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The Setting the Tone from the Start workshop and its associated resources are meant to support course instructors to intentionally design the start of their courses, including practices for before and during the first class session that help connect you to your students and build community. In August 2024, it was held as part of the CTLI's Semester Start-Up programming for MSU educators. We shared actionable strategies that lay the groundwork for an engaging and inclusive course experience from day one including items related to:

syllabi, expectation setting, and pedagogical transparency
checking in on learner needs throughout the term
building classroom community

We ended the workshop by completing individualized Action Plans where instructors listed their next steps (immediate, during the semester, and before next semester) framed as S.M.A.R.T. goals. You can adapt this Action Plan for a mid-semester context, as well as prepare for the next term.You can access the slide deck for this workshop here including links to many MSU resources for course instructors.A recording of the Fall 2023 version of this workshop, facilitated by Makena Neal and Ellie Louson, is available below.Feel free to reach out to CTLI Educational Developers Ellie Louson and/or Bethany Meadows (Inclusive Pedagogy Specialist), if you have any questions about Setting the Tone from the Start or these resources.Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Perry Fittrer, Jonglim Han, Christina Bridges, Dominique Devereaux
Abstract:
This session will present how three different student success programs maintained student sense of belonging and community in a virtual setting. The Detroit MADE Scholars, Dow STEM Scholars and TRIO Student Support Services programs are all cohort based student support programs housed within the Neighborhood Student Success Collaborative unit. Each program strives to close opportunity gaps for a variety of underserved student populations. Through the pandemic each program has utilized creative and unique forms of student engagement to keep students connected to MSU and program communities. This session will explore the importance of community, sense of belonging, and identity to student success while providing examples of program specific and collaborative efforts to provide these elements virtually.
Session Resources:
Developing and Sustaining Community-NSSC Path (PDF)

This post delves into inclusive classroom activities as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
What are some strategies for inclusive classroom activities? 
Classroom activities and interactions are where learners spend the most time with the educator. It is the space to build in trust, transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity. Some specific strategies include:

Build rapport with learners, as it is one of the most effective ways to make learners feel like they belong. There are many ways to build rapport, such as sending introductory emails, asking learners to introduce themselves, having asynchronous check-ins with learners, getting to know their interests and goals through one-on-one interactions, providing feedback that also centers praise, and having email check-ins with all learners throughout the semester.
Learn learners' names and pronouns (if they share) and how to pronounce their names correctly. Do not call roll on the first day, as learners’ names on the roster may not match the name they use. Encourage learners to also learn and use each other’s names and pronouns correctly.
Make connections of class sessions to the larger learning goals of the course, to the larger field, and to the world. 
Collaborate with learners to develop ground rules and norms
Anticipate subject matters that may need content warnings and incorporate pathways for learners to opt-out of content that would put them in a place they can no longer learn effectively
Deliver content through accessible principles and Universal Design for Learning. You may also want to consider incorporating breaks if your class session is long. 
Incorporate into classroom activities a range of diverse perspectives and thinking across race, nationality, language, disability, sexuality, gender, class, etc.. This representation should not be tokenizing but spread throughout the syllabus (i.e., not occur once to “check” a box; not present stereotypes; not be centered on a diversity month, such as Black authors in February only)
Structure discussions to include all learner voices, such as “take a queue, ask to hear from those who have not spoken, wait until several hands are raised to call on anyone, use think-pair-share activities” (University of Michigan).
Acknowledge difficult current events (but do not force learners to discuss them) and provide learners with resources if they want further support
Provide opportunities for learners to give feedback throughout the semester. For example, you may distribute an anonymous survey near mid-terms asking learners what they would like to continue, what they want to see changed, and any open questions/concerns they have. 
Refrain from making assumptions about learners, requiring learners have to speak on behalf of their identities, letting harmful comments by learners go unaddressed
If a challenging moment arises, use the P.A.L.S. method to address it in the moment and follow up with those harmed, as needed

How can I reflect on my classroom activities for inclusion? 
Some reflection questions to consider: 

How might the ways I set up classroom spaces and activities foster inclusion or disinclusion?
How do your own experiences, values, beliefs, and stereotypes influence the way you behave in the classroom?
How can I build rapport with my learners, and what impact do I think this has had on their sense of belonging?
How can I connect individual class sessions to the broader learning goals and real-world applications?
How can I involve learners in co-creating and upholding classroom ground rules, norms, and activities?
How can I prepare for and address potentially sensitive topics in my teaching?
How can I incorporate diverse perspectives into my syllabus and classroom activities in a way that is meaningful and not tokenizing?
What methods can I use to ensure all learner voices are heard and supported in classroom discussions?

Where can I learn more about inclusive classroom activities?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more: 

Columbia’s Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia
Harvard’s Teaching in Racially Diverse College Classrooms
Ohio University’s Building Rapport
University of Chicago’s Inclusive Pedagogy Strategies
University of Michigan’s Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Reflecting on Your Practice

Return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.

This post delves into inclusive syllabi as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Syllabi communicate required policies and information as designated by MSU and your department. They also communicate your values as an educator. They are one of the first documents learners refer to in the course thus meaning that centering equity, inclusion, and belonging in this course document is instrumental in setting and communicating values and norms to learners. 
In the following sections, I will overview strategies for inclusive syllabi (including a template you may use), reflections for your syllabus, and resources to learn more that also inspired some of this content. 
What are some strategies for inclusive syllabi? 
An example template for an inclusive syllabus can be copied, revised, and modified for your course. It includes annotations and example policies. 
Welcoming and Representative
A welcoming syllabus means it communicates care, support, and accessibility. A representative syllabus means that it recognizes the diversity of learners in a room and welcomes them as well as represents a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some strategies to implement this include: 

Refrain from demands and punishment-based language (e.g., “must comply,” “failure will…”). You may also want to use language that invites and supports rather than list rules/regulations. 
Revise to have a warm and encouraging tone throughout. For example, you can include welcome statements or introduction to you as a person (not just an academic educator). You can also use “we” rather than “you” language to lessen hierarchies of knowledge. 
Consider how course policies may cause barriers and build in flexibility, empathy, and understanding. For example, rigid attendance policies disproportionally affect disabled learners, parents and caretakers, and those working multiple jobs. Another example is that requiring only verbal participation may exclude those that don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of others or those that have different processing speeds.
Revise the syllabus to appeal to various learners and perspectives by incorporating Universal Design for Learning and accounting for differences in prior knowledge. You can also include plain language, diverse representations, and openness to feedback.
Create accessible documents and only use accessible materials within the course. You may learn more about accessible composing on iTeach and MSU’s D2L accessibility supports.
Consider what sections of your syllabus you may be able to co-create with learners
Communicate how inclusivity and equity will be centered in discussions, policies, etc.
Content in the syllabus (e.g., graphics, readings, assignments) should include a range of diverse perspectives and thinking across race, nationality, language, disability, sexuality, gender, class, etc.. This representation should not be tokenizing but spread throughout the syllabus (i.e., not occur once to “check” a box; not present stereotypes; not be centered on a diversity month, such as Black authors in February only)

Learner-Centered and Asset-Based
Creating an inclusive syllabus with a focus on learner-centered and asset-based strategies involves recognizing and valuing the diverse strengths and experiences learners bring to the classroom.

Frame content with confidence in the learners’ capabilities rather than framing the course as an almost impossible challenge.
Promote a growth mindset by emphasizing effort, learning from mistakes, and continuous improvement..
Use language that highlights learners' strengths, potential, and contributions rather than focusing on deficits or shortcomings.
Foster policies and assignments that value collaboration over competition.
Offer a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths, such as projects, presentations, written assignments, and creative work.
Allow for choice and flexibility in assignments to let learners approach tasks in ways that leverage their strengths.

Transparent
A transparent syllabus makes explicit connections that may be less clear for learners as well as clearly communicates expectations for learners. Some strategies include: 

Make language of the syllabus have limited academic jargon and instead use plain language
Make visible the implicit connections between course pieces. For example, answering for learners what connections there are between content, how that content is organized and related, and why it’s structured the way it is. 
Explain basic success information for the course, especially for learners who may not understand the hidden curriculum of college. For instance, this may include explaining what office hours are, how learners can get support from you, peers, and tutoring. It may also include providing resources to learners for financial aid, wellness, etc.
Articulate policies with your values and also the outcomes of what not aligning to that policy is. You can frame with a welcoming, but also transparent tone. An example includes, “I understand we all have complex lives outside of the course. While it is important for your learning to keep up with the deadlines as much as you can, let me know as soon as you’re able if an assignment’s deadline isn’t feasible, and we will come to a solution together. There is no grade penalty if you submit an assignment late; however, I will not give detailed feedback on late work.”

How can I reflect on my syllabus for inclusion? 
Some reflection questions for you as you write and/or revise your syllabus include: 

Does my syllabus use welcoming, supportive language without being punitive?
How does it communicate confidence in learners' abilities and promote a growth mindset?
How does my syllabus acknowledge and welcome diverse backgrounds and experiences?
Have I included diverse content (readings, graphics) representing various perspectives?
Do my policies consider potential barriers for different learner groups (e.g., attendance, participation)?
How have I incorporated flexibility, empathy, and understanding?
Have I offered a range of assessment types to cater to different strengths?
How do my assignments and policies value collaboration over competition?
Is the language free from academic jargon and easy to understand?
Have I clearly explained course content connections and basic success information (e.g., office hours, support)?
How have I made learners aware of available resources (e.g., financial aid, wellness)?
Do my policies reflect my values and clearly state consequences in a welcoming tone?
Have I provided clear examples of flexibility and support?

Where can I learn more about inclusive syllabi?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more: 

Brantmeier et al.’s Inclusion by Design: Survey Your Syllabus and Course Design
Center for Urban Education’s Equity-Minded Series on Syllabus Review
Columbia’s Designing an Inclusive Syllabus 
Indiana University Bloomington’s Inclusive and Equitable Syllabus
Ohio University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Academy
University of Michigan’s Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Reflecting on Your Practice

Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive assignments and assessments or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.

The first 48 minutes the professor spoke only in Telefolmin, a language from a remote tribe in Papua New Guinea, says Jay Loftus, curriculum development specialist who shared the story of his own experience as an undergraduate student listening to a lecture on defining culture from a professor of Anthropology. “He wouldn’t respond to questions in English, and he ignored pleas from the class to ‘explain’ what he was doing. He drew pictures on the board to try to explain things to the puzzled audience and pointed at people and objects to help us make sense of what was going on. During the last minute of the class, the professor said something to the effect that it must be disturbing not knowing the language or the culture of your surroundings.”
Such an experience is an almost perfect inversion of the inclusivity practices MSU faculty strive for. MSU’s inclusion ideal is wide-ranging; inclusion isn’t limited to identity or history, but the multi-dimensional layers that create unique individuals. Pedagogy isn’t written with formulas and checkboxes to ensure we’ve covered every facet of human experience. Inclusion is awareness of what we know and acknowledgement of what we don’t know. It’s the human side of the work, that when done well still has the risk of causing unintentional harm, and when ignored can impede a learner’s progress and ultimately student success. 
The Digital Pedagogy Lab (DPL) stresses the role that intentionality can play in mitigating negative impacts and empowering groups of learners often neglected by traditional approaches. The course Inclusive Design and Design Justice in Practice within the DPL uses the description, "Inclusive design is intentional and iterative design work aimed at supporting a range of human diversity. In education, inclusive design focuses on the creation of learning spaces and materials that support diverse learners and that help to counteract biased and exclusionary designs that pervade education.”
Those looking to center inclusivity in their pedagogy are not alone — a host of resources exists at the university to enable educators to bolster their inclusivity practices.
In the Classroom
“Every single person has their own lived experiences and truths that can be used to teach others,” said Jackie Heyman, director of the MSU Dialogues course. Student videos produced during an Integrative Studies in Social Science course highlight a few such perspectives. The “Free My Brothers” video by MSU student Naomi Johnson shares insights into the system of race and class that impact her family and many others. Dailin “James” Song provides a glimpse into “Garbage Sorting Guangzhou, China” and the change that resulted to the surrounding community. Anna Forest’s video entitled “The Blind Leading the Blind” discussed a world that so few people experience while educating them to better engage with the visually impaired population. 
A shift in focus to digital accessibility and the move to captions for video, as well as digital artifacts that can be read with a screen reader, has seen improved comprehension in overall classroom performance when made available to the entire class. As educators, there are expansive resources and ideas to implement in the classroom. Below are a few examples followed by a long list of additional resources.

Start with the “Cultural Embeddedness in Learning” assignment, recommended Dave Goodrich. This assignment pairs students with someone they do not know to interview each other using the StoryCorps app on their phones and a pre-selected set of questions. They tend to find the assignment helpful for building an inclusive community of learning together in the class early on. When we first ran it, we didn’t have it at the beginning of class which we quickly learned was a much better place for it. 
Use an intergroup dialogue model of sharing and learning to help students connect. 
Consider authors and researchers used in the curriculum to offer a variety of identities that may relate to students in different ways.
Bring DEI to the forefront in a project-based way, using technology to create a visual digital story. Eddie Boucher, Assistant Professor in the Center for Integrative Studies in Social Sciences and Hub Faculty Fellow, designed classes to complement the conversations and experiences 18-20-year-olds are already having, and to incorporate integrative studies and DEI into those experiences. 
Consider using open-format for final assessments. In Ellie Louson’s HPS classes at Lyman Briggs College, MSU, students can choose to write a standard paper or select from a variety of other formats: podcast, photo display, video, painting, presentation, or any other creative format where they can apply themes from the class and demonstrate what they’ve learned. In her experience, students enjoy and are more engaged by these projects, they’re more comfortable working in their preferred format, and they describe feeling much less pressure at the end of the term.

Resources

Academic Advancement Network resources on accessibility  
MSU Technology accessibility site 
Accessible Learning Conference 
Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives Anti-Racist Pathway resources 
MSU Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology Medium blog
General Education with a Twist article 
Student films from their perspectives 
#iteachmsu Commons articles

LEAD - Digital Access & Inclusion, a compilation of MSU policy and resources by Nate Evans 
Keeping Identity In Mind: A Teaching and Learning Story, playlist of articles by Maddie Shellgren 
Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Inclusive Curriculum Design, article by Melissa McDaniels 
Seven Tips Toward Linguistic Inclusion: article by Maddie Shellgren 
Accessibility Considerations in Remote Teaching, playlist posted by Makena Neal


NATIONAL




Learning for Change - We provide free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors, and other practitioners. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create inclusive school communities where children and youth are respected, valued, and welcome participants. 
SEISMIC - sustained multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary STEM education research and development collaboration. This collaboration is motivated by a clear-eyed, openly stated focus on equity and inclusion in large foundational courses as the central goal of the reform process, harnessing a higher level of collective passion from the students, faculty, staff, and administrators who participate. We will help to define a new standard for STEM reform projects: a class cannot be successful unless it is equitable and inclusive. 
NCFDD - National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity: an independent professional development, training, and mentoring community for faculty members, postdocs, and graduate students. We are 100% dedicated to supporting academics in making successful transitions throughout their careers. MSU has institutional access to the NCFDD that is available to educators. Learn more at AAN.

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Renata Opoczynski
Abstract:
While MSU has significantly improved its student success metrics (retention, graduation, credit momentum, probation rate, etc) over the last few years, large opportunity gaps still exist for many student sub-populations. The largest, and most stubborn opportunity gap on campus is for our Black students, and in particular our Black men. With MSU's recent creation of a DEI strategic plan, and student success as a focus area of the campus strategic plan, it is imperative MSU create a strategic focus on closing its opportunity gaps. This session discusses one such strategic focus area: the University Innovation Alliance (UIA)'s Black Student Success Initiative (BSSI) focus on closing access, retention, and completion opportunity gaps for Black students.
The BSSI has three focus areas: Diversity of Faculty and Leadership, Campus Climate, and Retention and Graduation. The results of a landscape analysis will be shared and participants will learn about the areas where MSU is succeeding in supporting Black students on campus and areas where we have room to improve. Participants will also learn about what other institutions are doing to support Black students and how we can incorporate lessons learned from those campuses at MSU. Finally, participants will learn about MSU's plan over the next three years to improve Black Student Success on campus and will be given the opportunity to provide feedback and identify ways to be engaged in the initiative.

Greetings Educators!Are you, do you, or have you ever - crossed paths with an international student or colleague at MSU? It is highly unlikely that your answer to these prompts would be "no" given the following information provided by the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS):
Since admitting its first international students in 1873, MSU has welcomed tens of thousands of international students and scholars to East Lansing. Today, MSU is home to over 9,000 international students, scholars, and their dependent family members from more than 140 countries. In addition to contributing to the academic and intercultural environment, international students also have a tremendous positive economic impact on the Greater Lansing area. Michigan State University's international students contribute $324.5 million to the local economy through spending on education, housing, dining, retail, transportation, telecommunications, and health care. This economic impact supports 4,675 jobs in the Greater Lansing area. Source: NAFSA International Student Economic Value Tool
Given the significant presence of international students and scholars and the depth of contributions they make in the Spartan community, it is crucial that you consider diversity, equity, and inclusion from a global perspective. For starters, check out the Michigan State University's own: James M. Lucas, Nicola Imbracsio, and Sheila Marquardt have shared an excellent resource on Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for educators entitled "Global DEI Models and Methods" (2021). You can access the PDF of this resource on iteach.msu.edu. You should also visit the Global and Intercultural Learning at MSU page for more information about internationalizing undergraduate experiences. To learn more about this topic, review the "Internationalizing the Student Experience: Working Group Report."You should also consider varying degrees of familiarity with spoken and written english. Every learner is unique in their exposure to and experience with english. For a guided asynchronous experience to help you think more on this topic, explore the "Teaching Multilingual Learners: An Introduction to Translingual Pedagogy" playlist! An additional resources is "Seven Tips Toward Linguistic Inclusion". Both of these resources were shared directly by other educators at MSU. Another MSU resource for linguistic inclusion is the English Language Center. You should, at a minimum, be aware of the services and programs they provide!More broadly speaking, there are other resources to help you think about inclusive teaching. A great place to start is MSU Libraries' Inclusive Teaching page. In partnership with the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education and the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, MSU librarians have developed this site to highlight research and resources focusing on inclusive teaching in the disciplines. The site is a work in progress. Librarians have begun gathering resources by carrying out preliminary searches in their subject areas and summarizing their findings and search processes. These lists are meant to serve as a starting point for faculty interested in looking into research on pedagogy and inclusion in their fields. A breadth of very insighful reasources (relevant to all) are shared in the "Trauma Informed Practice: Resources for Best Practices in the Classroom" article and site. Similarly, an important centeralized resource for all is MSU's Institutional Diversity and Inclusion office, that has developed a great foundational set of resources for Building Inclusive Communities. Some of these resources are also represented, along side many others, in the "Inclusive Teaching and Pedagogy" section of the "Expanded Educator Resources" playlist.Making big changes to your practice can seem overwhleming, but working toward a globally inclusive classroom is critical for the culture of MSU broadly and student success as a whole. You can take small steps to shifting the way you think about the design of your assignments (time based deadlines might not be that inclusive for individuals in time zones other than Eastern), your activities (whose perspectives are represented on your reading list), or even the your very first encounter with learners (a name is often core to one's identity, so correctly naming people is important [visit NameDrop for a free platform where anyone can share the correct pronunciation of their name])!Who will be globally inclusive in their teaching? Spartans will.Photo by Vladislav Klapin on Unsplash

D2L has implemented a variety of tools and methods to make course websites more accessible. Explore both Brightspace's resources and MSU's D2L support below.D2L’s Guides for Accessibility

d2l.com/accessibility
Accessibility Gateway
Accessibility Academy

MSU Resources on Making Accessible D2L Sites

D2L Help
MSU IT’s presentation Removing Barriers to Learning: Improve D2L Course Usability and Accessibility with Ally
Spartan Ally
Web Access’ D2L Accessibility Guide

This article is part of the Digital Accessibility Toolkit.