by the Registrar & Deputy President, Professor Colin Scott, governed by University Widening Participation Committee, chaired by Professor John Brannigan, and led by UCD Access & Lifelong Learning.  

Widening Participation in Education

The role of the UCD Widening Participation (UWP) Committee is to provide the formal mechanism to oversee, monitor and promote the University’s achievement of a diverse and inclusive scholarly student community, characterised as a ‘University for All’. The UCD Strategy 2020-2024: Rising to the Future anchors the work of UCD's Widening Participation Committee, and it plays a key role in supporting the University to recognise, promote and value diversity, foster the spirit of inclusion, appreciate the breadth of talent, experience and contribution of all students, and strive to remove the barriers to access, participation and success. To learn more about the work of the Widening Participation Committee in UCD please read our annual reports. Associate Professor (opens in a new window)Caitriona Cunningham is our School's representative on UCD’s Widening Participation committee.

Widening Participation in Education Outreach Network

(opens in a new window)Dr Caitriona Cunningham chairs UCD's Widening Participation Outreach Coordinating Network with (opens in a new window)Dr James Timmons as the School representative for this network. The purpose of this network is to facilitate a university-wide coherent approach to delivering outreach activities, with a view to encouraging a greater diversity of students to consider UCD as a place for them.

School Widening Participation Outreach Activities

School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science staff actively participate in UCD Outreach events and initiatives including:

• UCD Open Day
• UCD Festival
• Access and Lifelong Learning initiatives, e.g. presentations regarding our academic programmes across a diverse secondary school network
• UCD Neurodiversity Network
• Future You Summer School: Healthy UCD sessions provide health promotion insights to students from DEIS schools, offering them a glimpse of university life and encouraging their continued education
• (opens in a new window)REFRESH project

In addition, the School leads on a number of Widening Participation Outreach initiatives including:

• IDecide: This project, led by Practice Tutor Nicola Dervan, targets primary school children from DEIS schools and is designed to inspire these students to pursue health professional programmes in higher education.
• Active Campus Europe - UCD Physio Hub: Led by Dr Mary Davis, Dr Caitriona Cunningham and Professor Catherine Blake, students who wouldn’t ordinarily attend the gym or engage in sports have an opportunity to have a health screening and be prescribed a tailored exercise programme with a CORU-registered Physiotherapist at UCD Physio Hub, assisted by Physiotherapy students. 
• Cut from the Same Cloth: Led by Dr Clare Reynolds, this initiative engages with women from marginalised communities, exemplifying our commitment to making education accessible to all.
• Para-athletics Engagement: Professor Kate Pumpa leads this initiative, aimed at promoting sports participation among students with disabilities and other underrepresented groups within the university community.
• Healthy UCD Woodland Walk: This health promotion initiative aims to engage students from diverse backgrounds, including mature students and those who might face barriers to accessing typical campus events. It serves as an informal platform for students to connect with the wider university community, learn about available resources and feel a greater sense of belonging.

Our School is making strides to enhance access to and inclusion in our programmes. This includes having multiple entry routes to our Bachelors programmes  (eg. HEAR, DARE, Mature) with widening participation enrolment targets  reviewed on an annual basis.

Access Pathways and Places

A number of places on each of our School's Bachelors (Level 8) programmes are ringfenced for students entering via access admissions pathways. These pathways currently include:

• Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)
• Disability Access Route (DARE)
• QQI-FET Award
• Mature Student Route

Our Certificate in Safety & Health at Work (Level 7) and Higher Diploma in Safety, Health and Wellbeing at Work (Level 8) courses are suitable for mature and part-time learners.

Toolkit

A Toolkit For Inclusive Higher Education Institutions has been developed by UCD’s ALL Unit to aid in the implementation of University for All.

The Toolkit provides a framework which can:

•         ASSIST in creating an action plan
•         RECOGNISE the work already achieved
•         IDENTIFY areas of priority
•         OFFER practical steps to implement and embed inclusive practice
•         FACILITATE dialogue between faculty, professional staff, technical staff on the importance of inclusive practice

In addition to staff presentations regarding the toolkit within our school  and some staff members completing universal design courses, the SPHPSS hosted its first  ‘University for ALL’ Inclusive Toolkit  Workshop in March 2021 to  facilitate staff  to conduct self –assessment with a  view to  mainstreaming  inclusive practices within our school.