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Inclusive Teaching

Inclusive teaching refers to pedagogy that strives to serve the needs of all students, regardless of background or identity, and support their engagement with subject material.

Certificate Program

Inclusive Teaching Certificate: The five-module Inclusive Teaching certificate is to provide professional development and guidance on implementing on inclusive teaching practices in the college classroom. In each session, individuals will develop a greater understanding of practices and approaches that motivate and engage all learners.

List of Resources

Accessibility in the Classroom for Students with Auditory and Cognitive Disabilities: This document provides five strategies to support, include, and empower every student, particularly those with auditory and cognitive disabilities, in in face-to-face and online classrooms.

Awareness of Socioeconomic DiversityResearchers are beginning to unravel the complex cloud of cultural, psychological, and emotional aspects that hinder the wellbeing and higher education success of socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and are suggesting educational and student support actions to assist students with those challenges. This document outlines strategies to assist these students confront the challenges of university success.

Addressing Implicit Bias and Its Impact on Teaching & Learning: This document defines implicit bias and microaggressions, and how both phenomenon can impact the educational environment. The resource provides tips in order to address microaggressions in the classroom.

Assessing your Cultural Competency: Self-Reflection for Inclusive Practice in the Classroom and Beyond: This document describes the concepts of “cultural competency” and “cultural humility” as they relate to various fields. The resource also provides tips to foster your “cultural competence” as an instructor.

Building Empathy in the Classroom: This document was created by the Inclusive Teaching Task Force and provides tips for building empathy in the classroom and resources that enable instructors to dive deeper into these certain concepts/ideas.

Creating a S.A.F.E. Learning Environment: The college classroom has become more diverse, with students bringing different identities, backgrounds, experiences, and expectations into the learning space. Thus, it is likely that students will have different opinions and react differently to course material. As instructional faculty, it is important to think about how you will respond to inappropriate or disruptive comments or behaviors, should they arise. This document provides strategies to deal with difficulty moments in the classroom.

Developing a Trauma-Responsive Classroom: Around 85% of people report having exposure to at least one lifetime traumatic event; therefore, it is important to take steps to create a trauma-responsive learning environment in your classroom. This document provides some strategies for designing and implementing a
trauma-responsive classroom.

Effective Practices in Teaching International Students: Many U.S. higher education institutions have seen increases in the number of international students. An important challenge to overcome with their increased enrollment is developing a teaching and learning experience that effectively engages and supports these students. This document aims to provide strategies in order to do so.

Examples of Inclusive Language: Inclusive language is not code for cumbersome, dull or vague language; it simply refers to wording that has been carefully considered to treat all people with respect and impartiality. This document outlines examples of inclusive language.

Five Self-Care Tips for the Trauma-Responsive Educator: Teaching in a trauma-responsive classroom can sometimes increase the amount of emotional labor, especially if you are new to trauma-responsive teaching, attempting to create your own trauma-responsive classroom, or grappling with your own identity as a trauma-survivor. Therefore, self-care is an important component to being a successful trauma-responsive educator.

How to Create a Gender-Inclusive Learning Environment: This document contains tips that serve as suggestions on how to create a gender-inclusive learning environment; faculty should implement strategies in which they agree.

How to Create an Inclusive SyllabusThis document discusses how to make your syllabus more inclusive following six principles.

How to Deal with Bias Incidents in Your Classroom: This webpage outlines steps on how to handle bias incidents as they occur in the class.

Inclusive Teaching Toolbox: This Inclusive Teaching Toolbox is a resource created to empower you to teach to the needs of your students, while helping learners understand the value of inclusion for their future careers. We have designed this toolbox not as a list of “tips and tricks of the trade,” but rather as a mechanism to help you think about ways that you can leverage the diversity of your students to improve the learning in your classroom.

Inclusivity in Experiential and Service-Learning Courses: This document seeks to raise considerations to help foster inclusivity and cultural competency through your experiential or service-learning course. It also identifies online resources provided by Teaching & Learning Innovation and other campus offices who can work with you to create an inclusive experience for all involved.

Promoting Diversity & Inclusion in Online Courses: This webpage outlines tips to promote civility and inclusion in online courses.

SAFE Strategies to Deal with Difficult Moments in Your Online Classroom: Download this resource for quick strategies on dealing with difficult situations in your online course and guidance on establishing an inclusive and positive online learning environment.

Simple Tips for Infusing Diversity Content into Your Classes: Creating a learning environment that promotes the feelings of inclusion among your students is one of the most important, and sometimes, challenging parts of being an educator. This document outlines strategies to help you.

Tips Toward Inclusivity: This document provides strategies for building equity and inclusion in the classroom.

Top 5 Tips for Facilitating Difficult Dialogues about Racism & Anti-Semitism: It is important that we as instructors consider ways to support students who may have difficulty processing race-related issues. This document features some tips to help both you as the instructor and your students navigate conversations about racism and discrimination.

Virtual Classroom Equity: This document (crafted by the College of Education, Health & Human Sciences) contains suggestions on how to make your virtual classroom a more inclusive environment.

Why Use Inclusive Language?: Through language we understand the relationships around us and our position within our environment. Exclusive language stunts the building of healthy relationships and can make people feel like outsiders. This document outlines the impacts of inclusive language and questions to ask yourself when deciding what language to use.