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

In this workshop we discuss some basic tenets of disability-inclusion, why it's important, what it should look like, and what tools and resources are available to help you. We briefly go over how to navigate accommodations documentation ("VISAs") with the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). We also introduce the basic principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and show in various examples how it can be used to proactively address some barriers to student learning in multiple interfaces (face-to-face, online, and hybrid).
By the end of this session, GTAs will be able to: 

Articulate the importance of disability inclusion in higher education. 
Identify accessibility and inclusion resources on and off campus. 
Recognize some barriers to student learning. 
Respond to “VISA” accommodations requests generated by the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities on behalf of students. 
Navigate the implementation of accommodations. 
Draw upon the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in their course design. 
Implement various strategies in tandem to address barriers. 


 
 

In continuing our conversation about inclusive classrooms, let’s consider linguistic inclusion. You might think linguistic diversity equates to different languages people speak. However, I urge you move toward a more nuanced understanding, one where our linguistic background involves both our variable linguistic repertoire (the resources of a language we use or have access to) and our sociolinguistic competence (our ability to interpret social uses of language and use language in socially meaningful ways). A linguistically inclusive classroom, then, would include nuanced understandings of linguistic diversity. To help you intentionally move toward linguistic inclusion, I provide seven tips below.
Seven Tips Toward Linguistic Inclusion
(1) Learn a little about language. 
Language is a resource we utilize for a variety of purposes (e.g. prestige, power, recognition, etc.). For instance, you might use language perceived as “more proper” to be identified as educated or professional, or use more colloquial language to fit in with peers. Thus, before you engage with language in the classroom, make sure you can differentiate the facts from the myths (to start, see Richard Nordquist’s post about Language Myths).
(2) Get to know your linguistic background. 
Have you thought about how you use language? If not, you might be surprised by how your own language varies (from how much -ing vs. -in you use to your speech in formal or informal situations). Taking some time to get to know yourself as a language producer and perceiver will help you come to terms with your linguistic identity.
(3) Get to know students’ linguistic backgrounds. 
No matter where you teach, you will surely come across language variation. Recognizing this will help you understand students and how they use language. Students come from different linguistic backgrounds and bring different language experiences (with different associated norms). I get to know students by having them talk about where they are from on the first day of class, but mostly this work requires listening for clues enabling you to differentiate between, for instance, dialectal features (e.g. “ain’t”) and mispronunciations.
(4) Become aware of linguistic assumptions. 
Though it is not always easy to talk about, we all have linguistic biases. These might surface as pet peeves (see Weird Al’s parody “Word Crimes” for some examples), stereotypes (e.g. that “southern”-sounding speakers are “lazy”), or assumptions (e.g. thinking there is an objectively “right” or “correct” way of talking). Acknowledging and addressing these biases will help you see language more objectively and address language in the classroom more dynamically.
(5) Know how linguistic assumptions affect the learning environment.
Regardless of whether you teach a course that discusses language or not, you are in a position to set rules and expectations about language. As such, it is important to consider what you tell students about language. Language assumptions can lead to linguistic profiling. They can make students linguistically insecure, or feel they are somehow linguistically inferior. Make sure you’re creating classrooms flexibly, accommodating multiple and diverse language uses.
(6) Be willing to accommodate. 
As a result of individual linguistic backgrounds, students’ language behaviors might not map to your expectations. Some students might not have experience writing essays, but might be profound bloggers, tweeters, or novelists. Some might speak different languages or come from backgrounds where there are different cultural norms surrounding language use (e.g. the use of silence, turn-taking, interruptions, etc.). Before jumping to conclusions, ask yourself if a student comes from a culture where language use is governed by different rules. Be flexible, willing to accommodate, and work together toward where you all hope to go. Start by defining culture- or dialect-specific terms in course content and assessments; vary assessment types to accommodate different communication  preferences; and grade based on content, not grammar (unless grammar is the focus of your class). Grammar-based grading privileges native-English speakers and students from certain educational backgrounds.
(7) Recognize linguistic diversity as a resource. 
Some assume classrooms should run under cultural norms expected by a given region, country, or community. However, as sociolinguist Carmen Fought (2006) points out, “…interactional patterns from different ethnic groups might enhance learning and ultimately provide all participants with a wide range of skills.” Seek to understand ways the inclusion of several different interactional norms and behaviors might benefit learning environments. Some communities, for instance, encourage a “collective orientation […] group harmony, and the avoidance of conflict” in classrooms. Though inclusion of this orientation can be viewed as problematic, it could also be used to teach concern for others, humility, and an ability to work cooperatively (pp. 193-4).
 
If we aim to make students feel seen and heard, we must question what we really listen to when students communicate. We have an opportunity to co-construct an inclusive curriculum, classroom, and community built out of diverse linguistic resources.
 
We’d like to know: How do you engage with linguistic diversity? How do you discuss academic language standards? Have you ever thought about your language-based biases and pet peeves or their relation to learning environments?
 
Additional Resources:
Baugh, J. (2000). Beyond ebonics: Linguistic pride and racial prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
 
Fought, C. (2006). Language and ethnicity: Key topics in sociolinguistics. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
 
Inman, M. (n.d.). How and why to use whom in a sentence. The Oatmeal. http://theoatmeal.com/comics/who_vs_whom.
 
Lippi-Green, R. (2004). Language ideology and language prejudice. In E. Finegan & J. R. Rickford (Eds.), Language in the USA: Themes for the Twenty-first century (pp. 289-304). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
 
Mallinson, C. and Charity Hudley, A. H. (2014). Partnering through science: Developing linguistic insight to address educational inequality for culturally and linguistically diverse students in U.S. STEM education. Language and Linguistics Compass, 8(1), 11-23.
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): Shellgren, M. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Toward Linguistic Inclusion. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

Beginning to Teach Inclusively
How do I encourage students to bring diverse perspectives to the subject matter I teach? How can I promote inclusive behavior of students working in groups? These were just a few questions posed by approximately 45 doctoral students and postdocs at the “Cultivating an Inclusive Classroom” workshop I ran last year with Dr. Sheila Contreras. To begin answering them, Inside Teaching posts over the next few weeks will address different areas for you to focus on toward a more inclusive classroom. In today’s post, I’ll discuss where to begin: making your curriculum design choices more inclusive.
What Do I Mean By “Inclusive”?
Before I start discussing how your content and curriculum design choices can be more inclusive, let’s start with a working definition for an inclusive classroom. According to the Association of American Colleges & Universities, inclusive classrooms are learning spaces where “active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity” occurs “in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathetic understanding of the complex individuals interact within systems and institutions.” 
 
So, as an instructor concerned about inclusive teaching, I encourage you do consider how your course content and assignments both represent a diverse (for example, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, nationality, epistemological perspectives) set of scholarly voices and how you can hold yourself – and your students—to more inclusive standards of behavior and discourse in the classroom.
Inclusive Classrooms Require Intentional Thought and Not “Extra Work”
Graduate students and other beginning instructors are often overwhelmed by the volume of things they need to learn about teaching in a college classroom or lab. Creating an inclusive environment in your classroom does not require “extra work” – what it requires is “intentional thought” in how you plan and implement your classes. This involves a deliberate awareness of the decisions you’re making and the impact they have on how you represent your discipline and the multiple voices connected to it. I’d argue that this level of intentionality is a key hallmark of curriculum design across disciplines. To help with this intentionality toward more inclusive classrooms, I provide the following four tips below.
Four Tips Toward Inclusive Curriculum Design
(1) Select the work of scholars from different cultural or paradigmatic backgrounds
Make sure you are presenting a variety of voices and perspectives across the course readings, videos and material you select.  Additionally important is presenting a full spectrum of disciplinary paradigms in the field so that students have a full picture of disciplinary conversation(s).
(2) Acknowledge the limitations of course material with regards to demographic representation
Frame what you are providing and point out the potential limitations of your materials. This can help students see how and why you have made the decisions you did. This can also help students to get a better window into your teaching decisions and engage alongside you critically.
(3) Pay attention to WHO and HOW you represent in your presentation slides, case studies, videos, and guest panels
As with our tips above, it’s important that the slides, case studies, and videos you use reflect multiple voices and backgrounds. Additionally, it’s important to pay attention to how various individuals and groups are portrayed in these materials. In their portrayals, are you sending the messages you want sent to a diverse group of students?
(4) Maximize the inclusion of all student voices in instructional activities
Make sure you provide multiple opportunities and safe spaces in your classroom for all student voices. Not all students will immediately respond to one way of engaging in the classroom, so make sure your approaches vary and respond to what you have come to know about the different students in class. We will share more specific tips about instructional activities in later posts.
 
Additional Resources
The goal of the Inclusive Teaching Workshop, in addition to soliciting student questions, was to present a Framework for Inclusive Teaching, modified from resources from both a resource from the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at University of Michigan and a paper produced by the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard.
 
We’d like to know: What have you done to make your course content and curriculum more inclusive? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or with us on social media using the hashtag “#iteachmsu.”
 

 
Originally posted at “Inside Teaching MSU” (site no longer live): McDaniels, M. Cultivating Inclusive Classrooms: Inclusive Curriculum Design. inside teaching.grad.msu.edu

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
 
What Do I Mean By “Inclusive”?
 
Before I start discussing how your content and curriculum design choices can be more inclusive, let’s start with a working definition for an inclusive classroom. According to the Association of American Colleges & Universities, inclusive classrooms are learning spaces where “active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity” occurs “in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathetic understanding of the complex individuals interact within systems and institutions.”  So, as an instructor concerned about inclusive teaching, I encourage you do consider how your course content and assignments both represent a diverse (for example, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, nationality, epistemological perspectives) set of scholarly voices and how you can hold yourself – and your students—to more inclusive standards of behavior and discourse in the classroom.
 
Inclusive Classrooms Require Intentional Thought and Not “Extra Work”
 
Creating an inclusive environment in your classroom does not require “extra work” – what it requires is “intentional thought” in how you plan and implement your classes. This involves a deliberate awareness of the decisions you’re making and the impact they have on how you represent your discipline and the multiple voices connected to it. I’d argue that this level of intentionality is a key hallmark of curriculum design across disciplines.
 
Four Tips Toward Inclusive Curriculum Design
 
(1) Select the work of scholars from different cultural or paradigmatic backgrounds: Make sure you are presenting a variety of voices and perspectives across the course readings, videos and material you select.  Additionally important is presenting a full spectrum of disciplinary paradigms in the field so that students have a full picture of disciplinary conversation(s).
 
(2) Acknowledge the limitations of course material with regards to demographic representation: Frame what you are providing and point out the potential limitations of your materials. This can help students see how and why you have made the decisions you did. This can also help students to get a better window into your teaching decisions and engage alongside you critically.
 
(3) Pay attention to WHO and HOW you represent in your presentation slides, case studies, videos, and guest panels: As with our tips above, it’s important that the slides, case studies, and videos you use reflect multiple voices and backgrounds. Additionally, it’s important to pay attention to how various individuals and groups are portrayed in these materials. In their portrayals, are you sending the messages you want sent to a diverse group of students?
 
(4) Maximize the inclusion of all student voices in instructional activities: Make sure you provide multiple opportunities and safe spaces in your classroom for all student voices. Not all students will immediately respond to one way of engaging in the classroom, so make sure your approaches vary and respond to what you have come to know about the different students in class. We will share more specific tips about instructional activities in later posts.

Title: Exploring Inclusive Practices Across the Curriculum: Results from the Inclusive Pedagogy Fellows Program in the College of Arts & Letters at MSUPresenters: Kathryn McEwenCo-Presenters: Denise Acevedo (WRAC); Catalina Bartlett (WRAC); Cheryl Caesar (WRAC); Jonathan Choti (LiLaC); Rebecca Cifaldi (AAHD); Caitlin Cornell (CeLTA); Sonja Fritzsche (CAL); Ural Grant (Theatre); Joyce Meier (WRAC); Ayman Mohamed (LiLaC), Karen Moroski-Rigney (CAL), Shannon Quinn (LiLaC)Date: May 11th, 2023Time: 2:45 pm - 3:45 pmClick here to viewDescription: We propose a workshop to share and discuss the activities of the College of Arts & Letters Inclusive Pedagogy Fellows Program from AY 2022-2023. The CAL Inclusive Pedagogy Fellows (IPF) Program provides a proactive collaborative space for a cohort of educators seeking to design, establish, and maintain intersectional and inclusive learning environments in their teaching and curriculum development activities. Ten Fellows from 3 units across CAL came together to explore and engage with inclusive pedagogies from a variety of perspectives and disciplinary approaches, and to focus on different ways of knowing, trauma-informed, translingual, and transcultural pedagogies, and intersectionality. Aligning with the conference focus on community, conversation and classroom experiences, we propose a roundtable session for Fellows to reflect on their experience in the program, share their take-aways on facilitating inclusive practices in the classroom, and discuss concrete strategies for creating more inclusive learning environments. We envision this workshop as an interactive conversation about what the Fellows learned, how they applied new knowledge and skills, and where they want to go next in their inclusive pedagogy practices. Participants are invited to engage with the workshop participants and enhance the strategies Fellows plan to implement. The roundtable will consist of Fellows from the program. Post-presentation outcomes for participants include leaving the session with some initial first steps and strategies for implementing inclusive practices. Using the roundtable format, we aim to facilitate interactive discussion across disciplines.

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.

This post provides an overview of inclusive pedagogy. This post is the first part of the Inclusive Pedagogy series and playlist.
Inclusive pedagogy is an umbrella term that encompasses many frameworks for teaching (e.g., critical pedagogy, feminist pedagogy, culturally responsive pedagogy, universal design for learning). Many of these are defined and overviewed in Emory University’s Inclusive Pedagogy Guide. Across these frameworks, all center intentional pedagogical strategies working to make education where “all learners feel welcomed, valued, and safe” (Hogan and Sathy 5), particularly working to remove systemic barriers that have harmed learners. 
It asks educators to consider, “Who might be left behind as a result of my practice? How can I invite those learners in?” (Hogan and Sathy 11). According to Cardon and Womack, inclusive pedagogy’s “approach is deeply contextual, personal, and political” (2). Within that, educators work to lifelong unlearning and learning as they raise critical consciousness to bias and systemic oppression while also supporting all learners equitably to feel agency, valued, and supported in their learning. 
When diversity, inclusion, and equity are centered in education, learners have enhanced learning, success and retention, and feelings of belonging (University of Michigan). Moreover, inclusive pedagogy increases learners’ critical thinking, collaboration, and sense of “mutuality and reciprocity” (University of Chicago).
Continue to read more about inclusive pedagogy in the next article, “Centering Intersectionality in Inclusive Pedagogy” or return to the Inclusive Pedagogy playlist.