by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center As part of the Reinert Center’s ongoing focus on inclusive teaching, we continue to add just-in-time resources and tips to our website, in order to help faculty act on their commitments to design and teach courses with inclusion as an explicit priority. In spite of our best intentions, we… Continue reading How Inclusive Are Your Courses? Tools for Self-Assessment
Transparent Assignments
by Sandy Gambill, Sr. Instructional Developer, Reinert Center What if I told you it was possible to “increase academic confidence, a sense of belonging, and mastery of skills that employers look for when hiring,” in your students, simply by implementing a couple of small changes in the way you present assignments? That was the challenge… Continue reading Transparent Assignments
Mindful Minutes: Towards a Contemplative Pedagogy
by James Fortney, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center I recently attended a workshop* on contemplative pedagogy at the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD) conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Facilitated by Dr. Michael Sweet from Northeastern University, participants were invited to practice, discuss, and develop mindfulness activities for any teaching situation. Contemplative pedagogy emphasizes… Continue reading Mindful Minutes: Towards a Contemplative Pedagogy
Reflecting on Diversity Discussions in the Classroom: A Praxis Workshop Follow Up
by Mitch Lorenz and Yang Li, Graduate Assistants, Reinert Center In our final Praxis Workshop of the semester, attendees explored the challenges of broaching the topic of diversity with students in class discussions. Participants reflected on how diversity discussions fit in their classrooms and what challenges they face when planning diversity discussions or when they… Continue reading Reflecting on Diversity Discussions in the Classroom: A Praxis Workshop Follow Up
New resource guide on Avoiding Microaggressions in the Classroom
A new resource guide on Avoiding Microaggressions in the Classroom[LINK] has been posted to the Reinert Center website [LINK]. If you want to talk with someone about microaggressions in your own classes, you may request a teaching consultation by completing this form [LINK]. If you have ideas for resource guide topics you would like to see posted, share them here [LINK].
Academic Rigor and the Inclusive Classroom
by Debie Lohe, Director, Reinert Center For some time now, I’ve been reflecting on the idea of academic rigor - what it is, where it comes from in our courses, what kinds of practices promote it. And in light of the Reinert Center’s theme this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about my own evolving… Continue reading Academic Rigor and the Inclusive Classroom
What Should We Know about Stereotype Threat?
Recently, the Reinert Center hosted two book group discussions on Claude Steele’s Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. A readable distillation of Steele’s social psychological research on stereotypes and identity (as well as subsequent research inspired by his work), the book can help us to understand educational performance gaps between… Continue reading What Should We Know about Stereotype Threat?
Facilitating Diversity Discussions
by James Fortney, Instructional Developer, Reinert Center For me, inclusive teaching often begins with the selection of a text that engages diversity as a significant theme (e.g., Alvarez, Bauer, & Eger, 2015). By text, I mean anything from research studies to YouTube videos to service-learning sites. How I select a text depends on the goals… Continue reading Facilitating Diversity Discussions
New Resource Guides
Two new resource guides have been posted to the Reinert Center website: Creating a Plan for Alternative Assessment of Teaching [LINK] Understanding Student Ratings in Teaching [LINK] If you want to talk with someone about either of these topics in your own classes, you may request a teaching consultation by completing this form [LINK]. If you have ideas for resource… Continue reading New Resource Guides
Instructor Identity: Student Implicit Bias
by Gina Merys, Associate Director, Reinert Center As part of our year-long theme, Inclusive Teaching, we have been focusing on ways in which instructors can create equitable learning environments for all of their students. While we examine the variety of student needs and identities in our classrooms, it can be easy to forget that instructor… Continue reading Instructor Identity: Student Implicit Bias
The Notebook 