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Here is a recording of the Spartan SELC's demonstration at the 2024 Spring Conference on Teaching & Learning. "The Spartan SELC: Demonstrating a new resource for data-driven equity in introductory STEM courses" was presented on April 19th by members of the MSU STEM Equity Learning Community. The SELC project is a multi-institiution, NSF-funded initiative of the SEISMIC Collaboration. We are excited to move into the next phase of this work, which involved thoughtfully creating opportunities and/or trainings for educators and units to access and learn from these data visualizations of equity measures in MSU courses.The slides from this presentation can be accessed here.For further reading, see this exploration of the impact of systemic advantages on STEM grades and grade anomalies at multiple institutions in this SEISMIC paper:
Castle, S.D., Byrd, W.C., Koester, B.P. et al. Systemic advantage has a meaningful relationship with grade outcomes in students’ early STEM courses at six research universities. IJ STEM Ed 11, 14 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-024-00474-7
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please reach out to Ellie Louson lousonel@msu.edu in the CTLI.

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.

Learning Objectives

Define a transparent Purpose
Describe the importance of the “purpose” section and its relation to motivation and engagement.
Identify whether the transparency of a purpose statement is weak or strong

Introduction
This is part 2 of a 5 part series of articles on Transparent Assignment Design (Part 1: TAD). The first component of the Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) framework has to do with the Purpose. The purpose explains “the why” to the learner. 
The Significance of Transparency in Purpose
"Why am I learning this?" "What is the point of this?" "How is this going to help me in the long run?" "Is this just busy work?" "How am I going to use this in the future?"
These are common questions learners ask themselves, their peers, and even instructors when they don't understand why they are being asked to complete a course assignment or activity. The purpose of an assignment may be crystal clear to an instructor, but students who are new to the content and skills need a direct connection to its relevance clearly stated in order to see its importance. As a former Instructional Designer and current Engagement and Assessment Consultant, I have reviewed hundreds of assignments and the purpose of an assignment is often the key element that is missing. But why is it so important? 
As a former Psychology instructor and attention researcher, I can attest that people are more engaged in activities (stay on task longer, less distractible, and demonstrate more grit when working through difficult exercises) when they understand the relevance of the activity to their personal goals. Engagement and motivation are enhanced when learners grasp what will be gained by completing the assignment.
Psychology research classifies motivation into two main types: "Extrinsic Motivation" and "Intrinsic Motivation."

Extrinsic Motivation involves tangible rewards for engaging with the activity, such as points, prizes, money, and grades. While it is fast-acting, it tends to burn out quickly.
Intrinsic Motivation relates to how people personally feel about the activity, such as social engagement, enjoyment, meaningfulness, and relevance to long-term goals. It is harder to generate artificially but has a longer, more sustained effect when it is achieved.

Though many students will be initially extrinsically motivated to complete an assignment (for its grade), learners are more likely to demonstrate more effort and submit a higher caliber deliverable when the assignment can tap into their intrinsic motivation. A well-written Purpose statement can assist in fostering intrinsic motivation.
When we explain the purpose of an assignment to learners, it is essential to address both the short-term benefits (e.g., practicing applying specific knowledge and skills) and the long-term benefits (e.g., preparing for future professions). By doing so, we help students see the immediate value and future relevance of their efforts, fostering both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Watch:


Examples:
Weak Purpose Statement:
Assignment: Analyze a data set and write a report on your findings.
Purpose Statement: This assignment will help you understand data analysis.
Explanation: This purpose statement is too vague and does not explain why understanding data analysis is important or how it will benefit the students in the short or long term. It lacks specificity and fails to connect the assignment to the students' broader goals or interests.
Strong Purpose Statement:
Assignment: Analyze a data set and write a report on your findings.
Purpose Statement: This assignment aims to enhance your ability to analyze real-world data using commonly used statistical methods. By completing this task, you will develop critical skills in data interpretation, statistical software proficiency, and report writing. These skills are essential for advanced coursework in statistics and highly valued in various professional fields, including business analytics, public health, and social sciences.
Explanation: This purpose statement clearly articulates the benefits of the assignment, both in the short term (developing data interpretation and statistical software skills) and in the long term (preparing for advanced coursework and professional fields). It connects the task to the students' academic and professional goals, making the relevance of the assignment explicit.

Resources: 
Note: This is article 2 of a 5-part series on Transparent Assignments.

 Quick Guide to Transparent Assignments (CTLI:MSU)

Understanding Pronouns for Educators
On Friday, June 21, I was invited to give a talk on "Understanding Pronouns for Educators" to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 
The Slides
Below, you'll find some modified slides based on that presentation. You may also access the presentation slides via Google Docs.

Further Resources
This collated list of further resources includes resources for many realms, including:

Current Context
Impact of Using Correct Pronouns
Pronouns Overview
Gender-Inclusive Environments
MSU's Policies and Processes
Teaching and Classroom Resources


Understanding Pronouns for Educators © 2024 by Bethany Meadows is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. “Pronoun Stickers” by Harald Groven is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Are you ready to level up your teaching game and promote equity in your classroom? Introducing Transparent Assignment Design (or TAD for short)! This powerful, yet easy to implement, framework not only makes your assignments crystal clear but also ensures inclusivity and fairness. By providing clear expectations and support, TAD helps level the playing field and gives every student a chance to shine. I have personally found that redesigning assignments using the TAD framework has led to (Mills, M.L. (formerly Rosen, M.L.) et al., 2022):

improved quality of student submissions
reduced requests for regrades
reduced late submissions
reduced student frustration

An assignment that utilizes the TAD framework includes three important sections:

Purpose - an explanation on how the knowledge and skills used in this activity are relevant to a student and their future.
Task - a detailed explanation of the steps a student needs to take to complete the assignment.
Criteria - an explanation for how student's submission of the assignment will be evaluated.

In the next set of articles in this playlist, we will expand on each of these sections by describing what a good Purpose, Task, and Criteria looks like. At the end of the playlist we will provide with a template to get you started.Resources:

TILT Higher Ed Examples and Resources
Transparent Assignment Design | Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning Through Research (northeastern.edu)
Quick Guide to Transparent Assignment Design (wsu.edu)

Steph and Adrianna picked up the work that was the focus of Steph’s 2018-2019 fellows year. During the 18-19 academic year, Steph raised awareness to College of Education leadership that graduate student voice was significantly missing from College decision-making processes (even though it was structurally expected in the College bylaws). Steph spent her first fellowship year establishing the connections needed to meaningfully discuss this issue. In Fall 2019, both Steph and Adrianna picked this work back up and have now successfully worked with the College in building out a model (and securing the Dean’s commitment) for establishing multiple opportunities for committee-level graduate student voice, including the Student Advisory Council and the Curriculum Committee. Their models result in increased equity across the college. Their efforts have also lead to increased asks from the College to discuss graduate student voice at the department level (and Steph and Adrianna have been meeting with each unit throughout the year). Steph and Adrianna's work is an incredible example of what graduate students can achieve when given the resources and support to identify ways they can improve graduate student representation and strengthen the graduate student community at Michigan State.

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.

Overview:
Self-grading involves students assessing their own work, which fosters autonomy, reflection, and ownership of their learning process. This approach aligns with a student-centered approach by focusing on self-assessment and personal growth.
Key Aspects:

Active Student Involvement: Students evaluate their work, which enhances their engagement and investment in the learning process.
Enhanced Metacognition: Encourages students to reflect on their learning, identify strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement.
Ownership and Responsibility: Increases students' ownership of their learning and motivation to improve their work.
Personalized Feedback: Allows students to provide immediate and relevant feedback to themselves.
Increased Engagement: Self-assessment can lead to greater involvement and commitment to learning.
Development of Critical Thinking: Helps students develop critical thinking and evaluation skills.
Alignment with Learning Objectives: Assists students in understanding and aligning their work with course objectives.
Formative Assessment: Provides insights into students' learning progress and areas for development.

Benefits:

Empowerment: Students feel more in control of their learning journey.
Deep Learning: Promotes deeper engagement with material and better retention.
Self-Regulation: Encourages independent learning and self-regulation.
Equity: Provides a more personalized and equitable assessment process.

Implementation Tips:

Provide clear grading criteria and rubrics to guide self-assessment.
Include reflection activities where students analyze their work and identify areas for growth.
Create feedback loops where students compare their self-assessments with peer and instructor feedback.
Allow revisions based on self-assessment and feedback to encourage continuous improvement.
Offer training and support to help students develop effective self-assessment skills.


Resources:

Five Innovative Grading Strategies (iteach article)
A student-centered approach to Grading (CTLI Workshop Slides)
Why students should be allowed to Grade Themselves (Insider Higher Ed article)
Self-Assessment (Center for Teaching Innovation Cornell University)
How to Shift to Self-Grading in English Classes (Edutopia)