Equity in the Classroom

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Click on the Image for Details about Writing As Limpia by SAC MAS

SAN ANTONIO COLLEGE FALL 2019 STUDENT PROFILE

These are the students we serve at SAC.

Screen Shot 2020-09-29 at 8.53.03 AM.png ^{Find more information at https://www.alamo.edu/sac/about-sac/leadership/president/student-profile/}

WHO ARE THE STUDENTS COMMUNITY COLLEGES SERVE?

The typical college student is no longer the image many of us hold in our heads—an 18- to 22-year-old who leaves his or her parents’ home for the first time, ready to begin the journey at an ivy-walled four-year college or university. Rather, many of today’s college students are beyond the age of 24, employed at least part time, and raising a family. Approximately half are low-income and financially independent from their parents, and a third are students of color (Deil-Amen 2015; Ma and Baum 2016).

"Community colleges already serve the underserved half of high school students; these students are now at risk of becoming the new forgotten half of community college students: credits but no degree."

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WHO ARE THE STUDENT COMMUNITY COLLEGES SERVE?

^{Click on the red button to access the full article by the American Council in Education© RACE AND ETHNICITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION.}

Click HERE to download the essay as a PDF document.

10 STRATEGIES FOR CREATING INCLUSIVE AND EQUITABLE ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

_{By the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning | May 2020}

1. Communicate with students early to normalize and assuage concerns.
2. Administer a survey before the quarter begins to get a sense of your students’ situations.
3. Ensure course materials are accessible.
4. Provide students with clear guidance on course mechanics.
5. Have 1:1 interactions with students within the first week of class and at least once more during the term, if possible.
6. Provide a mix of synchronous, and asynchronous, course activities.
7. Collectively set norms for online and offline interactions.
8. Be deliberate about ensuring equitable class participation.
9. Provide opportunities throughout the course, not just at the beginning, for students to get to know one another in pairs or small groups.
10. Get frequent feedback from students on their experience in the class.

10 INCLUSIVE & EQUITABLE STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE LEARNING
Click on the red button above to access Stanford's web version which includes specific examples of activities and scripts to include in your classes.

Click HERE to download the 10 strategies with full details from a google doc and save to your documents.

INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES by ACUE

A classroom, whether physical or virtual, is a reflection of the world in which we live. Research has shown that students from underrepresented groups often face additional challenges. By implementing inclusive teaching practices, faculty create learning environments where all students feel they belong and have the opportunity to achieve at high levels.

To support instructors in creating inclusive learning environments, we’re offering a set of free resources, including 10 inclusive teaching practices that can be immediately put to use to benefit both faculty and their students. These practices are tailored for online teaching but are also relevant to the physical classroom.

These 10 practices include:

Ensure your course reflects a diverse society and world.
Ensure course media are accessible.
Ensure your syllabus sets the tone for diversity and inclusion.
Use inclusive language.
Share your gender pronouns.
Learn and use students’ preferred names.
Engage students in a small-group introductions activity.
Use an interest survey to connect with students.
Offer inclusive office hours.
Set expectations for valuing diverse viewpoints.

INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES TOOLKIT
Click on the red button to access ACUE's INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES TOOLKIT page.

Click HERE to download these 10 Inclusive Teaching Practices as a PDF document.

Initiating Classroom Dialogue about Race: A Narrative Framework
ACCT Podcast
disABILITY Support Services

In EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

^{September 14, 2020 T. Scott Bledsoe, PsyD, and Kimberly A. Setterlund, MSW, LCSW}

When I think about diversity here in college, I can hear myself saying “What if? What if I could go back and talk to my undergrad professors and my graduate professors and sit them down in the times or moments where I felt I was not heard?” I would ask them to start the semester, start the course, or start every class including people’s personal narratives. ~Tamara

The quote from this student appears in Using Narratives and Storytelling to Promote Cultural Diversity on College Campuses (Bledsoe & Setterlund, 2021), which explores personal narratives about race and how they contribute to our worldviews. The recently published book addresses Tamara’s opening suggestion by offering a framework for promoting classroom dialogue around this issue, which reflects a critical need in the complex climate of higher education in which we currently live.

A narrative can be defined as a specific theme or topic that can be as personal as a favorite song, or global like politics. Housed within our narratives are stories that work together to bring each one to life. Narratives about race and culture are influenced by factors such as ethnicity, family, and environment, and are shaped by our past, present, and possible futures. For example, the death of George Floyd in the spring of 2020 was a powerful narrative that opened up a floodgate of stories that varied substantially depending on one’s ethnic group and background. Students should have the opportunity to meaningfully discuss their viewpoints on such topics, including the pain they experienced and challenges they see before them. The diagram to the right shows four components—values, beliefs, schemas, and emotions—which are vital in our construction of narratives and internal processing of race.

^{Copyright © 2021 by IGI Global}

Click HERE for full article.
CLICK HERE to LISTEN to the podcast

COMMUNITY COLLEGES, EQUITY & HIGHER ED IN THE TIME OF COVID
Noah Brown of ACCT on how community colleges are reacting to COVID education , enrollment challenges and the financial hit of the pandemic
disABILITY Support Services

...where the focus is on your ABILITY!

The mission disABILITY Support Services at SAC is to provide reasonable accommodations and facilitate access for on-campus and distance education students to have an equal opportunity to participate in and enjoy the benefits of higher education.

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Additional Resources

Inclusive Teaching and Learning Online Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning.

Diversity and Inclusion Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University.

Teaching in Racially Diverse College Classrooms Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University

Creating a Positive Classroom Climate for Diversity UCLA Diversity & Faculty Development.

Want to Reach All of Your Students? Here’s How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive The Chronicle of Higher Education.