Centering Identity

Speaker(s):
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Tazin Daniels, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching
University of Michigan
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Bennett Goldberg, Ph.D.
Director of Research in Higher Education, Training and Evaluation, and Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Northwestern University
A professional headshot of Veronica Womack
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Veronica Womack, Ph.D.
Senior Project Manager of Inclusive Learning
Northwestern University

The Design of An Inclusive Teaching Course for STEM Faculty

Becoming an inclusive STEM educator requires a deep understanding of the challenges learners face and how instructors can actively support them. In addition to broadly examining both the historical and contemporary contexts of oppressive systems, like educational systems, it is equally important to engage in deep reflection upon one’s own identity and socialization process and to build empathy by enhancing one’s connection, awareness, and sensitivity to student experiences. The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project employs four innovative features–embodied case studies, affinity spaces, local learning communities, and an inclusivity framework portfolio– to center identity and facilitate deep reflection and subsequently, transformation.

The Inclusive STEM Teaching Project is designed to advance the awareness, self-efficacy, and the ability of doctoral students, postdocs, and faculty to cultivate inclusive STEM learning environments for all their students and to develop themselves as reflective, inclusive practitioners. The content of this NSF-funded, multi-institutional, professional development initiative will be delivered as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) blended with in-person or virtual learning communities on participating campuses, launched on edX June 15, 2021.