Across higher education, there is recognition of the growing need for fostering more inclusive classrooms and learning environments. As educators across diverse disciplines, how can we prioritize diversity, equity, and justice in our pedagogical approaches? What behaviors will help to translate this commitment into action?

This course employs experiential learning methods to explore foundational frameworks and the social and historical contexts that underpin this critical work. Participants will engage in an introspective journey, examining their own identities, values, and experiences to cultivate an inclusive mindset that informs their teaching practices. Rather than presenting prescriptive strategies, this course aims to provide perspectives for navigating the complexities of oppression, equity, and justice within academic settings.

Sessions will feature brief didactic introductions to key concepts, complemented by reflective exercises, practical applications, and communication activities. The course culminates with a panel discussion led by practitioners in inclusive teaching practices within higher education, followed by a written final reflection and peer discussion on how participants plan to integrate their newfound knowledge into their professional journeys.

By the course’s end, participants will possess a clearer understanding of how to communicate their values of diversity, equity, and justice, along with practical resources for implementing DEIJ frameworks and teaching strategies within their academic communities.

Instructors

Lisa Rohde, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Erika Nadile, Northwestern University

Course Schedule

This 8-week course meets online on Thursdays from January 30 to March 20 at 8-9:30pm Gulf / 12-1:30pm Atlantic / 11am-12:30pm Eastern / 10-11:30am Central / 9-10:30am Mountain / 8-9:30am Pacific.

Audience

This seminar is designed first and foremost for graduate students and  postdoctoral researchers interested in an intensive introduction to inclusive teaching, but generally relevant to anyone interested in learning more about this topic.

Registration and Enrollment

This course has a cap of 25 students. Registration is open from Monday, January 13 at 9pm Gulf / 1pm Atlantic / 12pm Eastern / 11am Central / 10am Mountain / 9am Pacific, until capacity is reached. We expect this course to reach capacity within 1-2 days. Registration will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis and registrants from CIRTL member institutions or alumni of CIRTL member institutions will receive priority. Once registration closes, all registrants will be notified of their enrollment status.

Accessibility

If you have access needs, please let us know what they are. Contact Kate Diamond (kdiamond3@wisc.edu), who is supporting this course, to let us know how we can help you have a successful experience. In addition to meeting individualized needs, we will also take measures throughout the course to support accessibility for all our students:

• Using alt-text on images in reading materials
• Sending weekly reminders with upcoming assignments to all students
• Sending weekly reminders with missing assignments to students who have late work
• Sharing materials for synchronous sessions with students via Moodle (slides, breakout group activity instructions, etc.)
• Enabling live captioning in synchronous sessions
• Incorporating multiple modes of interaction into synchronous sessions
• Sharing recordings from synchronous sessions
• Allowing students to make up absences and submit work late with no penalty

Learning Outcomes

All CIRTL Network programming is designed to help participants achieve familiarity with our Core Ideas. This seminar is designed around the following learning outcomes.

Associate: Learning-through-diversity

• Describe and recognize the value of drawing on diversity in the development of teaching plans (including content, teaching practices and assessments) to foster learning.
• Describe how an instructor’s beliefs and biases can influence student learning.
• Describe the impact of diversity on student learning, in particular how diversity can enhance learning, and how inequities can negatively impact learning if not addressed.
• Describe the scope of diversity in learning environments, of both students and instructor.
• Describe several learning-through-diversity (LtD) techniques and strategies.