What are effective ways to design an inclusive syllabus?

A first step to designing inclusive syllabi must always involve identifying/addressing historically embedded assumptions on which the field in which one works has been founded. These assumptions, often seemingly neutral in their intent, tend to largely reveal a variety of epistemological, ontological, and axiological premises that must first be contemplated before knowledge exploration can occur based on contemporary advancements. In my inclusive syllabi, I often provide students with a brief overview of how the field of literacy has epistemologically favored certain types of knowledges and how those often represent the individual and collective realities of some but not others. This allows for critical thinking at the center of learning.

Know your students, their capabilities and capacities and build aspiration. Let's teach the way we like to learn. With regard and engagement with each learner, remembering that as a teacher every day I am a learner too.

The first step when designing an inclusive syllabus for diverse students, is their cultural standpoint, which is a form of brain-washing. We do not leave our culture at home, but bring it everywhere we go, in and out of the classroom. It shapes our beliefs, influences our perceptions and is at the basis of our values. As my study revealed, our core commonly shared value is respect which is culturally situated, taken for granted, manifests in our behaviours, and can mean disrespect in another person's culture hence why we Educators need to be culturally aware to understand diverse learners preferred teaching and learning approaches, what would motivate them to learn affectively, and what they regard as the barriers to their learning.

In teaching courses on music, I make a point to integrate a module on understanding that “music” itself is a culturally embedded category and there are many sonic traditions across the world that would be considered “musical” by western practitioners but not by the indigenous and local tradition-bearers. An inclusive curricula aims at stepping back and questioning the fundamental categories in the languages we associate with that shape the way we interact with the world around us. This alongside studying the epistemic violence as a result of colonial encounters in different parts of the world is a key pillar for designing inclusive curricula.

Dialogue and communication play a fundamental role in the creation of a curriculum that promotes inclusion. They establish a climate of trust, provide the means and necessary environment for mutual understanding, continuous adaptation, and the acceptance of diverse perspectives. They foster conflict resolution and active participation. Consciously integrating dialogue and communication into a curriculum creates an environment conducive to respect, understanding, and equitable participation

In my experience, with a junior/senior level course, designing class-research projects, requiring collaboration and communication in small groups (3-4 students) with elements that reflect individual performance, has been effective for inclusion—-groups are allocated alphabetically and students are allowed to assess group member performance throughout the semester. The topic for the class project is selected by the group and approved by the instructor. There are required meetings throughout the semester—all members must be present. A group presentation is required at the end of the semester where group and individual performance is assessed. Race, gender, and geographic diversity has not been a serious issue; creativity emerges often.

It goes without saying that the choice of materials is paramount for inclusive syllabi. Materials, especially readings, that are written by authors from different racial and socio-cultural backgrounds are essential for inclusivity. Also, materials should cater to students’ different learning styles, that is, varied sources and formats.

Dialogue and communication play a fundamental role in the creation of a curriculum that promotes inclusion. They establish a climate of trust, provide the means and necessary environment for mutual understanding, continuous adaptation, and the acceptance of diverse perspectives. They foster conflict resolution and active participation. Consciously integrating dialogue and communication into a curriculum creates an environment conducive to respect, understanding, and equitable participation

One important consideration for students is clearly communicating different types of learning materials. For instance, if you use an Open Educational Resource (OER), explain to students what this means and how they can access the materials. Ensuring easy access to the OER for students is important. Additionally, if you plan to use a publisher platform, clearly state the expectations of use, provide clear instructions for accessing the site, and state whether the site is mobile-friendly. Many students report using their phones as the primary access to learning materials and learning management systems.

Group work must be monitored. You must prevent someone from taking over or someone from doing nothing. That will also mean ongoing evaluation by both the instructor and the group members. This can be difficult when cultural norms dictate behaviour so the instructions must be detailed.

I find that sometimes less is more. Look up standards for inclusive and universal design and do that. Then take away all the detailed extra bits you have floating around that carry with them white middle class patriarchal assumptions. And please, especially if you have foreign students in the class who do not plan on careers in English, please think twice before marking down for grammar issues. Grade for meaning.

I always make sure my students know the rules and course policies. Transparent and fair rules of the game lead to success and fair play for all players.

I follow trauma informed practice when developing syllabi and course requirements. Each student should feel welcome, supported, and valued as an individual. These are prerequisites to learning and begin with the syllabus. Include information about available supports and how to access those supports. I include a general statement: "Life happens, so if circumstances require adjustment of due dates or specific accommodations, please reach out to me individually so we can make a success plan."

Course Policies and Expectations: 1. Attendance: Regular attendance is expected for all class sessions. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. If you are unable to attend a class, please notify me in advance. 2. Participation: Active participation is crucial for your learning and the overall success of the class. This includes engaging in class discussions, asking questions, and contributing to group activities. 3. Assignments and Deadlines: All assignments must be completed and submitted by the specified deadlines. Late submissions may be subject to a penalty unless prior arrangements have been made. It is important to manage your time effectively to meet the deadlines. 4. Academic Integrity

Co-create the learning space and ask students to co-develop agreements for the course’s duration. Add that dissent is welcomed, state that diversity of viewpoints is necessary for learning and for a flourishing democracy, and role model this behavior.

Make sure to include information about accommodations (religious, ability, or others): the process of arranging accommodations can involve a lot of red tape and frustration, but having a syllabus at least point students in the right direction can be invaluable. It is not only helpful, but signals your willingness to work with them and projects a level of understanding of what your students' needs are.

This is especially pertinent for introductory level courses. Students new to a college/university can often feel overwhelmed and have difficulty integrating into the campus community. Provide clear, understandable supports, such as defining what office hours are, listing when to expect responses back from emails sent in evenings or weekends, as well as sharing university supports as tutoring center information can be game changers for students to feel welcomed and supported.

Designing an inclusive syllabus extends to generously and transparently offering support and resources. Consider how to support student success, enhance accessibility, and foster a caring environment. Make yourself available, approachable, and responsive to student needs. Clearly outline resources, services, and avenues for questions, feedback, and well-being. By addressing these aspects, educators create a syllabus that demonstrates genuine care, compassion, and responsiveness to all students.

To foster an inclusive learning environment in the creative industries field, we provide extensive support through regular office hours, virtual support, and a dedicated discussion platform - Blackboard. Prompt responses to student queries via email and interactive class sessions aim to enhance engagement. Transparently sharing resources like online tutorials, industry case studies, and collaborative tools enriches their understanding.

Course Support and Resources: 1. Office Hours: I will hold regular office hours each week where you can come and discuss any questions, concerns, or clarifications related to the course material. Office hours will be held either in person or virtually, and the schedule will be provided at the beginning of the semester. 2. Online Learning Platform: We will be using an online learning platform for course materials, assignments, and discussions. This platform will provide a central location for accessing course resources, submitting assignments, and engaging in online discussions with your peers. 3. Course Materials: Required readings, lecture slides, and supplementary materials will be provided to support your learning.

Do not ever reload a class without considering how students understood the assignments, met the requirements, benefited from the experience, and the grades they earned.

Structural biases are the most potent and yet also the most difficult blind spot to overcome. This is why I spend the vast majority of my time in this space. Take a look at the demographics of the school, the department, and your courses more precisely. You may need to do some extra leg work. Meaningful demographics go far beyond race, ethnicity, and SES. You may be inadvertently privileging certain types of students who fit your stereotype of what a student even is. How many students have disabilities? Visible or not? How many students' parents went to college? How many have mentors who attended and graduated college? Where do your students live? Near campus, far away? Do your students work or have children?

I am also starting to include co-created assessment tools. This helps students think about the real meaning behind the assignment, and also makes sure everyone is clear and has a chance to influence how their work is assessed.

What tools are you using for your class (e.g. LMS, discussion boards, videos, graphics). Have you checked products for their built-in accessibility? Have you used the alt-text feature when choosing or creating images? Do the videos that you use have closed captioning?

Regularly assess the efficacy of the course by gathering student feedback and analyzing learning outcomes, using surveys and assessments to collect data, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods. This information allows continuous improvements to enhance inclusivity, ensuring the course's purpose, relevance, and value resonate with diverse learners.

In my experience, culture of your classroom plays a substantial role in effectively designing an inclusive syllabus. Having a collaborative culture where children not just take ownership of their own learning but look at the collaborative growth of the entire class, can be a key element for inclusion.

Allow students to provide input in different ways - find ways that are comfortable for each student to contribute in their own way.

One thing I've found helpful is to include students' perspectives, from the other side of the discussion. Their insight and contributions go beyond your general ideas and expectations. And also, it is very effective in creating a more welcoming environment that fosters student empowerment.

I usually assign the syllabus as a reading assignment at the beginning of the semester, then discuss it with students. This gives them a chance to read it elaborately and ensures that they actually read it! Mid-semester, I send out a short anonymous survey to my students and ask them about how the course is going and for their input about what needs to be improved, changed etc.

At midterm, create an anonymous learning management system survey with comments for your course. Ask “how are things going?” Lectures? Choice of text? Assignments? Course paper? Be open to midterm changes! I taught a senior seminar for business students for many years utilizing a “reverse classroom” technique, in which students formed their own two person teams, divided lectures amongst the teams, determined due dates for assignments, etc.

When designing an inclusive curriculum, it is important to engage in reflexivity. This is important both for developing and seasoned educators. Instructors sometimes presume to know what their students need because they may share certain identities with that population, or have done extensive research on that population. However, students are not monoliths. Educators need to ask themselves, “what assumptions am I making about my students as I design this curriculum?” They also need to ask, “how are my personal biases shaping my planned instruction, and what opportunities am I making available for me to learn from my students?” In this way instructors can mitigate personal biases and amplify student voices.

Designing inclusive syllabi should always start with a clear statement of what is understood by inclusivity. There are many understandings of the concept and ways of approaching it in context. It can be easy to assume that anything that’s been labelled “inclusive” for some learners would be so for all learners, especially when there isn’t a clear understanding of what would count as “inclusive” in the context for which the syllabus is being designed.

Include a statement such as: "If you require accommodations to fully participate in this class, please see the instructor during office hours." Make sure beforehand that you have consulted with the campus Disability Office about working with disabled students in your classes.

An inclusive syllabus should make reference to policies and supports that are relevant to a diverse range of students. For example, any accommodations for student parents or use of student pronouns. Syllabi can also include a land acknowledgement and reference to various student resources such as tutoring supports, etc.

Use gender neutral pronouns in your syllabus. In my long career with academia, professors used to default to referring to students as he/him when explaining expectations. In the 2000s, some professors thought they were being more progressive by using she/her. While I can appreciate their attempt at diversity, this is still not inclusive. Using they/them to refer to students encompasses the broad spectrum of people we serve as educators.