We are excited to share TWO opportunities for GVSU faculty to participate in some inclusive teaching/classroom training this Spring!  

• Cornell Unviersity's edX Program is offering a FREE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom this Spring.  This 5-week course is completely online and FREE.  The next session will run from February 17, 2020—March 23, 2020.  Enrollment is not open quite yet but be on the lookout.  We'll be sure to link to the registration form here once it becomes available.  In the meantime, check out the Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom course description and introductory video below.

• The Inclusive Excellence Teaching Institute is BACK in Spring/Summer 2020!  This Institute is specifically designed to provide Affiliate and Tenure-Track faculty with a transformative space to learn and strategize about inclusive excellence in teaching and learning.  The Institute will encourage an atmosphere of cultural humility through the examination of social identity and bias.  This three-day program is spread out over several Fridays in Spring/Summer 2020—May 15, 2020, May 29, 2020, and June 12, 2020.  Registration is OPEN NOW.  Register in Sprout!  For more information, read the Inclusive Excellence Teaching Institute program description below.

Either of these opportunities would be a great way for faculty to explore inclusive strategies for teaching and learning.  We encourage you to register for whichever opportunity fits the best.

About this course

U.S.-based and higher education-centered, this is a five-week, instructor-paced course that offers an inclusive teaching framework with multiple entry points for reflection and exploration of the research on learning and diversity. Anchored in the lived experiences of students and faculty, including yours, we invite you to explore strategies for inclusive course design, student-centered pedagogical practices, facilitating learning across difference, and change efforts that support student engagement, achievement, and belongingness. Come with a course of your own in mind, and design for inclusion as you make your way through Teaching & Learning in the Diverse Classroom.

You will explore:

• Your formative experience as a learner, teacher, and member of a discipline
• Strategies and exercises helpful in communicating effectively, facilitating discussion, and modeling inclusivity when unexpected issues arise
• Research, frameworks, and models that help us understand why and how diversity and inclusion matter in teaching and learning

To learn more, visit Cornell's edX Teaching & Learning in the Diverse Classroom Course website/description.  The next session will run in early Spring 2020:  February 17—March 23.

What you'll learn

If you complete the course, successfully, you will be able to:

• Use a framework for inclusive course design;
• Reflect on the implications of social identities--both students' and instructors'--within the teaching and learning environment;
• Identify evidence-based pedagogical strategies you would like to try;
• Increase your confidence to model inclusivity and facilitate discussion when unexpected issues arise; and 
• Assess your curriculum and discipline to identify historical patterns of exclusion and inclusion and discipline-specific approaches to thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Inclusive teaching involves a deliberate effort by faculty to create a learning environment that attends to and supports he needs of students with a variety of backgrounds, learning interests, and abilities. Inclusive pedagogical strategies shape the dynamics in teaching-learning spaces, affect individual's experiences in those spaces, and influence course and curriculum design. Inclusive teaching attends the range of identities in the classroom and helps all students feel equally valued.

The Inclusive Excellence Teaching Institute is specifically designed to provide Affiliate and Tenure-Track faculty at all ranks with a transformative space to learn and strategize about inclusive excellence in teaching and learning. The Institute will encourage an atmosphere of cultural humility through the examination of social identity and bias. Motivational frameworks, barriers to learning for diverse student learners and proactive strategies will also be introduced. Essential pedagogical approaches that promote an inclusive classroom environment will be modeled and explored. Through pre-assigned readings, access to group Bb site, and facilitated discussions, participants will begin the process of transforming their courses/curriculum, units and colleges.

This three-day institute will take place over several Fridays in the Spring/Summer 2020 term—May 15, 2020, May 29, 2020 and June 12, 2020.

Registration is Open NOW.  Register in Sprout.

Important Dates

The Institute will be 9am–3pm each of the Fridays listed below

• Friday, May 15, 2020
• Friday, May 29, 2020
• Friday, June 12, 2020

Registration deadline: May 1, 2020

Register in Sprout.

Inclusive Teaching Tips and Strategies

Inclusive teaching involves a deliberate effort by faculty to create a learning environment that attends to and supports the needs of students with a variety of backgrounds, learning interests, and abilities. Inclusive pedagogical strategies shape the dynamics in teaching-learning spaces, affect an individual's experiences in those spaces, and influence course and curriculum design. Inclusive teaching attends the range of identities in the classroom and helps all students feel equally valued.

As you think ahead to next semester, here are a few questions to consider:

• Does your syllabus portray an inclusive and welcoming learning environment?
• Do you have a plan for getting to know students and fostering student-student interaction? 
• Do your instructional strategies include basic Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts?
• Do you have a plan for disseminating content in multiple ways such as printed text, images, audio and video vs just lecturing from slides?
• Will you provide students with multiple ways to express their comprehension and mastery of topics vs just assigning lengthy exams and papers?
• How do you plan to tap into students' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn?

Resources

If you would like to be more inclusive in your teaching, here are a few useful resources to help you get started:

Accessibility and UDL

The Accessible Syllabus

Blackboard Ally

Creating Accessible Course Content

Sample Inclusive Syllabus Statement

The First Days of Class

UDL Syllabus Guidelines

UDL at a Glance

UDL Quick Tips

Practical Pointers for a Culturally Responsive Classroom