Creating and Maintaining Inclusive Classrooms (original) (raw)
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Journal committed to social change on race and ethnicity, 2015
This study reexamines notions of student integration given continuing experiences of discrimination and bias on college campuses. Building on the scholarship on inclusion, the authors test the mediating effect of student experiences with faculty and staff validation on the relationship of discrimination and bias to students' sense of belonging. The Diverse Learning Environments Survey was used to assess the model among 20,460 students attending broad access and selective institutions. Results show direct effects of validating experiences with faculty and staff on students' sense of belonging, and that such experiences mitigate the effects of discrimination and bias. Creating inclusive environments for student development remains a responsibility of faculty and staff, which we rarely assess even as research begins to uncover principles for transformative practice. A prevailing myth is that student engagement is the same as integration in college life, and students are deficient when campus reports show lower levels of engagement among low-income, first generation, or underrepresented groups compared to peers. Harper and Quaye (2009; 2014) contend that it is entirely possible to be involved (Astin, 1984) but not engaged in optimally beneficial ways. We add that it is possible to be behaviorally engaged in college without truly being integratedaccepted as equals, recognized, respected and empowered as learners in a diverse community. That is, student engagement behaviors provide only a partial picture of what it means to be integrated in college life. To resist deficit assumptions, we must shift the
JCSCORE, 2018
This study reexamines notions of student integration given continuing experiences of discrimination and bias on college campuses. Building on the scholarship on inclusion, the authors test the mediating effect of student experiences with faculty and staff validation on the relationship of discriminationand bias to students’ sense of belonging. The Diverse Learning Environments Survey was used to assess the model among 20,460 students attending broad access and selective institutions. Results show direct effects of validating experiences with faculty and staff on students’ sense of belonging, and that such experiences mitigate the effects of discrimination and bias. Creating inclusive environments for student development remains a responsibility of faculty and staff, which we rarely assess even as research begins to uncover principles for transformative practice.
Communities Wrestle with Creating Inclusive College Classrooms
2016
Abstract: This study explored the experiences of gateway course instructors during the implementation of pedagogical changes aimed at improving the success of diverse students. A detailed case study was built through analysis of peer observations, focus groups, oral and written reflections, student grades, in-depth interviews, and pre and post student surveys. Results showed that instructors faced three major challenges in implementing pedagogical changes: pragmatic challenges, student-centered challenges, and challenges to instructor self-concept. Embracing a learning paradigm and participating in a learning community helped instructors to manage these challenges as they worked to create more inclusive learning environments for students.
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2014
This study explored the experiences of gateway course instructors during the implementation of pedagogical changes aimed at improving the success of diverse students. A detailed case study was built through analysis of peer observations, focus groups, oral and written reflections, student grades, in-depth interviews, and pre and post student surveys. Results showed that instructors faced three major challenges in implementing pedagogical changes: pragmatic challenges, student-centered challenges, and challenges to instructor self-concept. Embracing a learning paradigm and participating in a learning community helped instructors to manage these challenges and create more inclusive learning environments for students.
Learning Inquiry, 2008
This study examined student perceptions of their learning environments at 130 American colleges and universities. Results indicate that students of color, women students, and gay/lesbian students are the most likely to observe and experience prejudice and discrimination within and outside of their classrooms. Fortunately, the development of strong student-faculty relationships significantly mitigate negative campus climate and support the formation of inclusive learning communities. Institutional implications are discussed. Keywords Campus climate Á Student-faculty relationships Á Higher education Á Students of color Á Women students Á Gay/lesbian students Á Students with disabilities Over the last decade, higher education affirmative action programs have continued to come under question. Despite legal battles to curb diversity initiatives, most Americans support efforts to bring different perspectives to campus in creating inclusive learning communities. Two-thirds of survey respondents (of which 75% identified themselves as white) said that it is very important for colleges and universities to prepare students to function in a diverse society and 55% said these students should be required to study different cultures as a graduation requirement. Another 71% said that diversity education on college campuses is bringing Americans together (Estrin 1998). Moreover, multiple U.S. Fortune 500 companies filed Amicus Briefs in support of the University of Michigan's Law School policy (and subsequent court case) to include the consideration of race/ethnicity as a part of applicants' admissions materials. Despite a U.S. Supreme Court opinion affirming the importance of a diverse student body in achieving educational gains, higher education students report that women and students of color still face stereotypes (Bresciani 2003), incidents of racial harassment persist (Kotori and Malaney 2003) causing increased stress for students of color (Johnson
Perceptions of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belongingness at an HBCU
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity in Contemporary Higher Education, 2019
Most studies about inclusion of traditional minority groups and women on university campuses have been conducted at Predominantly White Institutions with student populations. This chapter focuses on the experiences, perceptions, and implications of diversity, belongingness, and inclusion of faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Data collected from students, staff, and faculty highlight the diversity and positive climate at HBCUs but indicate that there are important differences in how particular groups perceive inclusion. This chapter offers suggestions on how faculty and HBCUs can celebrate diversity and yet acknowledge, discuss, and act against the negative experiences that shape feelings of inclusion. The authors emphasize the role of HBCUs in standing for and leading discussions on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Inclusive Teaching Circles: Mechanisms for Creating Welcoming Classrooms
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2010
This essay examines the Inclusive Teaching Circle (ITC) as a mechanism for faculty development in creating instructional tools that embrace an inclusive pedagogy reflecting diversity, cultural competence and social justice. We describe one group's year-long participation in an ITC at a large, metropolitan research university in the south. Next, we share several members' strategies for promoting more inclusive and equitable learning for students in our classrooms. Finally, we consider the implications of ITCs for its group participants and the professorate at large.
Inclusion and Belonging in Higher Education: A Scoping Study of Contexts, Barriers, and Facilitators
Higher Education Studies
A sense of inclusion and belonging are critical for students’ learning and personal development in higher education institutions. Learners who identify as non-majority identities (racial/ethnic minority, LGTBQ+, disability, and first generation) are at greater risk of feeling isolated and unwelcome. Lack of belonging and inclusion among individuals from marginalized identity groups is a contributor to increased stress as a chronic response to racism, stigmatization, discrimination, and exclusion. Conversely, a sense of inclusion and belonging contributes to better academic outcomes and enhanced physical and mental health. A systematic search of the literature initially yielded 2,914 articles with 68 eventually included for full-text analysis. Basic content analysis resulted in multiple categories including institutional context, barriers to inclusion and belonging, and facilitators of inclusion and belonging. The most commonly evoked institutional contexts were faculty and peer inte...
2017
BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION: Panelists (faculty and graduate students from multiple disciplines and departments) will open a conversation by offering brief reflections on their approaches to engaging diverse students, strategies for helping students to discuss challenging issues and think critically about diversity and inclusion, and ways they modify assignments or feedback to make learning more broadly accessible. Participants will then be invited to share and discuss their teaching and learning experiences with peers, and collaboratively explore new ways to address common challenges and opportunities related to identity, intersectionality, and inclusion. ________________________________________________________________ FULL ABSTRACT: Teaching and learning is made more relevant in the lives of our multi-cultural, multi-racial, multi-national community of students through the use of Testimonios in the classroom. Participants will explore several examples of the use of Testimonios as a...
Deepening a sense of belonging: A LAS and Faculty collaboration to build inclusive teaching
2020
Over the past decade a sense of belonging has become widely recognised as an important predicator of success. Consequently, universities must consider how teaching approaches impact on student sense of belonging amongst diverse student cohorts. This article compares the sense of belonging reported by students from diverse sub-cohorts before and after a tutor-focussed intervention. Tutor awareness of diversity and inclusive teaching practices were developed through tutor training, which positioned tutors as dominant actors in the unit habitus. When analysed across age, gender, cultural and linguistic background, caring responsibilities, social networks and disability, student survey data over three semesters indicated shifts in the student experience of learning. Findings suggest that changes in tutor awareness and teaching practices are correlated with a greater sense of belonging and positive experience of learning across a diverse student cohort. The article discusses the applied ...