Tracing the path to inclusion: lecturers’ perspectives on innovative and inclusive teaching methods

The fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) highlights the need to ensure universal access to quality education, recognising itscentral role in advancing other SDGs. Achieving this goal requires higher education to embrace inclusivity and innovation, equipping Affiliationids : Aff1, Correspondingaffiliationid : Aff1 Affiliationids : Aff1 Affiliationids : Aff1 Affiliationids : Aff1 students with the necessary skills for the dynamic labour market, while addressing inequalities and promoting gender equality. Despitethis, in Italy, certain aspects of university teaching are left to the discretion of individual lecturers. To address the challenges andopportunities of higher education, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted with lecturers at a major Italian university to explorelecturers’ personal feelings and experiences regarding the implementation of inclusive and innovative practices. The data were analysedthrough phenomenological descriptive analysis. The interviewees emphasised the need to enhance the interactivity of their teaching byincorporating innovative activities and methodologies. They highlighted both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations for this shift, notingthat innovative and inclusive teaching methods significantly impact student engagement and the overall educational process. Manyrespondents are willing to adapt their strategies, whether by adopting new methods, modifying existing ones, or broadening theirperspectives. In this process, training appears to be a fundamental factor as well as the availability of funding. Through this study, weaim to contribute valuable knowledge that can inform future efforts to improve the effectiveness and equity of higher education in Italy.