Using classroom charters to support inclusive learning: four approaches

Almost every university has codes of conduct and regulations for student behaviour. Yet these institutional documents do not always help to establish the specific classroom culture needed for inclusive learning. Co-authoring a classroom charter offers one way to do so.

Developed collaboratively by staff and students, classroom charters typically set out shared expectations around participation, communication, respectful disagreement and community-building. By helping staff and students articulate shared responsibilities, they build trust, engagement and accountability from the start of a course.

• ‘Think of inclusivity as the rule rather than the exception’
• Let’s frame preparation as an academic skill
• How to embed inclusion into the curriculum

Drawing on humanities practice, here are four approaches that can help you develop your own. These examples illustrate that the value of classroom charters lies in the conversations they generate rather than the document itself.

1. Use an activity-based charter to establish whole-class expectations

This model works well at the start of a module. Ask students to reflect on previous class experiences (seminars, workshops, lab sessions and so on) and identify what helped or hindered their learning in these situations. Gathering responses through Post‑it notes or a polling tool such as Mentimeter can encourage broad participation, especially from students who might be reluctant to speak in front of the class.

Collate the responses and distil them into five key principles. The following week, circulate a draft charter for feedback. Once the document has been agreed, publish the final version on the virtual learning environment (VLE) or distribute printed copies. Towards the end of the course, revisit the charter with students and evaluate how successfully the group has upheld its commitments.

2. Create a ‘climate for learning’ script

For discussion-based sessions, a less formal approach might be more effective. During the first seminar, ask students to brainstorm individually or collectively about what would help them feel safe, respected and intellectually challenged in class. Then, position yourself as a scribe and record their responses without comment or judgement. You can use a Word document displayed on the room’s screen for this or share your computer screen if teaching online.

Have students review the script, then group ideas by theme and identify anything missing or difficult to achieve. The script remains a live document for three weeks on a shared platform, such as the module’s VLE, with both staff and students commenting and suggesting revisions. This allows expectations to evolve as relationships develop and classroom dynamics become clearer. After the consultation period, the class reviews and agrees on the document.

3. ‘Ways of working together’ charters for group projects

Where modules involve students working in small groups or project teams, ask them to first work through the following questions together:

• What do you need to do your best work?
• What strengths can you offer to the group?
• What compromises might be required to work effectively together?

Students then produce a shared set of expectations for communication, workload, accountability and support within their study group, which are shared with their tutor for discussion in the next session. Reviewing these agreements later in the module can encourage valuable reflection on teamwork and professional skills development.

4. Embed charter-building in personal development tutorials

Classroom charters can also support students’ transition into higher education. As part of first-year academic tutorials, ask students to identify their expectations of themselves, their peers and their tutors, and then translate these into two or three specific responsibilities for each category.

For instance, a student might expect to become a confident seminar participant by the end of their first term, and identify preparation for class, active listening and asking questions during sessions as responsibilities that support this goal. Similarly, a neurodivergent student might expect accessible communication from their tutors and peers. This could translate into tutor responsibilities such as providing clear instructions and signposting support, alongside student responsibilities to communicate any learning needs and engage with appropriate support services.

In subsequent tutorials, tutors can then encourage students to refine these commitments using SMART targets, before collating their ideas into a shared learning contract that is revisited throughout their first year of study.

Because the contract is revisited over a series of tutorials, it becomes a developmental tool that helps students evaluate their progress, navigate unfamiliar learning environments and take increasing ownership of their learning.

Treat the process as the point

The real value of classroom charters lies less in the final document than in the process of co‑creating it. What fosters inclusive learning here is the structured conversation about expectations, belonging and participation that the process enables.

This process can support equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in two important ways. First, it makes implicit norms explicit. Students who are first generation, international, mature, commuting, neurodivergent or from under-represented backgrounds might not have the same familiarity with academic conventions as others. By making expectations visible, charters reduce reliance on hidden assumptions and cultural capital.

Second, classroom charters are particularly effective in seminars that discuss sensitive topics and useful in introducing issues of ethics, language, reclaimed terms, pronouns and freedom of speech. The goal is not avoiding potential conflict but rather creating conditions for respectful conversations and constructive disagreement.

However, charters are not a silver bullet. Real challenges must be acknowledged. Questions of representation remain: whose voices shape the charter and whose are absent? Staff should be prepared to address behaviour that conflicts with agreed expectations, clarify how respectful discussion relates to freedom of speech and recognise that co‑creation does not eliminate existing power dynamics. Finally, charter-building activities must remain manageable and sustainable for staff.

A classroom charter is not a document to be filed away after induction week. At its best, it is an ongoing conversation about how a learning community wants to work together. When students help shape those expectations, the result is often greater ownership, trust and engagement for everyone involved.

Elodie Duché is senior lecturer in history, and humanities EDI lead at York St John University.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.