Annual Inclusive Classroom Training

CELT has presented the Inclusive Classroom workshops to over 400 individuals since 2015. This Inclusive Classroom framework serves as the foundation for the annual Inclusive Classroom training. CELT will, “… conduct annual training for faculty in each academic department on the importance of, and approaches to, creating an inclusive classroom environment” which supports the “University actions to address racism and discrimination” outlined in these ten actions (PDF), and President Wintersteen’s message from Nov. 8, 2019 (PDF).

CELT evolved this framework into the mandatory annual Inclusive Classroom for each department beginning January 2020. There are three modules in a Canvas course that participants complete before the training and then participate with their department in a 1 to 1.5-hour training. CELT completed 41 departments in spring 2020, with the remaining 18 completed in fall 2020. To date, 1,144 faculty members have responded to the post-workshop survey: 98% strongly agree/agree that they “recognize why teaching inclusively is important,” with 93% stating that they have “identified course-specific improvements to foster inclusive excellence in the classroom.” Representative comments include: 

• “Creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and open to learning. I will also need to carefully reflect my biases towards certain groups of students and eliminate those biases.” 
• “I have been engaging many of these topics in my teaching in the past year, but hearing from my colleagues has been great. This has also served as a refresher. It is helping me to reconsider what I’ve done in the past and what I need to/can change for the future. Thank you for spending time to share your knowledge and passion with us!” 
• “even small things done in the classroom can have a big effect.”