Journal of Information Systems Education (JISE)

Volume 33

Volume 33, Issue 1, Pages 61-74

Winter 2022


Learning Without Limits: Identifying the Barriers and Enablers to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in IS Education


Dinali Wijeratne
Denis Dennehy
Shivaun Quinlivan
Lucy-Ann Buckley
Cameron Keighron
Sharon Flynn

National University of Ireland Galway
Galway, Ireland

Abstract: Inclusion in Information Systems (IS) has received significant attention in recent years, but inclusion in IS curriculum design and delivery is comparatively underdeveloped. Understanding and working with diversity in IS student groups has implications for how we prepare students for a diverse workplace and the design and development of IS systems. Although progress has been made towards inclusive higher education, institutions have not transformed into multicultural diverse organizations. This paper showcases an initiative to apply principles of Universal Design in the particular context of an IS postgraduate programme in a leading Irish business school. This initiative is set within the context of two connected research projects seeking to identify barriers to inclusion experienced by students generally, and particularly by certain student groups, in the same school. The findings demonstrate the persistence of inclusion issues in higher education, including in IS, that Universal Design principles are effective in developing more inclusive teaching and learning practices, and that small actions can have a big impact in this regard. A set of key recommendations is provided; while not exhaustive, these contribute to the wider discourse on inclusion and offer practical suggestions to educators on the design and delivery of inclusive programmes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Keywords: Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, Information systems (IS), Curriculum design & development

Download This Article: JISE2022v33n1pp61-74.pdf


Recommended Citation: Wijeratne, D., Dennehy, D., Quinlivan, S., Buckley, L.-A., Keighron, C., & Flynn, S. (2022). Learning Without Limits: Identifying the Barriers and Enablers to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in IS Education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 33(1), 61-74.