Designing for inclusive educational environments

Here are a number of other fantastic resources for inclusive teaching. We’d love to receive suggestions for others.

• Vanderbilt Centre for Teaching: one of Alison’s favourites because they address many forms of inclusive teaching (e.g., cognitive, affective, physical, race, language, mental health)

• Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Keep Teaching

• Universal Design for Learning

• The Canadian Society for Chemistry’s Accreditation Guidelines provide resources to help make teaching more inclusive, including for Indigenous students.

Some specific ideas for courses

Here are some ideas for things we can do, with a * next to items that members of the Flynn group currently do, to the best of our abilities.

EVERYONE

• Join a network, such as Canadians Working for Inclusivity in the Chemical Sciences, Engineering, and Technology Network (CWIC)*

• Be kind to others in the community*

• Invite conversations*

• Be forgiving of mistakes*

AS A STUDENT

• Invite others into conversations

• Ask questions about others’ experiences

AS A TEACHING ASSISTANT

• [coming soon]
  
  

AS A PROFESSOR

There are many ways to be inclusive in teaching, including cognitive, affective, physical, race, gender, language, and mental health. Below are just a few ideas. There still lots to do and we welcome suggestions that we can include here.

• Include a welcome for everyone in the syllabus*

• Meet or exceed requirements from the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)*

• Create variable opportunities for students to engage with the course (e.g., synchronous/asynchronous, video/text, assessment types, formal/informal)*

• Consider how flexibility in course format, deadlines, attendance, etc. may support student learning, particularly during a pandemic*

• Include learning outcomes related to equity, diversity, and inclusion, even if these are only self-assessed*

• Support student learning and wellness, such as resources in the course website (e.g., Brightspace). Many students have not explicitly learned-to-learn, particularly in an online environment. Options include the Growth & Goals module, sharing resources, and strategy sessions

• Highlight diverse scientists/chemists in each class*

• Begin classes with an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement*

• Increase Indigenous representation in courses (knowledge, art, etc.)

• Invite students from equity groups to reach out and share their experiences

  • Invite role models to share their experiences (video, text, in person)*

  • Promoting mentorship within communities and an emphasis on accessible science communication for all levels of knowledge

  • Be open to everyone/s ideas and thoughts when discussion*

  • Share EDI resources (e.g., in a Resources section on Brightspace)*

• Hold explicit class discussions about mutual respect and what to do if things go wrong*

• Highlight diverse scientists/chemists in each class*

• Begin classes with an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement*

• Increase Indigenous representation in courses (knowledge, art, etc.)

• Invite students from various groups to reach out and share their experiences

  • Invite role models to share their experiences (video, text, in person)*

  • Promoting mentorship within communities and an emphasis on accessible science communication for all levels of knowledge

  • Be open to everyone/s ideas and thoughts when discussion*

  • Share EDI resources (e.g., in a Resources section on Brightspace)*

*Actions that Alison has incorporated in her courses.

News

Students from CHM 2120 A (Organic Chemistry II) and Dr. Flynn recently wrote a letter to uOttawa President and Vice-Chancellor Jacques Frémont sharing our own efforts and asking for more communication and action from the University. The public version of the letter can be found here.