Learning Outcome: Apply the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to course design and teaching.

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

The Universal Design for Learning framework is grounded in three cognitive networks: affective, recognition, strategic. Each of these three networks uses a principle that can in turn be used to guide design and practice.

Before you move on, please go through the UDL Guidelines and identify some key pieces to help begin your journey in navigating the UDL framework:

• Brain networks
• Connection to learning
• Goal
• Expert learner
• Access
• Internalize

Watch the video below to have a glance at UDL.

More resources:

• Universal Design Guide Book
• Why UDL is Essential to Higher Ed article

Comment: Explore the materials provided above or on the Internet. What are the benefits and potential challenges of the UDL application? 

Make an Update: Find an article, video, or infographic about applying UDL in teaching and learning. How you can adapt to your own teaching?

Learning Outcome: Incorporate the Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) framework to integrate cultural content and awareness to enhance achievement for all students.

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) is a framework for teaching that integrates cultural content and awareness to enhance achievement for all students. Although it was first developed in K-12 circles, CRT can be applied to college teaching and benefits all students (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009). Watch the video (7 min) below to understand the concept of CRT.

                                                                 (NYC CEJ, 2019)

CRT recognizes that intrinsic motivation matters for student learning. Motivation can be enhanced or reduced by classroom conditions. Motivation is connected to cultural backgrounds and forms of learning, which means that faculty have a responsibility to promote a culturally responsive teaching environment in their classrooms. To do so, instructors can develop norms and practices for the following four conditions:

1. Establish inclusion by creating a learning environment in which learners and teachers feel respected and connected to one another.
2. Develop a positive attitude towards learning through personal relevance and volition.
3. Enhance meaning by creating challenging and engaging learning experiences that include learners’ perspectives and values.
4. Engender competence to help learners see how they are effectively learning something they value and that is of authentic value to their community.

More Resources:

• Framework for Diversity and Inclusion (webinar, 30 min)

• Nine Ways to Implement Culturally Responsive Teaching During Distance Learning (article, 15 min)

• Zaretta Hammond "Culturally Responsive Teaching" at the San Francisco Public Library (video, 30 min)

Comment: What's your student demographic look like? Who are marginalized students in your classroom/school/district?

Make an update: Find an article/ blog/ video/ scholarly research about CRT. What are the barriers or challenges for educators to apply CRT in course design and teaching? What are the benefits of applying CRT in education?

Learning Outcome: Enhance Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in all delivery of instruction.

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

What do we mean by inclusive teaching?

In an inclusive classroom, the instructor and students move away from assumptions that some students are lacking and move toward the idea that learning environments and course designs lacking structure are a problem.

• Unstructured learning environments can lead to unfairness, feelings of exclusion, and collisions of students’ cultural backgrounds with the learning environment.
• Adding structure to learning environments can mitigate unfairness, promote feelings of inclusion, and promote student success.

The video below Yale Chief Diversity Officer Deborah Stanley-McAulay on why it’s important to start with understanding your own diversity story and ways to improve organizational diversity and inclusion.

                                                               (Educause, 2017)

Hogan and Sathy (2021) shared some practical tips on creating inclusive classroom:

•Prompt students to interact socially by introducing themselves and providing basic info about their gender identities and names.

•Use colored boxes in PowerPoint to provide clear instructions on structured activities. Giving expectations about timing adds structure.

•Use methods that allow everyone to feel comfortable participating:

– Learn or have access to all student names

– Use “wait time” of 5-7 seconds before calling on students

– Monitor and vary who gets to share with class.

– Assign reporters for small groups

– Allow students time to write (notecards)

– Allow students anonymous ways to participate (note card shuffle)

•Working agreement about the rules, i.e. “you won’t be cold-called unless you have discussed with your group and are simply reporting for your group.” Allow “pass” as an option.

•Allow quiet THINK time in the think-pair-share.

•Routinely use small groups rather than all large class discussion.

•Wait for multiple hands or call on parts of the room.

•Use technology or paper to collect answers.

•Be explicit about promoting access and equity for all students. Tell students, “you all belong here.”

•Ensure diverse role models are represented in the course and that the reading lists are from diverse people.

•Explicitly acknowledging the differences that exist with students and that with a growth mindset all students can achieve.

•Use anonymous ways of reporting for students to build confidence that they belong with these peers.

•Use varied active-learning activities that include small groups and think-pair-share.

•Use random calling to reduce bias in who is called upon.

•Course structure with required (not optional) practice before, during, and after class.

•Syllabus that has clear dates/deadlines specific readings, goals, etc.

•Objectives presented for each lesson with less “telling” and more “asking” so students can learn what they know and don’t know.

•Assessments that align with objectives.

•Collect assessment evidence from every student, every class.

•Low stakes practice assessments to help the student practice high stakes assessments.

•Many lower stakes quizzes rather than 3 high stakes exams.

•Explicitly acknowledging the differences that exist with students and that with a growth mindset all students can achieve.

•Include respectful communication in learning objectives for the course.

•Set up “ground rules” that define respectful communication in the class.

•Select preparation reading that will be read by all—consider length, density, relevance.

•Choose “grounding” in-class content such as a video, audio selection, in-class reading that can be used as an anchor for discussion.

•Set up discussion with acknowledgement that there will be differing views.

•Develop and implement a case to discuss.

•Give a writing prompt to allow students to organize their thoughts before discussion.

•Consider a "warm-up" writing prompt to take view opposite of student’s own.

•Assign viewpoints to pairs to encourage taking others’ perspective.

•Reinforce appropriate communication and behaviors.

•Model respectful communication.

 

More Resources:

• How to Center DEI in Teaching
• Example pre-class/zoom activities

• The Chronicle of Higher Education Advice Guide on Making Your Teaching More Inclusive

• The Chronicle of Higher Education piece on inclusive teaching featuring Hogan and Sathy

 

Comment: Have you done any practices in your work/school/institutions to promote inclusion? Who inspired you to do this and why did you do it? 

Create an update: Look up an article, research, or video, share one example of inclusive teaching and analyze the pros and cons. 

Learning Outcome: Examine the considerations that influence curriculum design and assessment from an anti-racist perspective

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

 

Definition of Antiracist Pedagogy is:

Conceptualize antiracist pedagogy as an entangled cluster of human bodies (such as those of pedagogues and students), and non-human bodies (such as curricular texts) in the context of teaching and learning that is aimed at dismantling Whiteness and racism (Ohito, 2020).

Dr. Melissa Crum is an artist, education consultant and diversity practitioner who works with many educators in urban schools. She noticed that many teachers had challenges teaching and relating to students who did not share their same cultural background. So, she worked with a museum educator to create an arts-based professional development series that helps educators think about how they are thinking about their diverse students. Her personal story and professional practice work together to tell a creative, inspiring, and eye-opening message that everyone must hear.

The picture above showed four reflections around the curriculum design triangle: Reflections on identity, assessments, pedagogy, and resources.

More Resources:

• Anti-racist Pedagogy Webinar (1 hour)
• Equity scorecard
• ORID model
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matters: solutions, actions, resources

 

Comment: Which subgroups of students are struggling or excelling in their experiences? What are the needs and experiences of students from underrepresented backgrounds?

Create an update: Look into an article, video, or research, what actions/models/principles have been taken to address the gaps in the learning experiences between different groups of students? 

Learning Outcome: Understand the impact of stereotypes and biased statements, even when casually said.

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

Valerie Purdie-Vaughns explains the implicit bias in the video below. 

                                                                 (Big Think, 2014)

Stereotypes
■ An oversimplified image or statement applied to a whole group of people, without
regard for the individual.

Bias
■ A predisposition to see events, people or items in a positive or negative way. Bias is
an attitude or belief.

There ARE ways to speak up without blaming or shaming the other person. The key is to
assume the other person is a decent human being and did not intend harm.

Anyone can speak up in the face of demeaning or stereotypical comments. You don’t have
to be the boss. A simple phrase or question on your part can turn a conversation from
destructive to productive.

An ally is someone who speaks up on behalf of someone else. Sometimes as a bystander,
you have more power to influence change than does the targeted person, who may not be
present, may feel powerless to speak up, or may be stunned into silence.
One voice – your voice – can make a difference. So, go ahead, speak up on behalf of
respect:

• Assume Good Intent and Explain Impact
• Ask a Question
• Interrupt and Redirect
• Broaden to Universal Human Behavior
• Make It Individual
• Say Ouch (Aguilar, 2006)!

Comment: Do you ever hear stereotypes or other demeaning comments in this community? Organization? How do stereotypes and bias generate?

Create an update: Look up in the research article, media, or books, list the reasons individuals sometimes remain silent in the face of stereotypes or other demeaning comments. Or share some practices to dismantle stereotypes and bias in the education context. 

 

Learning Outcome: Teach in ways that are equitable and inclusive in an online environment.

Estimated time to complete this section: 1-2 hours

To-Do Items: Read the prompts at the end of this section to make a Comment and Update. Also, try to view your peers' comments and update and engage in meaningful conversation around the topic.

There are a lot of ways that online/hybrid teaching can enhance or hinder classroom equity. Equitable teaching means that the outcomes of our teaching are “fair and just” regardless of the differences that the students bring to the classroom. Even though we may have the good intention to treat students equally, good intentions alone are often not sufficient. Learn concrete strategies to make your online/hybrid teaching more equitable. The webinar below discusses the biggest challenges of DEI amidst the global pandemic.

                                                            (One Schoolhouse, 2020)

Accessibility

There are three aspects of accessibility that are key here – accessibility for students with physical impairments that may create challenges for reading/seeing/hearing digital files and content, accessibility for students with psychological and/or learning differences that require certain accommodations such as extra time to process materials or additional exam time, and accessibility for students with limited access to computers or stable internet service.

· Ensure that there is an alternative format available ie, transcript for audio or closed captioning on media.

· Provide approved accommodations for students who present accommodation letters from the Disability Support Services office

· Check whether content is mobile-friendly

· Consider variation in students’ access to computers and stable internet service

 

Aware and Mindful of Various & Multiple Identities

A critical feature of equity-minded teaching is the acknowledgement that our students are NOT all the same, that they come to us with sometimes vastly different experiences, and those experiences are often tied to their social identities (i.e., race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, first-gen status, etc.). In the virtual environment, and at this particular moment, there are several ways that you can incorporate that acknowledgement into your course in meaningful ways.

· Address microaggressions and concerning language in discussion boards, chats, and other places where students interact

· Consider integrating culturally-relevant materials and know that ODECE is happy to be in consultation

· Be aware of variation in students’ capacity to manage remote learning

· Be aware of how the current situation is impacting different communities

 

Relational

While establishing supportive interpersonal relationships with students is one of the most fundamental tenets of effective teaching, it can be particularly important for students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds.

· Continue to have opportunities for live, synchronous engagement

· Talk to your students about what is happening

· Build/maintain community among students

· Provide students with support and resources

 

Flexibility and Openness

A key aspect of equitable and inclusive teaching, in general, is recognizing and working with the diversity of our students, along multiple dimensions. As you move your course into a different modality, try to stay open to trying a few new things; you may find that one silver lining to this situation is that you discover new ways of teaching that are both better for your students and more enjoyable for you!

· Have flexible policies: Review your syllabus and consider what changes might be needed to your grading weights, late policies, and other course policies in order to accommodate this transition

· Think about alternative ways that students can engage with your course (flexible activities)

· Think about alternative ways that students can show you what they have learned (flexible assessments) (Office for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement, 2020).

More Resources:

• Equity-Minded Worksheet for Instructors of Online Courses
• SYLLABUS REVIEW GUIDE FOR EQUITY-MINDED PRACTICE

 

Comment: Did you see any digital divide in your student? If yes, what caused the digital divide? Or share other challenges of student learning in the digital age.

Create an update: Look into research, media, or books, share some best practices of learning technology/teaching methods that promote DEI in the online learning environment. 

Directions

A project or application to apply learning to local and specific contexts in support of the learning objectives (six learning outcomes). choose from one of the following application projects. Select an activity that is most meaningful for your professional learning, context, and goals. Share about your project in the application discussion forum, and engage with your colleagues on their projects.

1. Plan and Create: Design an activity for a class that you are designing or teaching that applies at least two concepts from this learning module. In the application discussion forum, share your activity as well as how it fosters social and/or emotional connections, or how it incorporates principles from UDL and/or CRT, etc.
2. Research and Respond: Take a deeper dive on one topic from the updates. Investigate the scholarly literature or other media such as blog posts, book chapters, or articles presenting teaching tips. Discuss your learning, and how you plan to implement what you’ve learned in your design or facilitation practice, in our application forum.
3. Share Your Learning: Create a plan for a professional development session for your colleagues based on your experience in this learning module. Include an overview, session agenda, and a description of the activities you’ll lead participants through. Ideally, include details about when and in what format you will offer this session. Discuss your plan in our forum.

Rubric

This rubric will be used to assess your final project work by the trainer. Learners must submit the work and meet all criteria at the 'Proficient' level to pass this learning module. This rubric will also be used as the peer-review process to provide feedback to your peers. 

Timeline:

1. Learners submit the first draft of the work (Due Sunday of week 4)
2. Learners provide 2-3 peer review feedback (Due Sunday of week 6)
3. Learners revise the work and submit the final version (Due Sunday of week 8)
4. Trainer provide feedback to learners (Due Sunday of week 9)