What is DEI?
When Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are implemented into a course, the course experience is enriched as we provide all learners an equitable learning environment free of barriers. Students have the opportunity to learn from marginalized voices, diverse communities, and have the opportunity to amplify those voices.
Diversity
“responding to diversity includes (a) acknowledging the presence of individuals and/or groups that do not have social power, prestige, or institutionalized privilege; (b) developing an understanding of their marginalization; and (c) actively working towards creating equitable and inclusive experiences and opportunities for them”
In course design, diversity helps students learn from a variety of sources in a manner where they can understand how their work can contribute to the health and wellbeing of society.
– Alozie, N., et al. (2021)
Equity
“Equity via social justice is achieved when we unite to end all forms of oppression. We have a responsibility to collectively repair and restore blighted communities through civic engagement and community building, with a commitment to this outcome.”
When equity is implemented in courses, students all have an equal opportunity to succeed, access to resources, and access to support regardless of ability. Students backgrounds and experiences are seen as valuable resources, and are encouraged to apply their knowledge to the course content.
– A Movement for Justice, Adler White paper
Inclusion
Providing and promoting acceptance and belonging by fostering a welcoming environment that values diverse identities.
Implementing inclusion to courses will help students feel more open and willing to share their thoughts and perspectives when engaging with the instructor, content, and their peers.
– Alozie, N., et al. (2021)
How to Implement DEI into the Classroom (Online & In-Person)
Update your Course Goals & Objectives
While reviewing your course goals and objectives, critically analyze how and where your course is exploring issues in our society that help learners “build intentional connections with the global community to collectively work toward and ensure equitable health and wellness” (Alder Whitepaper).
If you are unable to find goals such as these in your course and want support on how to improve upon them, sign up for a consultation session with the EDI team.
Implement Learning Materials that are Diverse and Accessible
Students should be interacting with materials that are written by many authors from different backgrounds and ethnicities and amplify the voices of the underrepresented. Additionally, consider the topic, is there any research you can share that demonstrates the impacts of social, political, economic, or environmental inequalities? These materials should be implemented throughout the curriculum to provide students an enriching learning experience where they are able to build a more complete picture of the topics in the course.
With the learning materials you provide to students, they should be able to easily access and interact with them. Readings and textbooks that have a high cost associated with them should be avoided when possible. Adler’s library includes a wide variety of resources that are accessible to students. We also suggest looking for Open Educational Resources (OERs), these are free, open access materials available online that you can share with students. To get assistance with locating materials in the library, please reach out to your campus librarian.
When using media or graphics in the course, you should ensure that videos have transcripts, and subtitles. If including pictures, ensure the image has an Alt Text description. If sharing graphics or PDFs, ensure the text is able to be read aloud by a screen reader.
Build a Consistent Experience Week to Week
Each week in the course should follow a similar pattern so students can grow comfortable and be more prepared for the tasks they will need to accomplish.
In a fully online course, we recommend including a discussion board post, and 1-2 assignments depending on the length and complexity.
In an in-person course, we recommend having students complete any preparatory work prior to the class meeting, this way you can use your class time for presentations, discussions, or sharing deeper knowledge on the topic. Then, after the session, students can complete any remaining assignments and submit them to Canvas.
Create an Inclusive Learning Environment
Provide students a welcoming space where they can feel safe and supported in their learning. Foster respectful communication practices to ensure learners are able to share their diverse perspectives and experiences with one another.
Add the “Hidden Details” to the Syllabus
- Ensure your syllabus is welcoming, clear, and direct. Students should be able to understand exactly what to expect from you, the course, and their peers.
- Define all terminology. Some terms such as “discussion board” and “Office Hours” might be new to students, or you may have different approaches than a previous instructor they have had. Clearly explain what each term is and how it can or will be used in the course.
- Include Adler’s Policies. Include all policy information so students can understand what support is available to them and how to access those supports.
- Assignment Due Dates. Explore the calendar for the term for holidays that are coming up. Students may need flexibility around these dates as they may be unable to submit assignments or attend synchronous sessions. Make a plan of how you will be flexible with students around these times and include this information in your syllabus.
- How Can Students Get Ahead? What might students need to do, share, or know in order to find success in the course. Explain how students can stand out and ensure successful completion of the course.
Adler University’s Online Course Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Standards
The standards below have been developed to help ensure more inclusive content for your students. Visit this page for all Adler Online Course Standards.
H.1: The course allows student flexibility in their learning by providing choices in their activities, course materials and course navigation.
Explanation
Inclusion allows students to achieve their learning in a manner that makes the most sense for them. Students should be given choices on which materials they interact with as well as options on how to present their knowledge. When students are able to choose what and how they learn, they are more likely to be excited about completing the project and show off their knowledge. Additionally, it allows students to interact with a wider range of tools to produce the work.
Directions to Review Partner
Assignments should have some element of choice. Even if the assignment is focused on implementing a certain tool (i.e. SPSS, Quadratics, etc.), there may still be options to include choice. Including discussion board posts, learners may still be asked to provide a text response, but can select the prompt(s) or articles they respond to.
Examples
In this example, you can see how students are provided different assignment options to demonstrate the required skills:
[4.1] Statistician Intern Video/Presentation Assignment
Teton Grand is interested in hiring a statistician intern for the summer to help them analyze data. Your role is to explain statistical concepts to the intern so that he/she has a good foundation for running these analyses moving forward. You must explain the purpose and use of significance testing, confidence intervals and standard error of measurement using examples for how each concept could be used in relation to Teton Grand’s data. You are not expected to run any analyses this week, but this exercise should highlight your ability to talk credibly about the value of each statistical concept. You must go beyond simply defining the concepts to talking about their relevance to Teton Grand. This submission should be in video format. It must be client-ready, professionally formatted, and easy to understand. The video length should be approximately 5-10 minutes. Your submission should adhere to the APA format and guidelines. -OR- This can be in a presentation or step-by-step handout. It must be client-ready, professionally formatted, and easy to understand. The presentation length should be approximately 10-15 slides. Your submission should adhere to the APA format and guidelines.
H.2: The course is an inclusive environment, emphasizing equity as a guiding principle, where learners and practitioners can show up as their authentic selves regardless of social identity.
Explanation
At Adler University, one of our values is pluralism, “We respect and celebrate human diversity and difference.” Bringing this value into our courses helps create a community that will engage with, celebrate, and show up for themselves and one another. When our students can enter our spaces as their authentic selves, we can thrive together as a learning community as we are not only learning about the content matter, but about our lived experiences and their perspectives on various topics.
Directions to Review Partner
In each assignment, discussion, or resource we want to ensure that all language is inclusive of all people. We want to ensure that we use language that provides opportunities to center the voices of those who are often marginalized. Please review the Inclusive Language Guidelines from APA to learn more about writing with inclusive language.
Examples
This is an example of an assignment prompt that can be re-written to allow for equity:
- “Compare and contrast your religion’s origin story to that of the ancient Egyptians.”
- May exclude students who are atheist or don’t feel comfortable sharing their religious beliefs. A more inclusive version might look like “Select any religion and make a comparison between its origin story and that of the ancient Egyptians.”
- “Discuss the deterioration of the middle class in the 40 years in the United States.”
- This doesn’t invite an accounting of differences between marginalized groups in America. A more inclusive version might ask students to analyze how shifts in the distributions of wealth have affected people with disabilities, or various genders, racial groups, sexual orientations and immigration statuses
References
Adler University. (n.d.). A movement for justice. [White paper]. Adler University. https://srp.adler.edu/doc/A_Movement_For_Justice.pdf
Alozie, N., Lundh, P., Laguarda, K., Parker, C.E., Fujii, R., and McBride, B. (2021). Designing for Diversity Part 1. Where is Equity and Inclusion in Curriculum Design? Rockville, MD: National Comprehensive Center at Westat. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED615692.pdf
Brooks, R., Grady, S. (2022). White paper: Course design considerations for inclusion and representation [White paper]. Quality Matters. https://www.qualitymatters.org/qa-resources/resource-center/articles-resources/course-design-inclusion-representation-white-paper
Evanick, J. (2023, March 5). How to include DEI initiatives in your instructional design practices. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/how-to-include-dei-initiatives-in-your-instructional-design-practices
The McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). (Re)designing for equity & inclusion. Princeton University. https://mcgraw.princeton.edu/inclusive-and-equitable-teaching/redesigning-equity-inclusion
Adler Library’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources
The Library offers this page on Inclusive, Socially Just Teaching