‘Inclusive Teaching’
Workshop: Decolonizing Our Teaching
Oct. 26, 2021—The exhortation to “decolonize” our syllabi and our teaching more generally has become increasingly common across higher education in recent years. For its many advocates, decolonization can include a wide variety of practices, such as the acknowledgement of indigenous land claims, understanding how the culture of colonialism has shaped our disciplines, diversifying the canons of...
Want to signal inclusion to your neurodivergent students? Use this syllabus statement
Jul. 29, 2021— In 2020-2021, a group of faculty met throughout the year to consider ways to promote equity and inclusion in their courses and programs (you can see a brief description of how they got started here). Keivan Stassun, professor of physics & astronomy, committed to developing a statement that faculty can use in their course...
Learning Community Focusing on the Needs of LGBTQI+ Students
Jun. 18, 2021—This year, the CFT and the KC Potter Center for LGBTQI Life hosted a learning community on ways faculty can better support the needs of LGBTQI+ students. Over twenty participants met throughout the year to explore LGBTQI+ student’s experiences inside and outside the classroom, to discuss scholarly literature on strategies for inclusion, and techniques of...
New Course Design Institute Focusing on Inclusive Teaching
Jun. 14, 2021—The Center for Teaching was pleased to offer a Course Design Institute on Inclusive Teaching, May 24-27, in which participants (re)designed courses with a focus on all aspects of inclusive teaching, particularly engaging a diverse range of voices and perspectives, supporting student belonging and empowerment, developing productive dialogues about difficult subjects, providing accessible assignments and activities,...
Supporting LGBTQI+ Students
Mar. 9, 2021— In March, the CFT, the K.C. Potter Center and Office of LGBTQI Life, and the Faculty Senate, are proud to co-sponsor two discussions about how faculty and staff can better support LGBQI+ students. On March 12th (12:00-1:30pm), after some preparatory readings/videos on various social and academic challenges LGBTQ+ students...
Striving Towards Inclusion in Academic Biology Spring Webinar Series
Jan. 12, 2021—The webinar series on Striving Towards Inclusion in Academic Biology continues this spring with nine seminars focusing on different elements of inclusion. While the series is supported by the Society for Advancement of Biology Education Research and targets academic biology, the webinars are led by scholars from a variety of disciplines (including Anjali Forber-Pratt, Department...
Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Online
Apr. 7, 2020—by Joe Bandy, CFT assistant director Teaching face-to-face presents many challenges, not least of which is the task of ensuring that all students feel belonging and have equal chances to thrive regardless of their abilities, identities, or perspectives. The online teaching environment suffers from all of the same obstacles to this and more, especially...
Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt: Joe Bandy and Accessibility and Inclusivity in an Environmental Course
Feb. 24, 2020—By Faith Rovenolt, CFT undergraduate intern During Spring 2020, the Teaching Innovations at Vanderbilt blog series will highlight teaching innovations that CFT staff have implemented and evaluated in their own courses. Taught by Dr. Joe Bandy, SOC 3314: Environmental Inequality and Justice covers the history, ethics, and policies of environmental activism and how the...
Science Teaching Lunch on more inclusive active learning classrooms: How groups of students are differentially impacted by active learning
Nov. 18, 2019—Join Professor Sara Brownell at a Science Teaching Lunch as she discusses her lab’s work investigating some “off-target” effects of active learning. Professor Brownell writes, “To what extent do students experience college science classrooms differently because of their social identities? How has transitioning traditional lecture courses to active learning spaces impacted students? What can instructors...
Teaching in the context of hate speech
Aug. 21, 2018—By Joe Bandy, CFT Assistant Director Many institutions of higher education aspire to encourage the liberal arts ideals of free speech, critical thought, and diverse perspectives so as to empower students to lead meaningful and purposeful lives, and to engage in our society as responsible citizens. This – in addition to growing campus diversification, student...