Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Teaching
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Teaching
Great Teaching is Inclusive and Equitable
At Rowan University, we believe that great teaching attends to students' diverse needs through inclusive teaching strategies that strive toward equitable learning outcomes for all students. This page offers a variety of resources for our faculty to learn more about DEI and teaching.
Inclusive Teaching Resource
Looking for inclusive teaching support? Check out our Inclusive Teaching Resource.
This tool was developed by members of the Rowan University DEI Council's SPC3 committee on Promoting and Supporting Inclusive Teaching, Scholarship, and Professional Development.
This self-assessment resource is intended to support instructors at Rowan University in integrating equitable and inclusive practices into their teaching.
The Inclusive Teaching Resource attends to the following principles of inclusive teaching:
Student-centered learning: Student-centered learning supports student success. Student-centered learning assumes that the main purpose of education is student learning, growth, and well-being. The entire educational experience (including content, activities, and assignments) is designed with students and their unique and shared learning goals in mind.
Appreciation of difference: Appreciating difference means acknowledging and valuing students’ and instructors’ varied individual experiences and backgrounds. This includes recognition that every individual interacts with and is affected by systems of privilege and disadvantage differently. Regardless of who is in the learning community, exploring the experiences and contributions of people with a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives enriches everyone’s learning.
Mutual respect and belonging: Mutual respect and belonging are necessary for creating equitable and supportive learning environments. Individuals are consistently seen, heard, and valued. Instructors and students engage with one another in ways that foster community.
Student agency: Education is most transformative when students have the power to make informed decisions about their learning. Despite the assumed roles of instructor and student, power is shared, and both instructors and students have a voice in the learning process. Centering students and student agency is particularly important for countering dominant power structures that have historically marginalized many students and their communities.
Inclusive and Antiracist Pedagogy Database
This database is designed as a crowd-sourced exchange for Rowan Faculty to access and share resources that support antiracist and inclusive teaching strategies.
To view submitted resources, go to the database. (You will need your Rowan credentials to sign in.)
The database is still under development, and we could use your contributions! If you find an excellent article, website, book, video, or even social media account that other faculty might find valuable, please complete our Google form to submit a resource.
Rowan University's Diversity Statement for Syllabi
Rowan University promotes a diverse community that begins with students, faculty, staff and administration who respect each other and value each other’s dignity. By identifying and removing barriers and fostering individual potential, Rowan will cultivate a community where all members can learn and grow. The Rowan University community is committed to a safe environment that encourages intellectual, academic, and social interaction and engagement across multiple intersections of identities. At Rowan University, creating and maintaining a caring community that embraces diversity in its broadest sense is among the highest priorities.
Teaching Resources
Anti-racism
Integrating Anti-Racist Teaching Practices into Your Course
Strategies for Antiracist and Decolonized Teaching
Decolonizing Your Syllabus, an Anti-Racist Guide for Your College
Effective Teaching Is Anti-Racist Teaching, from The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown
Anti-Racist Pedagogy in Action: First Steps, from the Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning
Becoming an Anti-Racist Educator, Wheaton College
Equity-Minded Inquiry Series at USC Rossier: Syllabus Review (pdf)
Antiracist Pedagogy, resources from Loyola University
Cultural Responsibility
Diversity in Higher Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms
TrillEDU: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy... | Jeffrey Dessources | TEDxNewJerseyCityUniversity (13:37)
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Mathematics: A Critical Need | Shelly Jones | TEDxCCSU (14:31)
Diversity in Higher Education: Creating Culturally Responsive Classrooms
Inclusive Teaching Strategies
Ideas to Create a Welcoming, Engaging and Inclusive Classroom
Creating an Inclusive Classroom
Inclusive Teaching Practices Toolkit
Strategies for Inclusive Courses
Linse, Angela R., and Suzanne Weinstein. Strategies for Inclusive Courses, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State, State College, PA, 2020.
This three-page document includes tips about (1) designing an inclusive course curriculum, (2) providing varied opportunities for success/achievement, (3) motivating Learning and establishing relevance, (4) meeting students as individuals and creating opportunities for students to do the same, (5) creating an inclusive course environment, and (6) teaching inclusively. It is not a ‘checklist’. Using these strategies does not guarantee an inclusive learning environment. Creating inclusive courses requires effort, attention, and intention. Creative Commons Licenses
Online Teaching
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social Justice
Universal Design
Updated 1/24/24