Take time on the first day of class or early in the semester to talk about the fact that adversity is to be expected in college, but it is temporary, and how you and the class will support each other to get through it. Why do I have to care about this when I teach… Read more »
More instructors are connecting their students to campus resources, particularly highlighting the services available at CAPS. As we navigate COVID, we are learning more about other equally meaningful connections students may need. Ensure your students know about other campus resources that could support their sense of belonging and, in turn, their success as a student…. Read more »
An easy way to build community in your online course is to learn and use students’ names. This is easy to do in synchronous online classes because participants’ names are displayed with their pictures. If a student’s preferred name doesn’t match their name on the roster, invite them to use the “Rename” feature in Zoom to… Read more »
Consider how the imagery you use in your class tells a story and communicates who belongs. Use services like Nappy.co to include high-quality photos and move beyond default image search results, which are heavily populated with white faces. Adobe Stock, which you can access through IU, also features broad representation in their photos. As you… Read more »
As you finalize your spring semester syllabus (or get started on it—no judgement here), you may want to put a diversity and inclusion statement in your syllabus. There is no standardized one-size-fits-all statement to use. These statements differ based on context (author, course content, course format). However, we can offer some advice and questions to… Read more »
If you’re working on documenting your teaching, you may read about “diversity statements.” These newish documents are asking candidates to write about their experiences (most often related to teaching, research, and service) related to anti-discrimination work. To start brainstorming what could go in your diversity statement, try to answer the following teaching-related questions: How have… Read more »