Inclusive Teaching Endorsement Events
Upcoming Events at a Glance
- Anti-bias Workshop Series: February through June
- Pukllay Pampa: Instructional Strategies for the Open Classroom: May 12
- Is it Working? Assessing Inclusive Teaching Strategies, May 24
Anti-Bias Workshop Series
Kent State University invites those seeking an Inclusive Teaching Endorsement to attend its Center for Teaching and Learning Anti-Bias Workhops. Session information and registration links are included below for each of the sessions in the series.
- Kent State University Anti-Bias Workshop Series Session 4: Safe Space Ally Training – May 17, 9 to 11 a.m.
- Kent State University Anti-Bias Workshop Series Session 4: Safe Space Ally Training – May 18, 2 to 4 p.m .
- Kent State University Anti-Bias Workshop Series Session 5: Creating an Inclusive Classroom – June 15, 1 to 3 p.m.
- Kent State University Anti-Bias Workshop Series Session 5: Creating an Inclusive Classroom – June 23, 10 a.m. to noon
Pukllay Pampa: Instructional Strategies for the Open Classroom
Thursday, May 12
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Facilitators: Michelle Wibbelsman and Amanda Tobin Ripley, The Ohio State University
This session promises to challenge instructors’ assumptions of classroom learning through presentation of an Andean-inspired Pukllay Pampa– “playing ground” of ideas and practices. Michelle Wibbelsman, associate professor of Latin American Indigenous Cultures, Ethnographic Studies and Ethnomusicology in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The Ohio State University, will present on a set of instructional methods and practices that open the classroom, creating an inclusive environment.
In Pukllay Pampa, participants create freely in the realm of possibility, on a space of transformation, a pampaor conceptual open field that connotes openness and potentiality where play has the effect of reinvigorating skill and creativity.
This session showcases applied methods and practices emergent from OSU’s Kawsay Ukhunchay Andeam and Amazonian Indigenous Art and Cultural Artifacts Research Collection. The project centers around engagement with indigenous epistemologies and practices as experiential, activities- and collaborative project-based pedagogical approaches that can inform and enrich our learning experiences.
This session will model dialogical exchange between the two presenters and focus on instructional strategies for an open classroom model.
According to Wibbelsman and co-presenter Amanda Tobin Ripley, “Our discussion will problematize practices of frontloading outcomes as fundamentally at odds with epistemologies that prioritize process and rehearsing emergent forms of inquiry, collective reflection, collaboration and intercultural engagement that often lead to unpredictable and exciting outcomes.
“We highlight the value of shifting spaces of learning that break out of assigned classrooms to make use of the wealth of resources at an R1 institution and consider the benefits of less structured approaches to learning that promote joy, wonder, excitement, inquisitiveness, and, yes, fun as key elements for sustained and sustainable DEI work and for cultivating a passion for life-long learning among our students.”
Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Are They Working?
Tuesday, May 24
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Assessing the effectiveness of inclusive teaching practices should be an ongoing effort that leads to positive classroom environments and/or learning outcomes.
What we often don’t consider is how we will eventually know what worked and what didn’t. This workshop will suggest ways to generate data and student feedback to determine whether or not changes to your teaching practice are effective.
Moreover, the process for assessing student learning or the impact of instrutional strategies on the learning context need not require extensive expertise or data analysis. With some planning and focused design, classroom assessment techniques can be easily integrated.
After this workshop participants will be able to:
- Identify multiple forms of assessment of student learning to understand the impact and effectiveness of instructional practices.
- Consider which forms of assessment will work best in your course given the discipline, course modality and your time constraints.
- Develop a plan for building assessments into a course.
Faciliators:
- Dave Sovic, Ph.D., Assistant Director for Instructional Redesign and Research-related Programs, Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University.
- Melinda Rhodes-DiSalvo, Ph.D., Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships and Operations, Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University.
On-demand Events
Fairness, Equity and Values in STEM Grades and Grading
Course grades are concrete outcomes with real-world consequences for students, but to what extent are grades consistent and fair? Moreover, do grades award what we value or both signal and cause inequity? Data on the grades we give students can help us to gain more insight into answers for these questions.
In this workshop, Andrew Heckler, professor of physics at Ohio State, will share his analysis of grading data, focusing on distinctions between grades on exams and assignments and demonstrating the extent to which grading is inconsistent between sections, instructors and semesters, considering measures of prior preparation, such as ACT scores and prior course grade. He also examines how these inconsistencies extend to the demographic factors of gender and race.
Heckler will explain that instructors can choose to decrease these disparities by making changes — some of them simple — in grading practices.
Presenter: Andrew Heckler, professor of physics, The Oho State University
Partner: Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
Assessing and Developing Intercultural Competence
In this webinar, we will report on a longitudinal study on the development of Intercultural Competence (ICC) in students enrolled in an elementary Italian language sequence (IT1101-1103). We will begin by describing how training interventions were incorporated into each course, what the interventions, in-class debriefing discussions and post-intervention reflections looked like, and how students were tested on this work.
This will be followed by a presentation on how instructors responded to the reflections and the exam responses and a brief discussion on how instructor training on inclusive teaching will help instructors manage these delicate interactions.
Finally, we will report on how data for the longitudinal study was collected and assessed and the results of this study in terms of the impact of the ICC interventions on students’ ICC development.
Presenters: Cindy Jiang, Office of International Affairs, Janice M. Aski, Department of French and Italian, April Weintritt, Department of French and Italian, The Ohio State University
Partner: Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
Learning Analytics to Support Inclusive Instruction
This panel, led by faculty from Columbus State Community College and Lorain County Community College, focuses on the use of Institutional Research (IR) data to evaluate program curriculum and identify classroom instructional strategies that support student success.
Attendees will learn how partnerships between IR staff and faculty at Columbus State and Lorain County Community College have promoted inclusive teaching practices and learning contexts. Panelists will share strategies with participants, who are encouraged to consider leveraging data available to them at their own institutions. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to consider “real life” data sets relevant to the success of first-generation, returning adult learners and students of color.
Partners: Columbus State Community College and Lorain County Community College
Introduction to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Simple Strategies
This workshop is a basic introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) teaching strategies and is designed for instructors who are just starting to dip their toes into creating more inclusive and equitable courses.
We will briefly explore four areas: course content, instructor presence, participation and assessment, and student feedback. Participants will discuss strategies within these four areas in breakout groups (verbally or through chat) and choose a few strategies to implement in the spring semester.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- explain the relationship between Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the impact on students’ sense of belonging as well as success within a course,
- explore a variety of strategies within the areas of course content, instructor presence, participation and assessment, and student feedback to create more inclusive and equitable courses,
- identify a few strategies they plan to implement in their own teaching to create more inclusive and equitable courses.
Presenter: Anna Donnell, assistant director, University of Cincinnati Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning
Partner: University of Cincinnati Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning
Inclusive Teaching: Responding to -isms in the Classroom
Have you ever been in a class discussion when a student said something biased, but you weren't sure how to respond as the instructor? Whether due to high pressure, not being an expert on the identity group being targeted, or simply not knowing what to say in the moment, many of us struggle to address biased comments in the classroom — especially if we are not sure whether the student making the biased comment meant to cause harm.
As educators, we must be empowered to take action when bias manifests in our classrooms so that we can build inclusive connections with all students. This session incorporates research related to the bystander effect, microaggressions, perceptions of bias in college classrooms, and benefits of creating inclusive learning environments.
Following this session, participants will be able to:
- apply techniques to communicate effectively in challenging situations, facilitate educational conversations in response to comments/actions that are racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, etc.,
- avoid eliciting a defensive reaction from the student who has (perhaps unintentionally) caused harm through their biased remarks.
Presenter: Lena Tenney, diversity, equity & inclusion officer, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University
Partner: Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
Creating a Culture of Caring
Higher education is trapped in crises of budgets, learning, politics (internal and external) and COVID-19. The financial and political storms before us will require our sector to transform structures and cultures. Our students can save us from ourselves — if we will just listen. In his keynote, Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president of Amarillo College, describes how Amarillo College transformed their institution through a systemic culture of caring, and a clear theory of change.
Presenter: Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, president, Amarillo College
Partner: Ohio Association of Community Colleges
Foundations of Inclusive Teaching
What is inclusive teaching and why does it matter? This session explores foundational principles for teaching inclusivity through the lens of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participants will contrast the concept of non-performativity to effective practices offered by UDL. They will also discuss equity in the classroom, student identity, and strategies in order to cultivate a welcome learning environment. Participants will:
consider non-performativity as a barrier to inclusive teaching,
review UDL as a framework for applying inclusive teaching strategies,
make decisions about best practices for inclusivity in own course.
Presenters: Shadia Siliman, instructional consultant, Laurie Maynell, assistant director, Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
Partner: Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
Online Teaching to Support Inclusion
Student success has many components that rely on people from all over the university. In this session, participants will explore their student audience, adult learner attributes, course design that supports inclusion, and tips and ideas to consider when applying inclusive techniques to their classes. This handout was also shared with attendees.
Presenters: Dawn Clineman, director, Carolyn Stoll, associate director, University of Cincinnati Online
Partner: University of Cincinnati
Strategies for responding empathetically: Umasking best practices during a pandemic
Rapport is a critical component of every college class, but even more so when we are disconnected from one another during a pandemic as well as a time of social unrest. It is imperative as educators that our students understand not only the material, but also feel emotionally supported. We will discuss methods for gauging the emotional and intellectual well-being of our students through weekly mental health check-ins; the development of easy ways to connect with instructors via virtual office hours and Canvas chat tools; and the creation of low-stakes engagement assignments (such as the creation of memes, songs, and videos). Additionally, we will discuss empathetic approaches to prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion in order to support both our students as well as our colleagues.
Facilitated by: Megan Church-Nally, Assistant Professor-Educator, Organizational Leadership and Julie Weast-Knapp, Associate Professor-Educator, Psychology
Partner: University of Cincinnati, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning
Intro to Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Strategies for Teaching Assistants (TAs)
In this interactive virtual workshop, Teaching Assistants (TAs) will explore how they can support student learning by gaining awareness of the student experience and working to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment. Coming together with other graduate students, participants are also welcome to share tips and strategies that have helped them in the past and challenges they anticipate for the upcoming year. Participants will investigate how to infuse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into their teaching and how this may be similar or different to faculty. We welcome graduate students who are TAs as well as those interested in teaching to attend.
Learning outcomes: By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Discuss how to increase awareness of the student experience to support student learning
- Describe strategies Teaching Assistants (TAs) can use to create an inclusive and equitable learning environment
- Identify strategies they would like to implement within their role as a TA.
Access Moves in the Pandemic Classroom: or, Stuff I'm Trying Out!
Upon completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to
- Offer a nuanced definition of “access” in classrooms, with a particular emphasis on access as an interactive experience (rather than something that one person does “for” another).
- Reflect on their own access needs as well as their students’.
- Create a list of concrete ideas to try out in their own classrooms, with the explicit goal of moving toward access rather than achieving access all at once.
Inclusive Pedagogies for Neurodiverse Students
Neurodiversity, the spectrum of neurological variations around learning, communication, social interaction and other cognitive functions, can impact student success in college. These cognitive processing differences, which may come with diagnoses like autism spectrum disorder, ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, provide us with opportunities to use teaching strategies that help these, and all, students succeed. In this workshop we will explore teaching practices that create classrooms that better welcome neurodiverse students and are inclusive for all learners.
After this workshop participants will be able to:
- Diversify their teaching strategies with inclusive practices.
- Structure their courses to support student success.
- Notice the signs of stress and anxiety in neurodiverse students and intervene.
Facilitated by: Dr. Jennifer Yates, Ph.D., assistant provost for faculty development, teaching and learning; director of the Center for Faculty Excellence; professor, psychological science, Lander University, Greenwood, SC.
Asset-based strategies handout Checklist for transparent assignments handout
Pedagogies for neurodiverse group work handout Scientific storytelling handout
Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching
Rita Kumar, Ph.D., executive director, Faculty Enrichment Center, Office of the Provost, University of Cincinnati and Brenda Refaei, Ed.D., co-director of the Learning + Teaching Center and a professor of English and Communication at the University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash College, will join the OCTC to discuss their new publication from the University of Chicago Press, Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching, which details the necessity for an inclusive curriculum with examples of discipline-specific activities and modules.
The Presence and Consequences of Stereotype Threat
Stereotype threat is a phenomenon in which a person's concern about confirming a negative stereotype can lead them to underperform on a challenging assessment or test. Studies show that the self-awareness of stereotypes about one's group can supress intelligence, motivation, curiosity and ultimately, achievement.
In this workshop, Dr. Whitney Gaskins of the University of Cincinnati, will explain stereotype threat, the science behind it and provide strategies to combat it in your students, your employees and yourself.
Facilitated by: Whitney Gaskins, Ph.D., assistant dean of inclusive excellence and community engagement, College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Cincinnati.
Check back for link to the recording.
Past Events
Understanding Race, Racism and Anti-Racism (May 3 and 13)
This workshop was offered by Kent State University Division through a partnership between the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Goals of the workshop are to:
- define relevant terms for understanding race, racism and anti-racism,
- discuss how social location influences understanding on the journey to become anti-racist,
- identify the ways institutional policies and practices perpetuate racism,
- identify action steps to employ anti-racist strategies.
Partner: Kent State University
Safe Space Ally Training (April 2021)
This workshop is offered by Kent State University Division through a partnership between the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Goals of the workshop are to:
- develop a deeper awareness of personal ideas, stereotypes, and assumptions related to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students,
- develop an increased comfort level in addressing concepts and language regarding LGBTQ communities with students and the university community,
- develop an increased awareness of services that support LGBTQ and allied individuals,
- develop a network of community to support people of all sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expression.
Partner: Kent State University
Teaching About Violence (March 31, 2020)
For many instructors, teaching topics related to violence (such as the pandemic, war, genocide, hate crimes and sexual violence), can be daunting, or perhaps even anxiety-provoking.
Cultural taboos around discussing violence might tempt instructors to skip over deeper analyses, which risks leaving students with "bad feelings" about violence, rather than any disciplinary or theoretical tools for understanding it.
In this workshop, participants will discuss the challenges and concerns that surround teaching about violence and acquire strategies to help facilitate generative classroom experiences.
After this workshop participants will be able to:
- explain why, indirectly or not, addressing violence with students can be problematic,
- articulate how violence connects to their teaching,
- articulate their classroom goals for teaching about violence,
- describe strategies for discussing violence with students.
Partner: Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
What Do I Do in the Moment? Addressing Diversity, Equity, Inclusive and Justice Issues in Teaching (March 24, 2020)
Encountering racism, implicit bias and microaggressions in the classroom presents an opportunity for discussion and learning. However, it can be challenging to know how to address comments in the moment. The aim of the workshop is to create a space for dialogue and sharing strategies for addressing these issues in the moment, as well as how to move forward with a continued discussion, if needed.
In this workshop, we will begin with guiding principles for addressing racism in the classroom, and then move into a community centered conversation on identifying and addressing both subtle and more blatant forms of racism in the classroom through the use of case studies.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- recognize microaggressions and subtle forms of racism,
- reflect on the variety of viewpoints and perspectives on how fellow workshop participants react to racism in the classroom,
- identify strategies and classroom policies they will use in their teaching to explicitly address racism.
Presenters: Kimber Andrews and Anna Donnell, University of Cincinnati Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Partner: University of Cincinnati
Providing Students with Feedback to Promote Motivation, Persistence and Retention (Feb. 24, 2020)
The type of feedback instructors provide has a significant impact on students’ subsequent performance. This interactive online workshop is designed to give instructors the tools needed to give feedback that promotes engagement, motivation and persistence.
During the workshop, we will explore theories of motivation, mindset, and stereotype threat and how instructors can use these concepts to provide feedback that support all students’ desire to learn and improve. Important to this effort is making sure feedback conveys high expectations, along with the instructor’s assurance that the student can meet them.
The workshop will culminate with an opportunity for participants to practice providing such feedback in the context of one of their own courses.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- identify best practices for providing students with feedback that promotes engagement, motivation and persistence,
- incorporate these best practices into written and oral feedback to students,
- reflect on how they might improve the quality of feedback they provide to students in the future.
Presenter: Beth Faller, University of Cincinnati Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Partner: University of Cincinnati
Workshop on Equity (Feb. 22, 2020)
This workshop was offered by Kent State University Division through a partnership between the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Goals of the workshop are to:
- increase our awareness and understanding of terms relevant to equity,
- explore the importance of identity, self-awareness, and blind spots,
- recognize individual and institutional detours to equity.
Partner: Kent State University
Promoting Mindset Supportive Practices in F2F and Online Settings (Dec. 11, 2020)
Students with productive learning mindsets are more motivated to take on challenging work, persist in the face of setbacks and achieve at higher levels. In this webinar, participants will learn about the role of learning mindsets and how they can use this knowledge to help their own students succeed.
Yoi Tibbetts from the University of Virginia's Motivate Lab leads a session focused on three main learning mindsets, collectively referred to as Mindset GPS:
- Growth mindset: belief that intelligence can be developed
- Purpose and relevance: belief that learning is valuable
- Sense of belonging: belief that the student belongs in the school environment
Partners: Motivate Lab and Strong Start to Finish
Becoming a Student Ready University: Strategies for Teaching First Generation Students (Nov. 10, 2020)
The Kent State Center for Teaching and Learning and University College hosted an interactive virtual workshop during their I Am First Celebration week.
Partner: Kent State University Center for Teaching and Learning
Teaching Strategies for Equity (Oct. 22, 2020)
Tia Brown McNair, vice president in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Student Success and executive director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), delivered the keynote address at the Ohio Strong Start to Finish Fall 2020 Learning Network Convening.
Visit the SSTF 2020 Fall Learning Network Convening site for more information.
Partner: Ohio Department of Higher Education
Endorsees
OCTC Inclusive Teaching Endorsement awardees represent community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and Research I institutions. They are graduate students, adjunct instructors, full professors, administrators and staff. What they have in common is a commitment to instructional excellence.