Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Developing an Inclusive Syllabus

Apr 19 | Engage in peer review to revise the tone of your syllabus and you will revise a policy to include more equity considerations.

Navigating Challenging Conversations in the Classroom

Apr. 5 | Learn ideas for creating discussion guidelines for respecting a wide range of perspectives and experiences, as well as practices for class discussions that stretch student thinking and support all students’ learning.

Supporting Diverse Student Populations

Mar. 22 | In this workshop you will learn about the unique educational needs that diverse groups of students tend to have and strategies for how to best meet their needs in the classroom.

Introduction to Inclusive Teaching

Feb. 9 | Learn how to use reflective practice to develop more inclusive course policies, interactions, and assessments.

Instructor Bias Self Reflection

Being an inclusive educator requires thinking critically about the role that your personal biases may play in the classroom. This self-reflection is designed to help you analyze how student characteristics such as race, gender, disability status, or age might be affecting your interactions with students.

Learning Communities

Philosophies, strategies, and technologies involved in teaching & learning can all evolve over time. We love to share well-established findings through workshops, but sometimes a space to discuss and interrogate ideas without the pressure of needing to already have the answers can provide a fresh perspective on the challenges of teaching. Instructor learning communities provide an avenue to explore and discuss these timely topics.

Infusing Diversity and Inclusion Related Content

These strategies can help you thoughtfully and meaningfully integrate diversity and inclusion in your courses to both deepen students' understanding and enhance their sense of belonging.

Designing Effective Discussions about Diversity

These strategies help conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion be more effective.

Dealing with Incivility and Microaggressions

Ways to reduce and address incivility and microaggressions in the classroom.

Supporting Specific Groups of Students

To be truly inclusive, we need to encourage students to bring their full selves into the classroom.

Trauma-Informed Practice

Trauma-informed practice intentionally creates space for equitable academic achievement and success for all students..

Assignments and Assessments

Thoughtfully designing assessments and using inclusive grading practices can substantially impact student success.

Relationships and Academic Belonging

Fostering relationships with your students and creating opportunities for students to connect with one another is often an essential precondition for learning to occur.

Effectively Using Students' Cognitive Resources

Reducing cognitive load is effective for everyone's learning but is particularly important to improve learning for students who bring a higher level of cognitive load with them to the classroom.

Promoting Equity in the Classroom

Promoting equity in the classroom is essential to fulfilling the university's mission of educating all students. There are a number of structural and societal systems in place that can make classroom equity challenging unless instructors are intentional about implementing strategies to increase equity. Below are instructor-, student-, and course development-focused strategies instructors can implement to help better ensure that their courses are educating all students.

Classroom Practices

Inclusive teaching tends to improve learning for all students, even when used to address a specific goal or challenge.

Flexibility: What to consider in late work policies

Late work policies depend on factors such as the discipline, course level, enrollment size, and instructor educational philosophy.

Flexibility: What to consider in attendance policies

There are many types of attendance policies - use this guide to learn more about options and understand policies may impact students.

At Scale: Inclusive Practices and Equitable Policies

Despite the importance of putting equitable policies in place, it is not always easy. For example, if it is seen as too difficult logistically to offer make-up exams for a large class of students, then one might implement a policy of no make-up exams: show for the scheduled exam or take a zero. Even a more moderate policy of requiring a doctor's note before one may make up a high-stakes exam, is inequitable because not all problems preventing students from attending class come with a doctor's note.

Support Transgender and Non-Binary Students

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. Here are five key ways to support your transgender and nonbinary students.

Promoting Equity in the Classroom

Intentional and thoughtful ways to implement strategies to increase equity in the classroom.

Infusing Diversity and Inclusion into Course Content

These strategies can help you integrate diversity and inclusion in your courses to deepen students' understanding and create a more inclusive classroom environment.

Fostering Relationships and Academic Belonging

Fostering relationships with your students and between students in the classroom may seem unrelated to learning but can often be an essential precondition for learning to occur. 

Inclusive Online Teaching

The principles of inclusive teaching are particularly essential for online courses because students are more likely to feel less connected with others, less engaged with class content, and less motivated.

Inclusive Teaching Strategies that Foster an Anti-Racist Classroom

1-23-23 | Participants learned basic principles of how to make teaching more inclusive to best serve all students.

Students attend international conference

Christine Kiewra broadens students’ perspectives on early childhood education with an international community

Striving for Equity in Education

1-11-22 In this 90-minute, discussion-centered workshop we will share some key principles and strategies of inclusive teaching, but will also ask you to discuss with peers and review your own materials through this lens.

Delivering Inclusive Presentations

When developing and delivering a presentation, it is important to think inclusively about the diverse people that will be in your audience.

Finding and Implementing OERs

11-2-21 This workshop was beneficial for instructors interested in alternatives to or supplements for current textbooks.

Moving Forward with Equity

7-17-21 Participants examined courses from before and during the pandemic to identify the strongest aspects of each.

Accessibility and UDL Instructor Resource

Curated by several university departments and experts, the Accessibility and UDL Instructor Resource is available through Canvas.

The Urgency of Inclusive Classrooms

CASNR offices came together and created a summer discussion series about what an inclusive classroom looks like, and how to create an inclusive environment.

Humanize late policies for better learning

Humanize your teaching by implementing late policies that account for the complexity of students' lives.

Spring 2021 Teaching and Learning Symposium

Keynote Bryan Dewsbury discussed the unassailable connection between inclusive teaching practices and education as a general practice of freedom.

Using Accessibility Checker in Canvas and Office

This presentation focuses on making course materials more accessible and working towards Universal Design for a biology course.

We are TRIO

TRIO is a college access and success program that helps first-generation students earn their college degree.

Using Movie Analysis to Promote Inclusive Learning

Learn how to assign movies along with academic texts/readings to promote inclusive learning

Motivations For Learning: A Culturally Relevant Approach

Articulate two culturally-informed kinds of motivations students have for learning.

Exercising Empathy and Social Research Practices

Exercising Empathy helps students do away with the self-centric bias” that often creates a pre-set rhetorical agenda.

How to Help Your First-Generation Students Succeed

First-generation students often lack the parental guidance and prior knowledge about how to succeed in college that many of their peers enjoy.

Humanizing Your Course: Creating an Inclusive Classroom with a "Liquid Syllabus"

The liquid syllabus is designed to "tell" students, that I, as their instructor, am excited to be a partner with them in their learning.

Syllabus Review Guide for Equity-Minded Practice

In order to develop a course mindful of equity, consider revamping the course syllabus.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources

These resources will help faculty build courses that are more inclusive of the diverse student body at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Cultivating an inclusive classroom environment

This tipsheet is the first of a series designed to provide simple, generally applicable, tips on specific topics to enhance the inclusiveness of your courses

Director's Update: December 2020

What has impressed me at this university, has been the work undertaken at all stages and by individuals from every corner

Fall 2020 Teaching & Learning Symposium

Start by Trusting Students: Active Learning and Inclusive Pedagogies in Moments of Crisis

Building an Inclusive Classroom

7-17-20 This workshop shared several strategies to model inclusivity and establish a respectful and supportive classroom culture.

Director's Update for June 2020

All of us at the Center for Transformative Teaching were saddened and angered by the senseless death of George Floyd in May.

Supplemental guidelines and considerations for accessibility

In addition to the guidelines for links, images/video, and tables, there are supplemental guidelines and considerations for making your course accessible.

Inclusive Excellence

When designing courses, either online or in-person, it is essential to remember that not all of our students are the same.