Attendees of the 2021 Online Teaching Symposium were fortunate to witness the Keynote address, which focused on promoting equity through Inclusive Teaching. The keynote speakers included Dr. Kelly Hogan, Professor of Biology and Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation for the College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Viji Sathy, Professor in Psychology & Neuroscience and Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Teaching, both from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The session felt more like a workshop, as the presenters infused their presentation with active learning activities.
Within the presentation, Drs. Hogan and Sathy defined inclusive teaching in this way: “In an inclusive classroom, the instructor and students move away from the assumptions that some students are lacking and instead move toward the idea the learning environments and course designs lacking structure are the problem.”
Moreover, Hogan and Sathy proposed that unstructured learning environments can lead to unfairness, feelings of exclusion, and collisions of students’ cultural background with the learning environment. They explained that adding structure to learning environments can mitigate unfairness, encourage feelings of inclusion, and promote student success.
Tips for Inclusivity
As mentioned, Hogan and Sathy explained the inequities that arise in an unstructured learning environment. They also described techniques that add structure and equity to a classroom and asked participants to brainstorm ways to reduce the inequities in their own courses.
The presenters also provided a collection of practical tips, particularly regarding inclusivity:
Encourage students to interact socially by introducing themselves and providing information about gender identities and names.- Be explicit about promoting access and equity for all students. Tell students, “You all belong here.”
- Ensure diverse role models are represented in the course and that the reading lists are drawn from diverse authors.
- Explicitly acknowledge the differences that exist with students and that with a growth mindset, all students can achieve.
- Use anonymous ways of reporting for students to build confidence that they belong with their peers.
- Use colored boxes in PowerPoint to provide clear instructions on structured activities. Giving expectations about timing adds structure.
Practical Course Design Tips
In addition, Hogan and Sathy introduced some practical tips centered on course design principles:
- Ensure that the course syllabus has clear dates/deadlines, specific readings, goals, etc.
- Set up “ground rules” that define respectful communication for the course.
- Present objectives for each lesson with less “tell” and more “asking” so students learn what they do and don’t know.
- Use assessments that align with course learning objectives.
- Use varied active learning activities, such as small groups and think-pair-share.
- Give a writing prompt to allow students to organize their thoughts before discussion.
Participant Comments
When asked to share takeaways from the Keynote, participants provided the following feedback:
- “My takeaways are try to make a structured way for inclusive environment, don’t assume all students have the same access …. use a lot of innovative ways for engagements …”
- “I enjoyed the Keynote Address. The presenters reinforced the techniques and strategies I am currently doing with my classes.”
- “Unstructured learning environments may lead to inequities, be aware of varying levels of student access to material, do not harbor a deficit mindset, be explicit with assignment instructions and regularly check for understanding.”
- “I really likes the question prompt while waiting for class to start on Zoom.”
- “Before the sessions, I didn’t realize the importance of structure. After today’s learning, I can connect the theory with my own experience. I am so excited, and I plan to modify and improve my future course with the useful tips and tools”
- “Another takeaway is the value of modeling inclusiveness, to promote a sense of belonging. I like the idea of communicating to students that they belong in the class, which validates their worthiness.”
Resources
Drs. Hogan and Viji provided a host of suggested resources for educators:
The Chronicle of Higher Education Advice Guide on Making Your Teaching More Inclusive https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20190719_inclusive_teaching
The Chronicle of Higher Education piece on inclusive teaching featuring Hogan and Sathy https://www.chronicle.com/article/Traditional-Teaching-May/243339
Hogan, K. and Sathy, V. (April 2020). 8 Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Zoom Teaching, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
ACUE Blog post by Hogan and Sathy about Inclusive Teaching https://community.acue.org/blog/why-were-speaking-up-about-inclusive-teaching-strategies/
Hogan and Sathy on Leading Lines Podcast with Derek Bruff
Hogan and Sathy on Teaching in Higher Ed Podcast with Bonni Stachowiak here and here.
Hogan and Sathy Podcast on Interactive and Inclusive Classrooms: https://soundcloud.com/wellsaidunc/well-said-interactive-and-inclusive-classrooms
Hogan and Sathy: http://www.unc.edu/spotlight/well-said-hogan-sathy/
Inclusive Classroom Campus Conversation: http://gazette.unc.edu/2016/09/27/count-everyone-in/
EdSurge piece on Inclusive Classroom Response System practices: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-11-21-how-faculty-can-click-their-way-to-a-more-inclusive-classroom
Kimberly Tanner. Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2013 Fall; 12(3): 322–331.
http://www.lifescied.org/content/12/3/322.full.pdf+html
Eddy and Hogan: http://www.lifescied.org/content/13/3/453.full.pdf
Lawrence, S. M. (1998). Unveiling positions of privilege: A hands on approach to understanding racism. Teaching of Psychology, 25, 198-200.
McIntosh, P. (2003). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. In S. Plous (Ed.), Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination (pp. 191-195). New York: McGraw-Hill.
