Inclusive study environments are highly prioritized at Aalborg University. A good, inclusive study environment is characterized by an equal, appreciative and respectful culture.
That is why there is a great focus on the onboarding of students, who become carriers of the good culture. All tutors have a common set of values, which is also the platform of a unified educational day for them. Their work helps new students feel appreciated at AAU, regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
AAU deliberately employs many female mentors, and several of the programmes work with specific objectives in order to create and maintain a diverse and good culture – for example, the Technical Faculty of IT and Design aims to ensure that the dropout rate among female students is not higher than that of male students. In addition to that, the programmes typically work with different group formation formats in order to blend Danish and international students, as well as female and male students. At AAU, there are also common guidelines for dealing with students’ experiences of abusive and offensive behaviour.
Inclusive study environments are also largely supported by the involvement of students. Therefore, AAU makes special communication efforts in relation to the students’ positions and choices for governing bodies and facilitates student-driven projects regarding the layout of the university’s physical environment.