Teaching Inclusively In Higher Education

Teaching Inclusively brings together a broad array of current "best practices" in the design, implementation, and assessment of multicultural change initiatives on college and university campuses. Readers will find that this volume advocates for more transparent connections between change initiatives at individual, departmental, and college-wide levels by highlighting the ways in which such practices and change goals can relate to and support each other, thus addressing a noticeable absence in the current available literature.

Inclusive instruction is teaching that recognizes and affirms a student's social identity as an important influence on teaching and learning processes, and that works to create an environment in which students are able to learn from the course, their peers, and the teacher while still being their authentic selves. It works to disrupt traditional notions of who succeeds in the classroom and the systemic inequities inherent in traditional educational practices.—Full-time Academic Professional, Doctorate-granting University, EducationThis book uniquely offers the distilled wisdom of scores of instructors across ranks, disciplines and institution types, whose contributions are organized into a thematic framework that progressively introduces the reader to the key dispositions, principles and practices for creating the inclusive classroom environments (in person and online) that will help their students succeed. The authors asked the hundreds of instructors whom they surveyed as part of a national study to define what inclusive teaching meant to them and what inclusive teaching approaches they implemented in their courses. The instructors’ voices ring loudly as the authors draw on their responses, building on their experiences and expertise to frame the conversation about what inclusive teachers do. The authors in addition describe their own insights and practices, integrating and discussing current literature relevant to inclusive teaching to ensure a research-supported approach.Inclusive teaching is no longer an option but a vital teaching competency as our classrooms fill with racially diverse, first generation, and low income and working class students who need a sense of belonging and recognition to thrive and contribute to the construction of knowledge.The book unfolds as an informal journey that allows the reader to see into other teachers’ practices. With questions for reflection embedded throughout the book, the authors provide the reader with an inviting and thoughtful guide to develop their own inclusive teaching practices.By utilizing the concepts and principles in this book readers will be able to take steps to transform their courses into spaces that are equitable and welcoming, and adopt practical strategies to address the various inclusion issues that can arise.The book will also appeal to educational developers and staff who support instructors in their inclusive teaching efforts. It should find a place in reflective workshops, book clubs and learning communities exploring this important topic.

This powerful, practical resource helps faculty create an inclusive dynamic in their classrooms, so that all students are set up to succeed. Grounded in research and theory (including educational psychology, scholarship of teaching and learning, intergroup dialogue, and social justice theory), this book provides practical solutions to help faculty create an inclusive learning environment in which all students can thrive. Each chapter focuses on palpable ideas and adaptive strategies to use right away when teaching. The first chapter consider professors’ intersecting personal and social identities and their expectations for themselves and their students. Chapter 2 considers students’ backgrounds, including class, race, disability, and gender, and focuses on what students bring to the classroom, exploring their basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and belonging; their approaches to learning; and their self-doubts and uncertainties. Chapter 3 draws on universally-designed learning in combination with educational design rooted in social justice and multiculturalism to describe ways to design spaces in which students flourish academically. Two chapters focus on classroom dynamics. Chapter 4 primarily focuses on preparation for having difficult conversations in the classroom, considering how instructors can create a shared understanding between themselves and their students. Chapter 5 focuses on in-the-moment strategies to both create and manage discomfort about sensitive and controversial topics while supporting students of various social identities (such as gender, race, disability). In the closing chapter, the author integrates all the elements in the preceding chapters, and also presents more general college-wide programs to help faculty develop and improve their teaching.

This volume will provide educators with an understanding of challenges associated with equity and inclusion at higher education institutions globally and with evidence-based strategies for addressing the challenges associated with implementing equity and inclusion.

This book is designed for higher education instructors. The focus of the book is to assist all faculty instructors in higher education to better meet the needs of their student populations. It addresses the major issue of higher education teaching today: the need to reach all higher education students using active learning strategies. Higher education today is rapidly changing and faculty members are being presented with new types of students: ones who often have clear goals for bettering themselves, but at the same time lack what might have been considered to be basic skills necessary for success in a college or university setting. Instructors today must reach and bring all students into the college or university setting in an inclusive manner. The emphasis of this book is on student-focused strategies for teaching inclusively. This book will provide valuable strategies and practical techniques for instructors to develop inclusive college classrooms that promote the learning of all students. The audience targeted will be all instructors who work with higher education students, including students in community colleges and vocational institutions. The book is designed to be mainly practical instructional strategies with limited theoretical text and references. At the same time, major theories will be included to demonstrate why specific approaches are recommended. Although the authors and editors are from the field of education, the book is particularly valuable for all college instructors without a background in the discipline of education.

Faculty across disciplines want to provide equitable and inclusive classrooms to support all students, but they are overwhelmed by the content they must cover and have no time to address equity and inclusion in their teaching. Equity and inclusion need not be seen as extra work but as important objectives that guide curriculum development. This book provides strategies to create a more purposeful, intentional curriculum that addresses equity and inclusion across disciplines without compromising content. We bring together practical lesson plans and instructional options that faculty can use and adapt to deliver content in a way that is mindful of inclusion and equity.

It is widely recognised that the provision of an inclusive education is critical to maintaining high standards of learning and teaching for all students in higher education - a fact that is backed up by recent introduction of legislation and best practice guidelines around the world. This book is written for all practitioners in higher education today - many of whom may not have previous experience of working with disabled students, but now wish to develop a better understanding of the issues involved and of how they can improve their own practice. Towards Inclusive Learning in Higher Education is a rich source of practical advice and resources. Experienced contributors share their own techniques, outlining innovative methods and activities that will help both individuals and institutions to improve their classroom practice and develop inclusive curricula. The book explores the all the key areas in higher education today, including: the student's transition from FE to HE current barriers to inclusive education uses and requirements for information technology quality issues and benchmark descriptors examinations and assessment employability and work placements.

Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities have worked hard to make universal design in the built environment "just part of what we do." We no longer see curb cuts, for instance, as accommodations for people with disabilities, but perceive their usefulness every time we ride our bikes or push our strollers through crosswalks. This is also a perfect model for Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework grounded in the neuroscience of why, what, and how people learn. Tobin and Behling show that, although it is often associated with students with disabilities, UDL can be profitably broadened toward a larger ease-of-use and general diversity framework. Captioned instructional videos, for example, benefit learners with hearing impairments but also the student who worries about waking her young children at night or those studying on a noisy team bus. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students. It includes resources for readers who want to become UDL experts and advocates: real-world case studies, active-learning techniques, UDL coaching skills, micro- and macro-level UDL-adoption guidance, and use-them-now resources.