Tackling Harassment and Sexual Misconduct (UK)

Tackling Harassment and Sexual Misconduct is a UK-wide training programme for staff and students in higher education, designed to promote institutional culture change and support compliance with the Office for Students’ Condition E6 (2025).

About the project

In 2025, changes to the law in England and Wales required higher education institutions to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed training on sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. This programme was developed to meet those regulatory requirements while also supporting meaningful, long-term culture change across institutions. The programme has since been adopted by institutions across the UK, and internationally, as part of their safeguarding, equality, and wellbeing strategies.

Date:

29 Jul 2025

Client:

Epigeum, SAGE Publications

A cartoon image of two groups of people in a university plaza.

Project Details

The course brought together academic experts, sector specialists, staff, students, and wellbeing organisations to create a holistic learning experience that not only aligned with OfS Condition E6, but went beyond to promote real-world institutional culture change. A key focus was ensuring the training was not only compliant, but genuinely engaging, accessible, and practical for a diverse higher education audience.

As learning designer, my role was to ensure the learning experience supported reflection, understanding, and behaviour change, while remaining appropriate for a sensitive and potentially challenging topic. I was responsible for shaping the pedagogical approach, defining learning outcomes, and structuring content to balance sensitivity, clarity, and impact. I worked closely with subject matter experts, student representatives, advocacy groups, and organisational leads to ensure the course reflected both regulatory expectations and the lived experiences of learners.

My contribution

As the learning designer, I was responsible for:

Overall pedagogy and learning structure
Designing the learner journey to ensure the course was clear, accessible, and meaningful for a wide range of learners. This included accommodating different learning preferences (reading, watching, listening, and doing), accessibility needs, and inclusive trauma-informed approaches to representation.
Content review and curriculum structure
Shaping what content was included and how it was sequenced.
Inclusive scenario and visual design
Working closely on the development of scenarios and imagery to ensure diversity and constructive representative across the course. A particular focus was placed on designing activities that actively brought men into the conversation, ensuring they felt recognised as learners and participants in culture change.
Project management
Managing budgets, commissioning artwork, coordinating with partners, and ensuring key milestones were met.
Editorial oversight
Editing and developing course content to ensure clarity, sensitivity, and consistency of tone.
Video interviews
Conducting and editing expert interviews to support learning and add depth to the course.