We found 139 results that contain "diversity"
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Unpacking Problematic Language: Overview
This post provides an overview of problematic language as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Our language use is influenced by social and cultural factors. Those factors sometimes can make us unaware of the impact of our words. One way to prevent unintentional harm is to be more aware of inclusive language practices. However, inclusive language can be more than just avoiding offense or being “politically correct”; instead, it is a “communication style that is genuinely curious about how to talk to and about our fellow humans respectfully” (Acrolinx). Inclusive language use works to “honor the diverse identities of every person in the room and invites them to be part of the conversation” (Relias).
When we prioritize an inclusive language environment, everyone feels more welcome and learning is more able to take place. Within this, we do not want to shame people when they make a mistake, as that would also not be welcoming. Rather, we try to gently reframe their language use, such as through the P.A.L.S. method.
Many inclusive language guides exist to learn more about certain problematic terms and legacies:
MSU Brand Studio
MSU’s Gender and Sexuality Campus Center
MSU’s College of Natural Science Guide
University of Washington’s Information Technology
Pratt Institute Libraries’ article
Writer’s Inclusive language in the workplace guide
Language is a living entity that changes for building common and shared understandings. Boston University curates a Living Language Guide. As a note of caveat, sometimes people claim that certain phrases and words were more socially acceptable in the past, but it is important to note that, generally, language use that is problematic usually has a longer legacy of harm that was problematic—even in the past. It is up to us now to make ourselves and others more aware of the impact of that language. Similarly, sometimes people find it difficult to “keep up” with understanding language, and that can feel really difficult. To counteract that, educators can build in time to practice more inclusive phrases with trusted people. In addition, it’s important to remember that the more one can learn and better understand harmful legacies of terms, then the more belonging learners will feel.
Some reflection questions for educators to reflect on their language and intentionality, include:
How do I define and practice inclusive language in my classroom? How do I foster a classroom culture where inclusive language is encouraged among students?
What steps do I take to ensure my language includes all students, considering gender, race, ability, and additional identities? How intentional am I in using gender-neutral terms, pronouns, and respectful language? How do I incorporate diverse identities into my communication?
How do I ensure my language is respectful and accurate when discussing sensitive or identity-related topics?
How do I educate myself on terms related to various identities and groups? How can I stay informed and continuously adapt my language to reflect evolving societal and student needs?
How do I respond when non-inclusive language is pointed out, and how open am I to making changes?
What processes do I use to reflect on and improve intentional and inclusive language? How do I check for unintentional bias in my language and course materials?
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on Inclusive Syllabi or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Our language use is influenced by social and cultural factors. Those factors sometimes can make us unaware of the impact of our words. One way to prevent unintentional harm is to be more aware of inclusive language practices. However, inclusive language can be more than just avoiding offense or being “politically correct”; instead, it is a “communication style that is genuinely curious about how to talk to and about our fellow humans respectfully” (Acrolinx). Inclusive language use works to “honor the diverse identities of every person in the room and invites them to be part of the conversation” (Relias).
When we prioritize an inclusive language environment, everyone feels more welcome and learning is more able to take place. Within this, we do not want to shame people when they make a mistake, as that would also not be welcoming. Rather, we try to gently reframe their language use, such as through the P.A.L.S. method.
Many inclusive language guides exist to learn more about certain problematic terms and legacies:
MSU Brand Studio
MSU’s Gender and Sexuality Campus Center
MSU’s College of Natural Science Guide
University of Washington’s Information Technology
Pratt Institute Libraries’ article
Writer’s Inclusive language in the workplace guide
Language is a living entity that changes for building common and shared understandings. Boston University curates a Living Language Guide. As a note of caveat, sometimes people claim that certain phrases and words were more socially acceptable in the past, but it is important to note that, generally, language use that is problematic usually has a longer legacy of harm that was problematic—even in the past. It is up to us now to make ourselves and others more aware of the impact of that language. Similarly, sometimes people find it difficult to “keep up” with understanding language, and that can feel really difficult. To counteract that, educators can build in time to practice more inclusive phrases with trusted people. In addition, it’s important to remember that the more one can learn and better understand harmful legacies of terms, then the more belonging learners will feel.
Some reflection questions for educators to reflect on their language and intentionality, include:
How do I define and practice inclusive language in my classroom? How do I foster a classroom culture where inclusive language is encouraged among students?
What steps do I take to ensure my language includes all students, considering gender, race, ability, and additional identities? How intentional am I in using gender-neutral terms, pronouns, and respectful language? How do I incorporate diverse identities into my communication?
How do I ensure my language is respectful and accurate when discussing sensitive or identity-related topics?
How do I educate myself on terms related to various identities and groups? How can I stay informed and continuously adapt my language to reflect evolving societal and student needs?
How do I respond when non-inclusive language is pointed out, and how open am I to making changes?
What processes do I use to reflect on and improve intentional and inclusive language? How do I check for unintentional bias in my language and course materials?
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on Inclusive Syllabi or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Authored by:
Bethany Meadows
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Unpacking Problematic Language: Overview
This post provides an overview of problematic language as part of t...
Authored by:
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Monday, Sep 30, 2024
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Inclusive Syllabi
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.
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.
Authored by:
Bethany Meadows
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Inclusive Syllabi
This post delves into inclusive syllabi as part of the Inclusive Pe...
Authored by:
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Monday, Jul 29, 2024
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Spartan Studios Playkit: Co-Teaching
Co-TeachingThis is the second article in our iTeach.MSU playlist for the Spartan Studios Playkit.
Studios courses are interdisciplinary. Students and faculty benefit from interacting and collaborating with other disciplines. Working across disciplines is an opportunity for both discourse around your discipline’s approaches and methods as well as tensions between areas of expertise. It is helpful for students to be exposed to those conversations: it helps them not be siloed within their major and it reflects how they might serve on diverse teams in their career.
Interdisciplinary teaching comes with bureaucratic and logistical challenges for instructors. It’s important to engage your department leadership (chair, dean, ADTL) around the creation of a new course. Financial support and released time for new courses by units under resource constraints can be a challenge.
🔧Studies by the Spartan Studios project and other universities offering similar courses describe beneficial outcomes for students and faculty that might help motivate administrators. (see our Playkit Appendix, section 9).
Early Spartan Studios prototypes were taught as overload and supported by a stipend.
For sustainable courses, investigate whether a special topics course can be allocated as a co-taught experiential course with faculty and students from other majors.
Another option is the “bring your own students” model where each instructor teaches a course from their own teaching appointment (with its own course code) and brings students from that discipline into the collaborative course (see “Attracting Students to the Course” in our Planning article).
▶️Select your instructor team. Think about the faculty members or other disciplines that would be a good fit for the course you have in mind. Courses with 2-4 faculty work best. What skills or learning goals could other disciplines bring to the table? Think broadly: real-life challenges and wicked problems are multifaceted and can benefit from solutions incorporating communication, marketing, packaging, the natural, social, or applied sciences, humanities, etc.
▶️Set, share, and examine expectations. As you plan your course, discuss your expectations around workflow and shared responsibilities both around and within your teaching time. Be explicit and transparent with each other about your estimated availability for the course, as well as your expectations for classroom management, responsibilities for particular topics, and managing external partnerships. This can be codified in a co-teaching agreement or remain informal; either way, be sure to avoid making assumptions about teammates’ expectations that can lead to misunderstandings later in the course.
▶️Meet regularly with your teaching partners both before and during the course. It’s especially important to touch base throughout the course’s run to make adjustments based on how things are going. We call this meeting a scrum (originating in rugby, and also by teams in fields like software development). You can discuss upcoming needs, reflect on the past week’s events, and assign tasks. A short regular meeting helps you surface issues and make concrete plans better than emails back and forth.
▶️Consider the identities of your co-instructors and students. Think about the different axes of diversity in the classroom: diversity across student backgrounds and cultural experiences and diversity across disciplines
🔧Hub scrum template with prompt questions for weekly reflection and planning.
🔧MSU’s Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I) is a resource for interdisciplinary research and teaching.Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Studios courses are interdisciplinary. Students and faculty benefit from interacting and collaborating with other disciplines. Working across disciplines is an opportunity for both discourse around your discipline’s approaches and methods as well as tensions between areas of expertise. It is helpful for students to be exposed to those conversations: it helps them not be siloed within their major and it reflects how they might serve on diverse teams in their career.
Interdisciplinary teaching comes with bureaucratic and logistical challenges for instructors. It’s important to engage your department leadership (chair, dean, ADTL) around the creation of a new course. Financial support and released time for new courses by units under resource constraints can be a challenge.
🔧Studies by the Spartan Studios project and other universities offering similar courses describe beneficial outcomes for students and faculty that might help motivate administrators. (see our Playkit Appendix, section 9).
Early Spartan Studios prototypes were taught as overload and supported by a stipend.
For sustainable courses, investigate whether a special topics course can be allocated as a co-taught experiential course with faculty and students from other majors.
Another option is the “bring your own students” model where each instructor teaches a course from their own teaching appointment (with its own course code) and brings students from that discipline into the collaborative course (see “Attracting Students to the Course” in our Planning article).
▶️Select your instructor team. Think about the faculty members or other disciplines that would be a good fit for the course you have in mind. Courses with 2-4 faculty work best. What skills or learning goals could other disciplines bring to the table? Think broadly: real-life challenges and wicked problems are multifaceted and can benefit from solutions incorporating communication, marketing, packaging, the natural, social, or applied sciences, humanities, etc.
▶️Set, share, and examine expectations. As you plan your course, discuss your expectations around workflow and shared responsibilities both around and within your teaching time. Be explicit and transparent with each other about your estimated availability for the course, as well as your expectations for classroom management, responsibilities for particular topics, and managing external partnerships. This can be codified in a co-teaching agreement or remain informal; either way, be sure to avoid making assumptions about teammates’ expectations that can lead to misunderstandings later in the course.
▶️Meet regularly with your teaching partners both before and during the course. It’s especially important to touch base throughout the course’s run to make adjustments based on how things are going. We call this meeting a scrum (originating in rugby, and also by teams in fields like software development). You can discuss upcoming needs, reflect on the past week’s events, and assign tasks. A short regular meeting helps you surface issues and make concrete plans better than emails back and forth.
▶️Consider the identities of your co-instructors and students. Think about the different axes of diversity in the classroom: diversity across student backgrounds and cultural experiences and diversity across disciplines
🔧Hub scrum template with prompt questions for weekly reflection and planning.
🔧MSU’s Center for Interdisciplinarity (C4I) is a resource for interdisciplinary research and teaching.Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Authored by:
Ellie Louson
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Spartan Studios Playkit: Co-Teaching
Co-TeachingThis is the second article in our iTeach.MSU playlist fo...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, Jun 21, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Why Won't They Talk? Building an Inclusive (and even, on-line) Classroom for Multilingual Learners
Topic Area: Information Session
Presented By: Joyce Meier
Abstract:
Our international/multilingual students face unique challenges: not only differences in language and academic cultures, but also time differences, online communication blocks, visa issues, and the recent toxic nationalist movement in the U.S. Yet we need the diverse views that such students contribute. How can we ensure that these students feel welcome and included in our courses, even when the courses are on-line, and the students studying from 12 hours away? How can we encourage our multilingual students to participate more, both synchronously and asynchronously? What can we do to minimize any possible communicative gaps? How might our courses be reframed from a translingual perspective, so that the students’ languages and cultures are seen as assets that contribute to rather than detract from the course learning goals? Supported by a Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant, and winner of a Research-in-Progress Award at the recent Diversity Showcase, our team of three undergraduates, as mentored by two faculty, has produced a video examining these challenges ‘from the inside out.’ Surfacing the students’ concerns, our faculty workshop uses this video as a starting point to name challenges faced by these diverse learners, and for collaboratively inviting participants to propose solutions that work within their own teaching contexts.
Presented By: Joyce Meier
Abstract:
Our international/multilingual students face unique challenges: not only differences in language and academic cultures, but also time differences, online communication blocks, visa issues, and the recent toxic nationalist movement in the U.S. Yet we need the diverse views that such students contribute. How can we ensure that these students feel welcome and included in our courses, even when the courses are on-line, and the students studying from 12 hours away? How can we encourage our multilingual students to participate more, both synchronously and asynchronously? What can we do to minimize any possible communicative gaps? How might our courses be reframed from a translingual perspective, so that the students’ languages and cultures are seen as assets that contribute to rather than detract from the course learning goals? Supported by a Creating Inclusive Excellence Grant, and winner of a Research-in-Progress Award at the recent Diversity Showcase, our team of three undergraduates, as mentored by two faculty, has produced a video examining these challenges ‘from the inside out.’ Surfacing the students’ concerns, our faculty workshop uses this video as a starting point to name challenges faced by these diverse learners, and for collaboratively inviting participants to propose solutions that work within their own teaching contexts.
Authored by:
Joyce Meier
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Why Won't They Talk? Building an Inclusive (and even, on-line) Classroom for Multilingual Learners
Topic Area: Information Session
Presented By: Joyce Meier
Abst...
Presented By: Joyce Meier
Abst...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Monday, May 3, 2021
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Spartan Studios: Coaching
CoachingThis is the sixth article in our iTeach.MSU playlist for the Spartan Studios Playkit.
Students need opportunities to try new things and to not be afraid of taking risks or making mistakes, as we introduced in the “Relationships” section of the GORP article earlier in the playlist. To encourage this, spend more of your energy being their coach and less time in the role of their instructor. Be a partner in their learning. This involves supporting their work and giving advice, but not jumping in to solve their problems. Be strategic about when to intervene if things do go wrong. They need to trust that they won’t be penalized for failure; encourage students to learn and try new things. Focus on their planning, progress, teamwork, and reflection.
▶️Flatten your learning environment. Students bring valuable skills and knowledge to the classroom. Physically sit with them at their level - not standing above them or “sage on the stage.” Learn from and with the students: admit knowledge gaps and allow students to fill them, and emulate a professional working relationship with them. Students may not be accustomed to being treated as your partner. Show students that they have control over their work by giving them options within the course structure, asking questions instead of giving answers, openly acknowledging when they own the problem space, and modeling professional discourse within the faculty team.
Coaching Student Teams
▶️Consider evidence-based team creation
Build teams around projects or sub-projects
Try to create interdisciplinary student teams, made up of students from different academic backgrounds/majors/departments
🔧A personality quiz can be offered to gauge student personality types in terms of how they behave as a part of a team, work/leadership styles, etc. Examples include https://superpowers.sypartners.com or https://www.mint-hr.com/smalley-trent.html
▶️Support teams in managing their own work processes and relationships. Judge when to leave students to solve their own team conflicts instead of stepping in. For example, if a student team is having difficulty focusing and making progress, a faculty coach sits down with the entire team and encourages an honest conversation about why the team thinks this is; encourage them to think of solutions to this problem. Facilitate discussion on how students can solve their problem within a team, rather than disciplining students yourself or offering/insisting on a solution.
Help teams avoid falling into traditional hierarchies or uneven power structures within their teams (eg. Are women expected to take notes? Who leads or speaks for the team?)
🔧Example of gendered task division in physics lab courses and its effects
▶️Ensure teams are aware of and actively appreciate the value of diverse perspectives.
Facilitate teams’ acknowledging the intersectional identities of group members and leverage these intersections when creating strategies of work and developings solutions to the problems each team works on
Prompt the students to consider all perspectives and intersections of society that are affected by the problems the students are working on, and reinforce this throughout the course. Wicked problems are multifaceted and often affect many different groups of people in different ways. Effective designs for solutions to these problems depend on understanding the real needs of diverse audiences and users who will be interacting with those solutions.
🔧These Inclusive Teaching Strategies from Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning can support your own development as an educator creating inclusive learning environments. There are more resources for diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential courses in our Appendix.
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
Students need opportunities to try new things and to not be afraid of taking risks or making mistakes, as we introduced in the “Relationships” section of the GORP article earlier in the playlist. To encourage this, spend more of your energy being their coach and less time in the role of their instructor. Be a partner in their learning. This involves supporting their work and giving advice, but not jumping in to solve their problems. Be strategic about when to intervene if things do go wrong. They need to trust that they won’t be penalized for failure; encourage students to learn and try new things. Focus on their planning, progress, teamwork, and reflection.
▶️Flatten your learning environment. Students bring valuable skills and knowledge to the classroom. Physically sit with them at their level - not standing above them or “sage on the stage.” Learn from and with the students: admit knowledge gaps and allow students to fill them, and emulate a professional working relationship with them. Students may not be accustomed to being treated as your partner. Show students that they have control over their work by giving them options within the course structure, asking questions instead of giving answers, openly acknowledging when they own the problem space, and modeling professional discourse within the faculty team.
Coaching Student Teams
▶️Consider evidence-based team creation
Build teams around projects or sub-projects
Try to create interdisciplinary student teams, made up of students from different academic backgrounds/majors/departments
🔧A personality quiz can be offered to gauge student personality types in terms of how they behave as a part of a team, work/leadership styles, etc. Examples include https://superpowers.sypartners.com or https://www.mint-hr.com/smalley-trent.html
▶️Support teams in managing their own work processes and relationships. Judge when to leave students to solve their own team conflicts instead of stepping in. For example, if a student team is having difficulty focusing and making progress, a faculty coach sits down with the entire team and encourages an honest conversation about why the team thinks this is; encourage them to think of solutions to this problem. Facilitate discussion on how students can solve their problem within a team, rather than disciplining students yourself or offering/insisting on a solution.
Help teams avoid falling into traditional hierarchies or uneven power structures within their teams (eg. Are women expected to take notes? Who leads or speaks for the team?)
🔧Example of gendered task division in physics lab courses and its effects
▶️Ensure teams are aware of and actively appreciate the value of diverse perspectives.
Facilitate teams’ acknowledging the intersectional identities of group members and leverage these intersections when creating strategies of work and developings solutions to the problems each team works on
Prompt the students to consider all perspectives and intersections of society that are affected by the problems the students are working on, and reinforce this throughout the course. Wicked problems are multifaceted and often affect many different groups of people in different ways. Effective designs for solutions to these problems depend on understanding the real needs of diverse audiences and users who will be interacting with those solutions.
🔧These Inclusive Teaching Strategies from Yale’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning can support your own development as an educator creating inclusive learning environments. There are more resources for diversity, equity, and inclusion in experiential courses in our Appendix.
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash
Authored by:
Ellie Louson
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Spartan Studios: Coaching
CoachingThis is the sixth article in our iTeach.MSU playlist for th...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Tuesday, Jun 22, 2021
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Inclusive Assignments and Assessments
This post delves into inclusive assignments and assessment as part of the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
What are some strategies for inclusive assignments and assessments?
The assignments you give and how you assess them can work to be inclusive to all learners. Equitable assignments take into consideration how to help all learners succeed by incorporating flexibility, scaffolded learning, clarity, and inclusive assessment. Some specific strategies include:
Connect assignments to the course learning outcomes
Scaffold assignments to not only begin with low-stakes before moving to higher-stakes assignments, but also allow for practice, feedback, and revision
Design assignments that are authentic to the practical skills and norms that learners will need once they graduate
Allow for learners to bring in their cultural and lived experiences as well as incorporate examples and materials from diverse perspectives and authors. For instance, if you use case studies, these should include diverse perspectives and identities
Incorporate flexibility in options for learners to engage and compose in multiple means (e.g., essays, presentations, projects, audio, visual)
Develop Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) where you have clear, well-structured assignments and assessments
Provide assignment instructions in writing and verbally
Use inclusive and non-binary language in assignments and assessments and remove any problematic language
Consider the equity issues that arise when using proctoring and potential alternatives
If using tests, quizzes, or exams, provide ample time for it to be completed and account for learners’ testing anxiety by previewing exactly the realms they should study for
If using a rubric, share it ahead of time and answer questions learners may have on how you will asses it
Provide feedback throughout the assignment process and once their final submission is in that helps learners understand what they did well and areas to improve in
Consider assessing work in D2L’s anonymous mode to reduce implicit bias
Assess learners’ work when you are in a space to provide equitable and kind feedback and grades. For instance, if you have had a really bad day, your grading may be unconsciously harsher
How can I reflect on my assignments and assessments for inclusion?
Some reflection questions for thinking about inclusion in your assignments and assessments include:
How well do my assignments connect to the course learning outcomes, and how can I communicate this to learners?
How do I structure assignments to provide low-stakes tasks, practice, feedback, and revision opportunities before high-stakes assignments?
How do my assignments reflect practical skills and norms relevant to learners' future careers, and how can they be made more authentic?
How can I incorporate learners' cultural and lived experiences into assignments, and how diverse are the perspectives and examples I use?
What options do I offer for assignment completion (e.g., essays, presentations), and how can I expand these to better meet learner needs?
How clear and well-structured are my assignments for a learner perspective, and what feedback have I received from learners about this?
Do I provide assignment instructions in both written and verbal formats to ensure understanding?
How inclusive is the language in my assignments, and how can I improve it?
What equity issues might arise from proctoring tools, and what alternatives can I consider? How do I allocate time for tests and help learners manage testing anxiety and preparation?
How can I share grading criteria ahead of time and provide feedback that helps learners understand their strengths and areas for improvement?
How can I ensure I am in a positive and equitable mindset when grading, and what strategies do I use for providing constructive feedback?
Where can I learn more about inclusive assignments and assessments?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more:
Columbia’s Assessing Equitably with All Learners in Mind
Denver’s Inclusive Assessment
Indiana University Bloomington’s Equitable Assignment Design
Indiana University Bloomington’s Proctoring and Equity
New York University’s Inclusive Curriculum Design and Assessment Practices
Reinert Center’s Creating Inclusive Course Assignments
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive classroom activities or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
What are some strategies for inclusive assignments and assessments?
The assignments you give and how you assess them can work to be inclusive to all learners. Equitable assignments take into consideration how to help all learners succeed by incorporating flexibility, scaffolded learning, clarity, and inclusive assessment. Some specific strategies include:
Connect assignments to the course learning outcomes
Scaffold assignments to not only begin with low-stakes before moving to higher-stakes assignments, but also allow for practice, feedback, and revision
Design assignments that are authentic to the practical skills and norms that learners will need once they graduate
Allow for learners to bring in their cultural and lived experiences as well as incorporate examples and materials from diverse perspectives and authors. For instance, if you use case studies, these should include diverse perspectives and identities
Incorporate flexibility in options for learners to engage and compose in multiple means (e.g., essays, presentations, projects, audio, visual)
Develop Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) where you have clear, well-structured assignments and assessments
Provide assignment instructions in writing and verbally
Use inclusive and non-binary language in assignments and assessments and remove any problematic language
Consider the equity issues that arise when using proctoring and potential alternatives
If using tests, quizzes, or exams, provide ample time for it to be completed and account for learners’ testing anxiety by previewing exactly the realms they should study for
If using a rubric, share it ahead of time and answer questions learners may have on how you will asses it
Provide feedback throughout the assignment process and once their final submission is in that helps learners understand what they did well and areas to improve in
Consider assessing work in D2L’s anonymous mode to reduce implicit bias
Assess learners’ work when you are in a space to provide equitable and kind feedback and grades. For instance, if you have had a really bad day, your grading may be unconsciously harsher
How can I reflect on my assignments and assessments for inclusion?
Some reflection questions for thinking about inclusion in your assignments and assessments include:
How well do my assignments connect to the course learning outcomes, and how can I communicate this to learners?
How do I structure assignments to provide low-stakes tasks, practice, feedback, and revision opportunities before high-stakes assignments?
How do my assignments reflect practical skills and norms relevant to learners' future careers, and how can they be made more authentic?
How can I incorporate learners' cultural and lived experiences into assignments, and how diverse are the perspectives and examples I use?
What options do I offer for assignment completion (e.g., essays, presentations), and how can I expand these to better meet learner needs?
How clear and well-structured are my assignments for a learner perspective, and what feedback have I received from learners about this?
Do I provide assignment instructions in both written and verbal formats to ensure understanding?
How inclusive is the language in my assignments, and how can I improve it?
What equity issues might arise from proctoring tools, and what alternatives can I consider? How do I allocate time for tests and help learners manage testing anxiety and preparation?
How can I share grading criteria ahead of time and provide feedback that helps learners understand their strengths and areas for improvement?
How can I ensure I am in a positive and equitable mindset when grading, and what strategies do I use for providing constructive feedback?
Where can I learn more about inclusive assignments and assessments?
The resources below informed this article’s content. They are also great resources for learning more:
Columbia’s Assessing Equitably with All Learners in Mind
Denver’s Inclusive Assessment
Indiana University Bloomington’s Equitable Assignment Design
Indiana University Bloomington’s Proctoring and Equity
New York University’s Inclusive Curriculum Design and Assessment Practices
Reinert Center’s Creating Inclusive Course Assignments
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article on inclusive classroom activities or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.
Authored by:
Bethany Meadows
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Inclusive Assignments and Assessments
This post delves into inclusive assignments and assessment as part ...
Authored by:
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Monday, Jul 29, 2024
Posted on: #iteachmsu
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Course Content: What makes the cut
There are a variety of considerations when it comes to course content. Now, if you’re close to the start of the semester, it is likely that you have already chosen (and submitted to the Registrar Office) your textbook and/or required materials for student purchase. Please consider the following when selecting your supplemental course content (additional materials, case studies, scenarios, etc.)... and for your primary texts next term.
Diversifying voice - who is represented?
“Does your syllabus demonstrate to students that everyone has a place in your field of study? … Pedagogically, we might find it challenging to create a sense of belonging in a course when some students cannot imagine themselves as part of the community of scholarship and practice” (Marcella Addy et al., 2021, p. 52). Wow, that statement is really powerful, especially considering some recent scholarship. Schucan Bird and Pitman (2020) found, after an analysis of reading lists, that the reading lists did not represent the diverse local student body but came closer to representing the demographic profile of academic staff (dominated by white, male, and Eurocentric authors). Despite challenges across disciplines and settings, educators should make every effort to center students in their course design and make course materials a descriptive representation of the student body itself (Schucan Bird & Pitman, 2020). This shift can include showcasing the contributions of marginalized groups (Blackburn, 2017) with greater representation of perspectives, histories and approaches of scholars (Le Grange, 2016), along with adopting efforts to decolonialize teaching and learning (Phillips & Archer-Lean 2018).
Looking for ways to get started? Colleagues at Tufts University Libraries (according to this Inside Higher Ed article) have noted that diversifying your course materials to include content about and by marginalized scholars (groups whose characteristics result in the systematic denial of equal rights and opportunities within a community or society including but not limited to race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation) helps to “foster an environment that includes knowledge that has been systematically excluded from academia.” You might…
Considering diverse authorship of readings (ethnicity, gender, geographic location)
Inviting guest speakers who bring different perspectives
Using diverse audio and visual materials, such as films, interviews and TED talks
Incorporating readings that challenge standard approaches
Using primary research with authorship that reflects local collaborators
Offering multiple perspectives in assigned readings and letting students choose what to read or discuss at times.
Faculty members “can identify resources that highlight historically underrepresented researchers and activists in our fields,” she suggests. “We can include statements and topics in syllabi to decode our courses, structures and expectations. We can work to decolonize the power dynamics of our classrooms so what students already know and experience is also seen as a valuable contribution to the learning environment,” said Bridget Trogden (presently serving as Dean of Undergraduate Education at American University). Improving diversity and inclusion of voices in educational materials isn’t necessarily difficult, educators just need to be intentional. Fuentes et al. (2021) go beyond centering authors of mariginalized backgrounds, and recommend educators transparently acknowledge their intentional material selections. The example they provide in their article Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is, "The following text/articles for the course have been chosen in efforts to highlight the important work of historically underrepresented and marginalized scholars in the field" (Fuentes et al., 2021, p.75).
“The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association. If data supports diversifying reading may boost a student’s development and well-being, WHILE ALSO increasing a sense of belonging and breaking down barriers to collegiate success… what reasons do we have not to reimagine our course materials?
Accessibility of digital content
The experts at MSU IT who manage the Digital Accessibility page recommend that educators ask the following questions before adopting digital content (adapted with permission from UC-Boulder’s Digital Accessibility Program):
Ask for Publisher Information: Contact the publisher to ask them for details about the accessibility of your particular textbook and/or digital content. This should include all known accessibility issues, any workarounds that the student can use, a named point of contact, and any guidance on how to ensure any content you create within the platform is accessible.
Review your Assessments: If you use digital online quizzes, ask the publisher for a list of quiz question types that are accessible. Review your own quiz content to ensure that none of your questions rely on drag-and-drop actions, images without alt text, or other inaccessible mechanisms.
Consult with Digital Accessibility Specialists: Contact your local Accessibility Policy Liaison for support and reach out to the MSU IT Digital Experience (DigitalX) team for help evaluating your digital content at webaccess@msu.edu or call the IT Help Desk at 517-432-6200.
Notify your Students: If the digital content (including texts, assignments, tests, or online homework systems) used in your course are not fully accessible, please notify your students in your syllabus with the following statement: “This course requires the use of [name of software or service], which is currently not accessible. Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities, with documentation from the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, may be requested by contacting [insert Professor name or "me"] at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. For questions, contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517.884.7273”
For more information on Digital Accessibility check out the “Course Accessibility: Commitments, Support, and Resources” article, visit the Accessibility Evaluation Questions for Digital Content page, or contact your college/department’s Web Accessibility Policy Liaison.
Cost as a barrier to access
Buying school materials can cost a lot, creating a barrier for students and impacting their collegiate success. Taking measures to curtail expenses on mandatory learning resources is not only a stride towards rendering college more cost-effective and attainable but also promotes equity. Embedding no-cost course materials into a syllabus provides the avenue to diminish financial burdens on students, foster more inclusive access to education, and enables the repurposing, blending, and creation of course content specifically tailored to each class. According to MSU Libraries Open Educational Resources (OER) Program, OER are “teaching, learning, and research resources that are copyright-free (public domain) or have been released under an open license that permits others to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute them. Examples of OER include open textbooks, videos, images, course modules, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, games, simulations, and other resources contained in digital media collections from around the world.”
Diversifying Course Materials: A How-To Guide on Inside Higher Ed (previously linked) shared four additional considerations for instructors when considering their course materials.
Accessibility, affordability and adaptation
Relatability and reflection
Clarity and intentionality
Alternative perspectives
Read more about each of these four considerations at the link above and check out the resources below for more in depth from authors cited throughout this article.
Resources
Marcella Addy, Dube, Mitchell & SoRelle (2021) What Inclusive Instructors Do. Stylus Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003448655
Schucan Bird, K. & Pitman, L. (2020) How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK. Higher Education, 79, 903–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9.
Le Grange, L. (2016). Decolonising the university curriculum. South African Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.20853/30-2-709.
Blackburn, H. (2017). The status of women in STEM in higher education: a review of the literature 2007–2017. Science & Technology Libraries. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2017.1371658.
Phillips, S. R., & Archer-Lean, C. (2018). Decolonising the reading of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing: reflection as transformative practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1539956.
Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
Diversifying voice - who is represented?
“Does your syllabus demonstrate to students that everyone has a place in your field of study? … Pedagogically, we might find it challenging to create a sense of belonging in a course when some students cannot imagine themselves as part of the community of scholarship and practice” (Marcella Addy et al., 2021, p. 52). Wow, that statement is really powerful, especially considering some recent scholarship. Schucan Bird and Pitman (2020) found, after an analysis of reading lists, that the reading lists did not represent the diverse local student body but came closer to representing the demographic profile of academic staff (dominated by white, male, and Eurocentric authors). Despite challenges across disciplines and settings, educators should make every effort to center students in their course design and make course materials a descriptive representation of the student body itself (Schucan Bird & Pitman, 2020). This shift can include showcasing the contributions of marginalized groups (Blackburn, 2017) with greater representation of perspectives, histories and approaches of scholars (Le Grange, 2016), along with adopting efforts to decolonialize teaching and learning (Phillips & Archer-Lean 2018).
Looking for ways to get started? Colleagues at Tufts University Libraries (according to this Inside Higher Ed article) have noted that diversifying your course materials to include content about and by marginalized scholars (groups whose characteristics result in the systematic denial of equal rights and opportunities within a community or society including but not limited to race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation) helps to “foster an environment that includes knowledge that has been systematically excluded from academia.” You might…
Considering diverse authorship of readings (ethnicity, gender, geographic location)
Inviting guest speakers who bring different perspectives
Using diverse audio and visual materials, such as films, interviews and TED talks
Incorporating readings that challenge standard approaches
Using primary research with authorship that reflects local collaborators
Offering multiple perspectives in assigned readings and letting students choose what to read or discuss at times.
Faculty members “can identify resources that highlight historically underrepresented researchers and activists in our fields,” she suggests. “We can include statements and topics in syllabi to decode our courses, structures and expectations. We can work to decolonize the power dynamics of our classrooms so what students already know and experience is also seen as a valuable contribution to the learning environment,” said Bridget Trogden (presently serving as Dean of Undergraduate Education at American University). Improving diversity and inclusion of voices in educational materials isn’t necessarily difficult, educators just need to be intentional. Fuentes et al. (2021) go beyond centering authors of mariginalized backgrounds, and recommend educators transparently acknowledge their intentional material selections. The example they provide in their article Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is, "The following text/articles for the course have been chosen in efforts to highlight the important work of historically underrepresented and marginalized scholars in the field" (Fuentes et al., 2021, p.75).
“The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association. If data supports diversifying reading may boost a student’s development and well-being, WHILE ALSO increasing a sense of belonging and breaking down barriers to collegiate success… what reasons do we have not to reimagine our course materials?
Accessibility of digital content
The experts at MSU IT who manage the Digital Accessibility page recommend that educators ask the following questions before adopting digital content (adapted with permission from UC-Boulder’s Digital Accessibility Program):
Ask for Publisher Information: Contact the publisher to ask them for details about the accessibility of your particular textbook and/or digital content. This should include all known accessibility issues, any workarounds that the student can use, a named point of contact, and any guidance on how to ensure any content you create within the platform is accessible.
Review your Assessments: If you use digital online quizzes, ask the publisher for a list of quiz question types that are accessible. Review your own quiz content to ensure that none of your questions rely on drag-and-drop actions, images without alt text, or other inaccessible mechanisms.
Consult with Digital Accessibility Specialists: Contact your local Accessibility Policy Liaison for support and reach out to the MSU IT Digital Experience (DigitalX) team for help evaluating your digital content at webaccess@msu.edu or call the IT Help Desk at 517-432-6200.
Notify your Students: If the digital content (including texts, assignments, tests, or online homework systems) used in your course are not fully accessible, please notify your students in your syllabus with the following statement: “This course requires the use of [name of software or service], which is currently not accessible. Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities, with documentation from the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, may be requested by contacting [insert Professor name or "me"] at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. For questions, contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517.884.7273”
For more information on Digital Accessibility check out the “Course Accessibility: Commitments, Support, and Resources” article, visit the Accessibility Evaluation Questions for Digital Content page, or contact your college/department’s Web Accessibility Policy Liaison.
Cost as a barrier to access
Buying school materials can cost a lot, creating a barrier for students and impacting their collegiate success. Taking measures to curtail expenses on mandatory learning resources is not only a stride towards rendering college more cost-effective and attainable but also promotes equity. Embedding no-cost course materials into a syllabus provides the avenue to diminish financial burdens on students, foster more inclusive access to education, and enables the repurposing, blending, and creation of course content specifically tailored to each class. According to MSU Libraries Open Educational Resources (OER) Program, OER are “teaching, learning, and research resources that are copyright-free (public domain) or have been released under an open license that permits others to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute them. Examples of OER include open textbooks, videos, images, course modules, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, games, simulations, and other resources contained in digital media collections from around the world.”
Diversifying Course Materials: A How-To Guide on Inside Higher Ed (previously linked) shared four additional considerations for instructors when considering their course materials.
Accessibility, affordability and adaptation
Relatability and reflection
Clarity and intentionality
Alternative perspectives
Read more about each of these four considerations at the link above and check out the resources below for more in depth from authors cited throughout this article.
Resources
Marcella Addy, Dube, Mitchell & SoRelle (2021) What Inclusive Instructors Do. Stylus Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003448655
Schucan Bird, K. & Pitman, L. (2020) How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK. Higher Education, 79, 903–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9.
Le Grange, L. (2016). Decolonising the university curriculum. South African Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.20853/30-2-709.
Blackburn, H. (2017). The status of women in STEM in higher education: a review of the literature 2007–2017. Science & Technology Libraries. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2017.1371658.
Phillips, S. R., & Archer-Lean, C. (2018). Decolonising the reading of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing: reflection as transformative practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1539956.
Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979
Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash
Authored by:
Makena Neal
Posted on: #iteachmsu
Course Content: What makes the cut
There are a variety of considerations when it comes to course conte...
Authored by:
PEDAGOGICAL DESIGN
Friday, Feb 2, 2024
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Inclusive Classroom Activities
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.
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.
Authored by:
Bethany Meadows
Posted on: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Inclusive Classroom Activities
This post delves into inclusive classroom activities as part of the...
Authored by:
JUSTICE AND BELONGING
Monday, Jul 29, 2024