POLICY (in general)
[Note: all references appear in the bibliography page]
What is the scope and content of policies created in the past decade or so at universities and colleges?
How does inclusive pedagogy policy inform practice in the classroom?
-attending to and supporting all student differences
-taking deliberate steps to ensure that all students feel welcomed, valued, challenged academically and supported in all classroom, studio and extra- or co-curricular spaces
-being proactive and immediately responsive in addressing any expressions, large or small, of harassment, stereotyping, discrimination, hate speech or intolerance aimed at any person or group of people, whether those people are present in the classroom or not (Pratt Center for Teaching and Learning).
What pedagogical frames would a policy work within?
-curriculum & program design
-preparation of learning materials
-teaching delivery
-student empowerment (University of Reading, 2017)
What are examples of how can an instructor practice inclusive pedagogy?
…lecture inclusively, facilitate inclusive discussions, manage difficult conversations, encourage cooperative learning, vary course content, promote accessible learning spaces, create an inclusive lab, assess inclusively, recognize your biases, remote inclusive teaching, monitor the climate, set classroom norms, reduce anonymity, welcome diverse perspectives, engage in critical assessment (Chicago Center for Teaching, 2020).
What levels of inclusive pedagogy policy have other universities advocated?
(note: this subcommittee feels that the University of Utah is ready for #3)
POLICY (implementation)
Research and the experiences of peer institutions can provide insight into the development, implementation, re-evaluation of a university pedagogical policy.
Who are the stakeholders that should be included in policy development?
College campuses are complex social systems. They are defined by the relationships between faculty, staff, students, and alumni; bureaucratic procedures embodied by institutional policies; structural frameworks; institutional missions, visions, and core values; institutional history and traditions; and larger social contexts (Rankin & Reason, 2008).
What are some known barriers to implementation of an inclusion pedagogy policy?
…tensions and even resistance because of lack of coherence and competing interests (Haug, 2017)
…an initiative may compete with other initiatives currently ongoing… (ex. Market value of a class, retention & graduation rates, job skills application of a class, local college/department initiatives, etc.) (Haug, 2017).
What are some of the known drivers of implementation of a policy?
-recruiting senior/respected educators on campus to be advocates (Galea, Fried, Walker, Rudenstine, Glover & Begg, 2015)
-advocating faculty workshops & training (Oleson & Hora, 2014)
-offering a credit-bearing course teaching students about how to change campus (Cornell Intergroup Dialogue Project, 2020)
-adding equity/diversity/inclusion (EDI) to recruitment & training of new faculty (Gay & Bamford, 2007)
-building EDI into review criteria and teaching assessment (Gay & Bamford, 2007)
-building EDI into reaccreditation procedures (Hitch, Macfarlane & Nihill, 2015)
-building EDI into international student program policies (Hitch, Macfarlane & Nihill, 2015)
Advocacy & support of stakeholders making policy are key ingredients to policy effectiveness
Policy-makers at all levels need guidance and support in developing and implementing education policies that lead to intended outcomes; in this case, education that is more inclusive. Advocacy is a key means of offering this guidance and support. It creates opportunities for different education stakeholders to have a voice in shaping the policies which affect them. By so doing, it facilitates the development of effective policies that can be put into practice (Kaplan & Lewis, 2013).
