Inclusive Course Design Institute

Inclusive teaching is essential to support student success, so creating a culture that fosters Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEI-A) in the classroom should be a priority for all educators. As part of the teaching process, inclusive course design that supports digital literacy plays a vital role in cultivating a fair and accessible learning environment and ensuring that pedagogy and curriculum are supportive of addressing the needs of all students, regardless of their backgrounds.

The Inclusive Course Design Institute (ICDI) is a faculty-led professional development program designed to support faculty in cultivating a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEI-A) culture in the classroom. The Goal of the program is to provide pedagogical resources and encourage faculty discussion in the areas of inclusive excellence, transparency in course design, accessibility, humanizing teaching, and pedagogical wellness.

Sponsored by the Office of Inclusive Excellence’s Confronting Extremism through Community, Thriving and Wellness grant, the first ICDI cohort will start exploring inclusive course design in the week of April 17, 2023. Seats are limited, please register for the program by March 31, 2023.

Program Highlights

To receive knowledge and resources in maintaining self-wellness while implementing digital literacy and inclusive teaching in the online learning environment to fulfill all students’ learning needs. Four discussion topics will be covered in the program:

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Cultivating a DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) Culture in the Classroom

  • What theories and principles of inclusive teaching are applicable to the courses you teach?
  • Which specific methods might you use to enhance belonging in the day-to-day experiences of students?
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Embracing Transparent Curriculum and Humanizing Teaching in Course Design

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Providing an Accessible Learning Environment for All Students

  • How do you handle accommodations in your courses? What alternatives might you offer for students who have difficulty with traditional assignments and assessments?
  • Have you been designing assessments and activities that are accessible to all students? Do you plan to make any changes?
Wellness Sign

Implementing Pedagogical Wellness Strategies to Enhance Student Well-Being

  • How does wellness play a role in inclusive teaching?
  • What can you do to support your own pedagogical wellness?
  • What can you do to support students’’ wellness in the teaching and learning context?

Program Details

The ICDI is a faculty-led professional development program that will run in the Spring 2023 quarter from April 17, 2023 to May 26, 2023 (weeks 3 – 8). This program is designed in a flipped format, which will include self-paced Canvas content and weekly peer discussion sessions. Faculty peer coaches will facilitate the discussion as well as provide individual consultation to guide faculty in reframing their course design. All UCI senate faculty and an instructor of record between Summer 2023 to Spring 2024 are eligible to participate, especially for those teaching large enrollment (100+ students) or online/hybrid courses. Program participants will be expected to…

Attend Peer Discussion Sessions

Join peer discussion and share teaching experiences to embrace the DEI-A culture in teaching on Wednesday from 12:30 to 2:30 PM. Lunch and beverages will be provided. Register for the program now!

Revise a Course Element

Identify and revise a course element(s), such as the course syllabus, to adapt DEI-A practices for teaching.

Write a Reflective Teaching Statement

Reflect on the learning process and describe the course redesign component(s) that you will implement to support the DEI-A culture.

About the Program

Professor David Trend from the Claire Trevor School of the Arts teaches a large lower-division undergraduate course with more than 1,000 enrolled students. He found pedagogical resources can be hard to find to make his teaching more inclusive and equitable. To address this issue, he partnered with Megan Linos, the Director of Learning Experience Design and Online Education from DTEI, and Meredith Ehrenberg, the Information Architect from ODIT, to submit a proposal to the Office of the Inclusive Excellence‘s Confronting Extremism grant to support the development of the Inclusive Course Design Institute. The purpose is to encourage peer discussion, provide teaching resources, and facilitate faculty reframing the course design components that embrace the DEI-A culture in the classroom. Theresa Duong, the Pedagogical Wellness Specialist at DTEI, joined the project team in Fall 2022 to contribute to the wellness component of the program after the grant was awarded.

PROGRAM CONTRIBUTORS (ALPHABETICAL BY LAST NAME)

Rhea Anastas, Associate Professor at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Andrew Berk, ADA Coordinator at OEOD

Stacy Branham, Assistant Professor at the Donald Bren School of Info. & Comp. Sci.

Bo Choi, Instructional Designer at DTEI

Theresa Duong, Pedagogical Wellness Specialist, DTEI

Jennifer Foung, Instructional Designer at DTEI

Meredith Ehrenberg, Information Architect, at ODIT

Somphone Eno, Assistive Technology Manager at DSC

Adria Imada, Professor at the School of Humanities

Megan Linos, LX Design and Online Education, DTEI

Kelli Sharp, Associate Professor at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts

David Trend, Professor at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts

Fannie Tsai, Instructional Designer at DTEI

Alfonso Valdez, Lecturer at the School of Social Sciences

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