CETL Program Spotlight: Inclusive Teaching Learning Community

by Emily Donahoe, associate director of instructional support

Some of the work we’re most proud of at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is helping instructors create courses that prioritize equity and inclusion so that every student, regardless of background or identity, is able to learn and succeed at a high level. Like many aspects of teaching, this work involves sustained reflection and intentional development over time. As much as we love teaching workshops, one hour (or even two!) is not enough to equip instructors with all the skills and knowledge they need to create more equitable classrooms.

That’s why programs like the Inclusive Teaching Learning Community, offered in partnership with the Academic Innovations Group and the Center for Cross-Cultural Engagement, are so valuable. The ITLC, in support of the Pathways to Equity Strategic Plan, offers grants each year to a small cohort of instructors to support an equity-focused course redesign process. 

The 2023 cohort of the ITLC, comprised of 19 instructors from many different disciplines, had its first meeting in January. Each participant began by identifying a course they wished to redesign with inclusion in mind—a course they planned to teach during the Fall 2023 semester. At our monthly gatherings, we provided background on inclusive teaching approaches, examining our students’ identities, and our own, in the classroom; investigating the challenges and opportunity gaps our students face; considering social belonging and its absence in higher education; and introducing techniques for creating more equitable course structures. CETL staff also worked with the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning to provide participants with data on previous versions of their course that could inform their redesign. 

After these group meetings, instructors met individually with CETL staff to discuss their course revision plans for the fall. Their redesigns focused on everything from structure and scaffolding to authentic assessment and alternative grading to inclusive participation and equitable group work. 

Options for an inclusive teaching course redesign, mapped by Emily Donahoe

This semester, instructors are teaching the redesigned versions of their course and sharing the details of those redesigns with their colleagues. During our meetings, participants have the opportunity to report on what they changed about their course and what they’re finding as a result—both good and bad. The group has an opportunity to ask questions, troubleshoot problems, and celebrate victories as they arise. These meetings will continue through the end of the semester, offering every instructor a chance to process the results of their redesign. 

But the learning doesn’t end, even after the community dissolves: as part of the program, participants will share their new knowledge with their home departments, helping to facilitate discipline-specific conversations about how we can help every University of Mississippi student succeed. 

We’re excited about what the 2023 cohort of the Inclusive Teaching Learning Community has achieved! And we’re looking forward to working with our next cohort of instructors soon. Stay tuned for more information about the ITLC and a call for applications.