{"id":2714,"date":"2026-07-22T12:52:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=2714"},"modified":"2026-07-22T12:52:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T11:52:11","slug":"looking-through-the-lens-of-compassionate-pedagogy-attending-the-open-university-wels-edi-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/learning-design\/?p=2714","title":{"rendered":"Looking through the lens of compassionate pedagogy: attending the Open University WELS EDI Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hayley Kelly, Cinzia Imbriano-Merner, Anna Judd-Yelland, Catriona Matthews, and Mark Wiliams<\/strong> <\/em>~ Learning Designers<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WELS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Festival 2026 ran from 20 April \u20131 May online for Open University staff and student reps. It was organised to celebrate the diverse journeys of OU students and staff in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS).\u00a0 Festival sub-themes included mental health and disability, non-traditional pathways to education and intersectional experience.<\/p>\n

The festival was a great opportunity to engage in some interesting discussion, meet staff and student reps online, and share insights. It was a great way to feel part of a community and understand how EDI is at the heart of projects that shape better learning journeys for all students. In fact, it really did feel like a celebration of diverse journeys and experiences of both students and staff. Whilst based in the WELS faculty, what really came across was how mattering informs the work we do at The Open University. Oh, and with lots of dancing animal GIFS and heart emojis shared aplenty. Here, some members of the Learning Design (LD) EDIA group share their experience of attending and what they took away from the event.<\/p>\n

Session: Calm(ing) the chaos? Supporting students with chaotic or unstable personal lives through their OU studies<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Hayley: Learning Designer and Associate Lecturer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This session prompted important reflection on the hidden barriers many students may face at the OU and in HE more generally. Discussions explored how experiences of chaos, abuse or instability can affect students\u2019 confidence and engagement, even when they appear outwardly to be coping well.<\/p>\n

What stayed with me most was the emphasis on compassionate, relationship-based support. The speakers (Heidi Saxby and Hilly Davies) highlighted the value of consistent, personalised communication and the role tutors, advisors and support staff can play in creating a safe, stable and encouraging environment for students navigating difficult circumstances alongside their studies.<\/p>\n

A major theme for the session was the need for systemic change within the OU. Conversations focused on improving the use of support information and markers, offering more flexible adjustments and pathways, and continuing to develop better ways of recognising and supporting students whose challenges might otherwise remain unseen.<\/p>\n

Session: Gatekeeping Support: Disclosing Disability and the Hidden Cost of \u201cProof\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Cinzia: Learning Designer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This session was a reminder that even when support processes seem clear and sensible on paper, they can feel much more difficult for students to navigate in practice. The talk highlighted that many students come into these systems with previous experiences of dealing with institutions, and that repeatedly having to prove or explain existing conditions can be exhausting and discouraging.<\/p>\n

What stood out to me most was the importance of looking beyond the data. Many students either don\u2019t disclose their circumstances or do so without formal evidence, meaning their needs and challenges may not appear in our systems or reports. However, these students are still part of our learning community, and the barriers they face are very real.<\/p>\n

The discussion encouraged us to think carefully about who our systems are designed to support, who might be left out, and how we can reduce unnecessary barriers while still respecting students\u2019 independence and dignity. Overall, it reinforced that good intentions and well-designed processes only matter if students experience them as supportive and accessible.<\/p>\n

Session: Narratives and equalities at the Open University<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Anna Judd-Yelland: Learning Designer and LD EDIA Co-lead<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Student narratives, which are becoming a popular genre in educational and communication work, have the effect of transforming abstract experiences into human ones. We assume these narratives, which focus on their content, are received positively.<\/p>\n

The presenter critically reflected on the contexts in which such narratives are used, encouraging us to think more carefully beyond storytelling as a comodity and introduced an ethical approach. This approach requires that personal narratives of marginalisation and suffering are not repackaged as integration and success stories, appealing to middle class western audiences and suiting institutional agendas of success<\/p>\n

The session ended by introducing Open University students’ narratives from students within the OU’s marginalised communities. For the first time, this included narratives from students who have withdawn from study. Withdrawals\u00a0<\/span>may appear<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>negatively on\u00a0<\/span>some\u00a0<\/span>institutional data.\u00a0<\/span>However,\u00a0<\/span>personal narratives provide\u00a0a rich qualitative picture of the complexity of\u00a0<\/span>this student<\/span>\u00a0experience<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before engaging with student narratives in your work, reflect on the following:<\/p>\n