Software developer Culture Shift has teamed up with equity and inclusion-focused micro-learning company GoodCourse to enable leaders in higher education to build safe and inclusive environments for students and staff.
Bullying, harassment, sexual assault and racism are pressing challenges within the higher education setting, with 1 in 20 students leaving education due to racial harassment and students being three times more likely to experience sexual assault than the rest of the adult population.
With institutions increasingly recognising their duty of care to students, this partnership aims to bring together the essential tools for education leaders to tackle these problems proactively.
Culture Shift’s online reporting platform gives organisations the insight they need to identify and respond to bullying, harassment and assault and has been proven to increase reporting by almost 300%, while GoodCourse enables organisations to deliver highly engaging content that looks and feels like the social media platforms that students use every day, covering courses on equity, inclusion, and safety topics such as consent.
Traditional approaches to changing culture and behaviours have been through workshops or traditional e-learning, which struggle with low attendance and completion rates. Reporting, in turn, has historically been mired in systemic problems, resulting in high incidences of inaction, leading to lack of trust among victims. Research shows that only one in 20 survivors of sexual assault would feel comfortable reporting their experience to their institution.
By bringing together these next generation technologies, universities will not only be able to identify and diagnose problem hotspots, they will also be able to drive behaviour change at scale throughout the year, ultimately reducing incidents.
“Both businesses share the vision that campuses should be safe spaces for students to be able to learn and have positive life experiences,” said Chris Mansfield, GoodCourse co-founder.
“Driving real progress on inclusion and student safety requires a wholly new and holistic approach that is proven to engage students on the issues and gives them confidence in their university – which is why we’re so excited to partner with Culture Shift.”
Gemma McCall, Culture Shift CEO, spoke at our recent event on the challenges of recruitment.
She added: “Despite the increased awareness of issues within universities, the statistics on harassment and sexual misconduct are still alarming.
“Our online reporting platform gives students a voice and arms leaders with the tools they need to take action, while GoodCourse’s approach to content and course delivery is a game-changer for highlighting and tackling the problems in a way that actually engages students and drives change.
“We believe this is a powerful and valuable proposition for universities and their students.”