Teaching Sensitive to Differences in Higher Education

Type of resource

Online resource / Teaching support website

Language

German

Field

Higher education teaching / University didactics

Target group

Lecturers and higher education teachers

Developed by

Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW
University of Basel
Gender Campus

Access

Link to resource

Higher education is often described as a space that values diversity and critical thinking, yet barriers and forms of discrimination continue to shape everyday teaching and learning. The website “Differenzsensible Lehre”, developed as part of the project of the same name, addresses these realities by making structural inequalities visible and supporting more inclusive and equitable teaching practices.

The resource invites educators to reflect on how differences and intersecting forms of inequality—such as gender, race, social background, disability, chronic illness, sexual orientation or age—are embedded in higher education contexts. Teaching is understood as being situated within institutional frameworks, including spatial conditions, legal structures and academic self-understandings. The website helps users explore these interconnections and translate reflection into practice.

Teaching sensitive to differences is approached through four key dimensions: language, knowledge canon and curriculum, the institution of higher education, and methodological-didactic design. Across the site, audio excerpts from conversations with lecturers and students provide insights into everyday teaching experiences, highlighting both challenges and spaces for action. Introductory texts, reflection questions and references to further materials encourage ongoing critical engagement. The resource is designed for use across disciplines and institutions, supporting self-study, collaborative reflection and concrete teaching practice.