Principle 3. Inclusivity and Diversity
Develop and teach courses through inclusion of content from multiple perspectives, considering diversity in all its forms, as understanding differing experiences is critical for all students’ deep learning.
Instructors are encouraged to select content to support and facilitate dialogue, interrogating barriers to inclusion. Knowledge experts from across disciplines have discovered critical gaps in their disciplines’ advancement and understanding based on conscious or unconscious exclusion of diverse experiences and perspectives. Therefore, in both research and teaching it is critical to actively counter disciplinary and other habits of bias through systematic evaluation of course content and pedagogy for diversity of viewpoint and population focus.
Teaching Resources for Inclusivity and Diversity
- Embrace and make visible inclusive course design as a valuable opportunity to interrogate historical consciousness and our assumptions about various peoples and ideologies.
- In introducing content, acknowledge systemic inequities–and the power and privilege that attend them in our disciplines, workforce, and global society–and use intentional course design to make visible and address these inequities.
- Practice culturally responsive teaching (CRT) to cultivate awareness of the identities and dynamics that shape educational experiences and impact learning, provide efficacious and responsive accommodations for equitable and optimal learning and assessment, and effectively leverage diversity in the course environment.
- Audit course content for 1) diversity and inclusion of authors and creators, noting gaps and areas of concentration and 2) diversity and inclusiveness of topics, examples, and experiences selected. Remain open to changing texts and voices highlighted.
- Critically evaluate texts for assumptions, stereotyping, and missing perspectives and bring these elements to students’ attention. Highlight contributions made by diverse voices made to the field to further facilitate inclusion. Avoid marginalizing non-dominant voices by highlighting and discussing homogeneity when it occurs.
- Demonstrate how understanding diverse voices is essential for creating high quality, rigorous, and competitive academic programs that serve student needs and continue to elevate the institution’s reputation.
- Avoid assuming familiarity with cultural references (for example, WASP or Lassie), understanding that few cultural references are widely shared, and assuming shared references undermines the confidence of those for whom the reference is unknown.