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Continuum College Instructor Resources

Inclusive Teaching

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At its core, inclusive teaching means facilitating learning in ways that don’t exclude students, accidentally or intentionally, from opportunities to learn. Inclusive teaching recognizes how systems of power and privilege may play out in the classroom while leveraging the diverse strengths that students and instructors bring to the learning environment. 

As the instructor, you can incorporate inclusive teaching strategies as you decide course content, align your course with larger disciplinary contexts, and address students’ perceptions that shape their learning. The resources below can help you communicate to all students that they are welcome and viewed as capable learners. 

What Does Inclusive Teaching Look Like?  

Perhaps our students are better positioned to answer this question? How our students feel about the classroom and teaching environment will be indicative of how well we are meeting the expectations of building inclusive classroom climates.  

To build on the Inclusive Teaching definition provided earlier, Kimberly K’uh Hollins, a Senior Learning Designer at the University of Washington Seattle campus, has shared four core characteristics that define the design and delivery of effective inclusive teaching: Historical, Positional, Pedagogical and Relational (HPPR). 

How often do we think about historical considerations to reduce ethnocentrism in inclusive teaching?  

  • Acknowledge and reflect on the ways that single historical narratives and Eurocentric perspectives often inform our fields of work and education practices. 
  • We can do this by including readings and educational materials from authors who reflect a wide range of cultural backgrounds, untapped expertise and lived experiences. 

How does positionality relate to our identities and influence teaching or course design practices? 

  • When we reflect and examine our positionality in the world, we can begin to see how it influences our teaching methods and assessment practices. 
  • Seek out opportunities to bridge cultural connections to content and student-centered prior knowledge.  
  • Include reflective practices in student activities and assignments to explore connections between effective instructional strategies and student’s perceptions. 
  • Share relevant insights about your teaching philosophy and/or pedagogical approaches to guide open-ended discussions, feedback and critical thinking in the classroom. 

The concept of relationality is the ability to demonstrate awareness of inclusive social norms, such as other ways of knowing or interconnected knowledge, that enable inclusion and respect. 

  • Relationality is one of many indigenous learning principles. 
    • Multiple ways of perceiving knowledge and multiple truths at once can exist. 
    • Education systems and cultural values are dynamic across geographies. 
  • Integrating group activities that build on assets of pedagogy will influence students to share different ways of learning and knowing. 
  • Respectfully interrupt microaggressions in the classroom to model inclusive behavior 
  • Collaborate with students to create class norms and assess it along the way. 
  • Use students’ preferred pronouns or names. 
  • Demonstrate cultural humility.  

Inclusive pedagogical strategies improve learner variability and anti-racist pedagogy. 

What’s the difference between inclusive teaching and anti-racist pedagogy? 

Inclusive teaching (at least at Continuum) is about bringing folks together. According to the University of Michigan, “Anti-racist pedagogy, a form of Disruptive Teaching, uses the framework of anti-racism to critically examine the role of education in disrupting white supremacy.”  (See diagram below) 

  •  Anti-racist pedagogical practices are designed to center critical perspective taking. 
    • Real conversations have norms and guidelines but resist flattening.                   (See definition below) 
  • Anti-racist pedagogy unpacks hierarchal narratives that distort historical truths. 
  • Inclusive teaching is a foundational bridge to anti-racist practice and pedagogy. 
Pedagogical 
Approach 		 Inclusive Teaching  Anti-Racist Pedagogy 
Purpose  -Universal engagement across difference 
-Bias-reduction 		 -Disrupting white supremacy in and through formal education 
Potential  -Can flatten the impact of differences between students 
-Can focus on student identity as the site intervention 
rather than systemic inequity 		 -Anti-racist organizing on campus that links community 
to institutional and social change 
Draws Upon    -Critical Race Theory 
Core Components    -In depth analysis of structural racism 
-Intersectionality (resists flattening and neutrality) 
-Awareness and action 
-Connection between classroom and larger context 

Learn More 

Reference 
Practicing Anti-Racist Pedagogy – Inclusive Teaching. (n.d.). Sites.lsa.umich.edu. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/inclusive-teaching/anti-racist-practices/ 

Why Trauma-Informed Design?  

Post pandemic wellness has become a priority for higher education. As the growing mental health crisis surges across the nation, and among youth and adults in Washington state, it is imperative that trauma-informed design practices become integrated within our in-person and online classroom spaces. 

What is trauma-informed design and teaching? 

Trauma informed design is a method that integrates elements of trauma-informed principles to support well-being and mental health within the design, teaching and content of a course. According to Trynia Kaufman, a senior manager of editorial research for the website Understood.org, “trauma-informed teaching considers how trauma impacts learning and behavior. Trauma can slow down or completely stop our ability to learn.”  

  • A few examples of trauma-informed practices that correspond to classroom climate:                 
    • Encourage Collaboration and Mutuality 
      • Learning is relationship based. Fostering a sense of belonging in the classroom will support students’ feelings of being heard and valued. 
      • Co-create community agreements or norms with students to guide social and behavioral expectations. 
    • Observe Learner Variability 
      • Trauma interrupts how students learn and the pace of the learning. Apply UDE and UDL practices to support asset-based pedagogy to differentiate learning strategies.  
    • Non-urgency 
      • Review and revise how language is used to convey a lack of flexibility or urgency of assignment deadlines and expectations. 
    • Voice Tones  
      • Survey class norms on cultural and non-cultural uses of tone of voice to support trauma informed students. 
    • Trauma-informed Design and Resources 
      • Use content advisory messages (or trigger warnings) to inform students of potential offensive or controversial content. 
      • Facilitate trauma-informed classroom discussions to assess and reduce the potential of re-traumatization of violent forms of content and imagery. 
      • Use inclusive icons (or images) and reduce ableism. 
      • Use alt tags (meta data of text descriptions) to amplify relevant context. 
      • Include mental health resources in syllabi that support cultural, historical and gender-based trauma. 
      • Inform students of campus ADA resources to support potential classroom accommodations 
      • Supplement reflective writing activities with optional mindfulness or breathing exercises.  
    • Consistent Course Design Structure 
      • Use simple and predictable design structure to reduce cognitive and sensory overload. 
      • Innovate (to spark joy) course design with accessible formats. 
    • Strive for Simplicity in Assignment Instructions 
      • Apply TILT strategies and solicit student feedback to revise assignments and assessments for future use. 

Learn More 

Arnston, L. (2022, April 27). Trauma-informed colleges begin with trauma-informed leaders – higher Education today. Higher Education Today. https://www.higheredtoday.org/2022/03/14/trauma-informed-colleges-begin-with-trauma-informed-leaders/ 

Herr-Perrin, A. (2021). Six tips for cultivating a Trauma-Informed Higher Education Classroom at the beginning of each semester. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/six-tips-for-cultivating-a-trauma-informed-higher-education-classroom-at-the-beginning-of-each-semester/ 

Ms, T. K. (2023). What is Trauma-Informed teaching? Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/what-is-trauma-informed-teaching 

Olson, Brianna (2018). Trauma-Informed Interventions through an Indigenous Worldview. www.vawlearningnetwork.ca. Retrieved August 21, 2023, from https://www.vawlearningnetwork.ca/webinars/recorded- webinars/2018/webinar_2018_5.html 

Thompson, P., & Carello, J. (2022). Trauma-informed pedagogies: A guide for responding to crisis and inequality in higher education. Palgrave Macmillan. 

TI-ADDIE: a Trauma-Informed model of instructional design. (n.d.). EDUCAUSE Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2023/5/ti-addie-a-trauma-informed-model-of-instructional-design 

Creating an Inclusive Classroom Environment

Instructors are in a unique position to establish practices that foster equity, diversity, and inclusion at UW through classroom practices and curriculum decisions.  

The recommendations below provide some concrete steps that you can take to encourage a healthy classroom culture. They include practices that might increase BIPOC and LGBTQIA representation in your curriculum, and address barriers or hostilities that non-native English-speaking students, students with disabilities, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ students have encountered in learning environments.  

None of these actions alone or in conjunction will solve the underlying racism and ableism, homophobia, transphobia or xenophobia in our society and education systems. However, they are important actions to take as we work together to build a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible education. 

Course Design

  • Examine your curriculum – Seek out reading materials, methodologies and other work created by a diverse array of authors and leaders.  
  • Review your syllabus – To make your syllabus inclusive, visit Universal Design for Learning for more guidelines.
  • Use readable fonts for documents – Simple fonts without serifs, like Arial or Calibri, can make your text more readable, especially for learners with dyslexia. Try to minimize use of ALL-CAPITALIZED TEXT or italics, as these have lower readability than standard text. 
  • Assess if your course is accessible with the Accessibility tab in Canvas – Reach out to your Program Manager if you want to improve the accessibility of your course. They will direct you to the right resources. 

Interaction

  • Learn and use students’ names & pronouns. Correct yourself quickly if you make a mistake with pronouns or pronunciation. Ask students to put their name and pronouns on a name tag or Zoom title. 
  • Model inclusive language. Use gender neutral language for groups, occupations, and people whose pronouns you do not know. When you use U.S. English idioms, explain them for the benefit of non-native English speakers.​ 
  • Establish ground rules for interaction. This will ensure that other students are also being inclusive and respectful. Communicate avenues for students to hold you and each other accountable for microaggressions.  
  • Create multiple modalities for engagement. Use polls, chat (private or public), trivia contests, and other ways to gather student input as ways to engage beyond “hand raising” for responses.  

Accessibility

  • Check accessibility items inside – Accessibility Checklist – IT Connect 
  • Read guidelines and watch tutorials on UW Accessible Technology site  – Accessibility Tools and Resources 
  • Visit Accessibility Training Opportunities for more resources
  • Provide accommodation for students with disabilities. Instructors are required by law to provide reasonable accommodation to students with documented disabilities.  
  • UW’s Disability Services Office (DSO) provides accommodation, referral information, and assistance for nonmatriculated students with a documented physical, mental, or sensory disability.  
  • Matriculated UW students can request accommodations through UW’s Disability Resources for Students (DRS). 
  • Record real-time class sessions using Panopto in Canvas. This provides flexibility to view or review content at their own pace. Students clarify material after attending lectures or before an assignment or assessment. Recordings are used to relearn difficult material and rewrite class notes. UW’s Zoom-Panopto Integration can help you create these recordings automatically from class sessions that you host in Zoom. 
  • Add Closed Captions or Live Transcript for Zoom sessions. Turning on this feature automatically generates subtitles of spoken in-meeting communications. This can help participants to easily follow the conversations or to meet accessibility requirements.  
    Some caveats: 
  • Please note that automatically generated captions are not 100% accurate, and can vary in accuracy depending on audio quality and the accent of the speaker. In some cases, highly inaccurate captions may be more distracting and useful, so we recommend testing them out before committing to use them for every class session.  
  • Automated captioning is also not sufficient to meet a student accommodation for captioning due to its potential for inaccuracy. If you have a student who requires this accommodation, please work with your program manager and the appropriate office for disability services to request professional captioning services. 

Fostering a Learning Community

UW PCE certificate students cite the cohort model as a primary reason for choosing our programs over those at other institutions. As students study together over six to nine months, they develop lasting professional relationships enriching their educational experience. As a certificate instructor, you have a wonderful opportunity to create a dynamic and inclusive course environment for all your students. 

Foster collaboration

  • Promote and use platforms where students can ask questions and share ideas with their classmates as they delve into course materials. 
  • Include a project or collaborative activity where students can work together for part of a class session or over several sessions during your course.  
  • Include peer review for larger projects so that students can practice providing constructive feedback to their peers and get exposure to different perspectives and approaches to course topics. 
  • Look at the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework to learn more about social, cognitive, and teaching presence.

Create an atmosphere of trust 

  • Establish a friendly, open atmosphere that shows students that you will help them learn. 
  • Tap the experiences of the participants, thereby recognizing and valuing what they bring to the course. 
  • Moderate the level of stress that students experience as your course, as too much stress can be a barrier to learning. 

Make space for networking 

Encourage students to network with each other in class and after the certificate concludes, whether using social media platforms like LinkedIn or simply trading contact information. 

Learn More about Inclusive Teaching

The UW has compiled many resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including guides specific to inclusive teaching and learning.  

  • Accessible Technology at UW: informational guides on creating accessible websites, documents, videos, online meetings, and other digital content.
  • Accessibility 101: Self-paced Canvas course from UW Bothell providing an overview of accessibility principles for teaching and learning, including documents and web-based content.
  • Anti-racism Resources: resources compiled by the Race & Equity Initiative to provide a deeper understanding of historical and present-day manifestations of racism in the United States.
  • Anti-racist pedagogy: Resource from the University of Michigan detailing how the framework of anti-racism can be used to critically examine the role of education in disrupting white supremacy.
  • Asset Based Pedagogy of Care New York University thought leadership article. 
  • DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center: UW-based center with resources and projects promote accessibility and universal design.
  • Husky Prevention and Response Training for Employees (NetID required): mandatory employee training on Title IX policies, particularly in relation to gender-based harassment and violence.  
  • Inclusive teaching: Strategies and detailed guidance from Teaching@UW and the Center for Teaching and Learning on creating respectful learning environment, addressing microaggressions in the classroom, and engaging students.
  • IT Inclusive Language Guide: UW-IT reference for discussing software and other IT content without reflecting racial or other discriminatory bias.
  • Recommended Reads for Equity: UW Libraries project to recommend books about equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

Resources to support UW instructors and students with disabilities

Support for employees and learners with disabilities is supported by several offices on campus. See below for the information on each of these teams. 

Updated 01/17/2024