College classrooms present opportunities for transformative learning experiences, directly correlated with motivation, engagement and achievement (Zumbrunn et al. 2014).
Many teachers, however, feel underprepared to foster meaningful discourse or support a diverse student body. Inclusive teaching describes the range of approaches to teaching that create learning environments where all students feel valued and have equal access to learning.
Endorsement Outcomes
Instructors who earn an Inclusive Teaching in Higher Education Endorsement will:
- define inclusive teaching,
- discuss research on how effective inclusive teaching strategies impact learning,
- practice identifying opportunities and proactive measures for inclusive learning environments,
- identify challenges and supports to inclusion within their current courses,
- plan specific inclusive strategies to apply toward their teaching practice.
The Inclusive Teaching in Higher Education Endorsement offered by the Ohio College Teaching Consortium allows instructors to explore issues and tools for creating inclusive learning environments. Any instructor currently teaching at an Ohio post-secondary institution is eligible to participate.
Work Toward Your Endorsement
Step 1: Sign up to begin your journey to inclusive teaching.
Complete this interest form to set your intention and let the Ohio College Teaching Consortium Planning Committee know that you are interested. You will be asked for your name, your higher education institution affiliation, your appointment, your discipline and your courses.
Step 2: Select from, register for, and participate in at least six workshops, events, or sessions.
A number of Ohio higher education institutions, organizations and centers and offices for teaching and learning contribute workshops and sessions designed to promote inclusive teaching practices and evidence-based instructional strategies. These events feature international or national speakers, as well as regional and local experts. They all have in common a focus on practices you can implement to improve student achievement of learning outcomes or enhance the student experience in your course. Our events are regularly updated, so be sure to check our events page frequently. In addition, some of our events are recorded for on-demand viewing. They may be counted towards the endorsement.
Step 3: Complete a post-event report for each event.
Use this link to submit a post-event report after each event. You will be asked which session you attended and to briefly describe one thing you learned and how you might use it in your own teaching. You will also have the opportunity to evaluate the usefulness of the event. Your responses will be emailed to you and you should keep these so that you can later complete the final step. You will not receive any feedback on these reports, but OCTC leadership will keep a record of your attendance via these reports.
Step 4: Complete a final reflection.
After you have attended six events, submit a final reflection to receive the endorsement. This reflection will ask you to define inclusive teaching, explain one or more ways you have tried to make your teaching more inclusive, and discuss challenges to inclusive teaching. You will want to gather the emails from the six event reports you submitted in order to refresh your memory on which events you attended. Use this link to submit your final reflection.
Step 5: Wait for your certificate of completion.
Final reflections will be read by members of the OCTC Planning Committee on a regular basis. Once the committee has read your final reflection, you will be notified that you have received the endorsement and will be emailed a certificate. If you are not contacted within 8 weeks, email us at OHteaching@gmail.com.
Past OCTC Events for the Inclusive Teaching Endorsement
- Breaking Barriers with Pedagogical Practice: Strategies for Faculty to Support Equity and Inclusion for Parenting and Caregiving (Kent State University)
- Infusing a Growth Mindset Culture Throughout Your Courses (University of Cincinnati)
- What Does it Mean to Engage and Support Today’s Students? (University of Cincinnati)
- Responding to International (ELL) Students’ Writing (Miami University)
- Designing Rubrics for Equitable Grading in Your Course (University of Cincinnati)
- Introduction to Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Strategies for Teaching Assistants (TAs) (University of Cincinnati)
- Cuyahoga Community College Annual Faculty Colloquium, 2023 (Cuyahoga Community College)
- Course Design for Equity (Ohio University Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment)
- From Debate to Dialogue: Conversation Strategies for Building Connection Across Difference (The Ohio State University)
- Connections, Community and Belonging for First Generation Students (Kent State University)
- Approaches to Assessment of International (ELL) Students’ Writing (Miami University)
- Building Belongingness in Your Class (Ohio University Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment)
- Understanding Race, Racism and Anti-Racism (Kent State University)
- Safe Space Ally Training (Kent State University)
- Teaching About Violence (Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning)
- What Do I Do in the Moment? Addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusive and Justice Issues in Teaching (University of Cincinnati)
- Providing Students with Feedback to Promote Motivation, Persistence and Retention (University of Cincinnati)
- Workshop on Equity (Kent State University)
- Promoting Mindset Supportive Practices in F2F and Online Settings (Motivate Lab and Strong Start to Finish)
- Becoming a Student Ready University: Strategies for Teaching First Generation Students (Kent State University)
- Teaching Strategies for Equity (Ohio Department of Higher Education)