Over the summer of 2012, Professors Rod Clare, Clyde Ellis, Mary Jo Festle, Charles Irons, and Nancy Midgette will conduct research regarding innovative pedagogies and resources that will introduce diverse perspectives into course readings and assignments. During the Fall 2012 semester, these faculty will apply the summer’s findings into several History survey courses, while also identifying ways to assess student learning from these new materials.

The Diversity Infusion Project began in 2011 to support the development and implementation of strategies to infuse Elon’s curriculum with the best practices related to diversity, broadly defined. The Multicultural Center and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning co-sponsor the Diversity Infusion Project. More information regarding the Diversity Infusion Project, current and past projects, and application information are available on the Teaching and Learning website.

Image by Flickr user Nico Paix / Creative Commons licensed BY 2.0

During the 2012-2013 academic year, Professors Skip Allis, Ayesha Delpish, and Todd Lee will work on creating modules that incorporate diversity-related data-driven discussions into General Statistics courses. Conducting initial research over the summer of 2012, the new teaching modules will be implemented into General Statistic courses. Spring 2013 will focus on assessment and revision of the modules.

The Diversity Infusion Project began in 2011 to support the development and implementation of strategies to infuse Elon’s curriculum with the best practices related to diversity, broadly defined. The Multicultural Center and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning co-sponsor the Diversity Infusion Project. More information regarding the Diversity Infusion Project, current and past projects, and application information are available on the Teaching and Learning website.

Every year CATL sponsors a number of workshops and discussions. One excellent resource, the webinar “Four Strategies to Engage the Multicultural Classroom,” is now available even for those who missed the original event.

Mathew Ouellet and Christine Stanley hosted this webinar, which provides:

• a broad definition framework of diversity;
• a conceptual framework with which one might approach designing a multicultural classroom;
• ideas from participants for assignments and activities;
• pedagogical strategies for handling difficult situations in the classroom.

Mathew L. Ouellet is Associate Director of the Center for Teaching and Faculty Development at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and Christine A. Stanley is Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Professor of Higher Education Administration at Texas A&M University.

For other ideas and a select bibliography, faculty can also check out the Inclusive Classrooms Resources webpage.

Inclusive Classrooms is a faculty resource project spearheaded by Associate Director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning Mary Jo Festle. This project was created out of a research-based recognition that students perform better if they feel they “belong.”  For more ideas and resources on how to foster inclusive classrooms in regards to both content and pedagogy, as well as to read about what other faculty are doing and student experiences visit the Inclusive Classrooms website.

Image by Flickr user HackNY / Creative Commons licensed BY-SA 2.0

Over the course of a year, Elon faculty, a UNC-G graduate student, and Maggie met to share resources on alternative researching methods with democratic goals in mind. Each time the group would meet a different member would select the materials and facilitate a conversation regarding how these methods could be taken up in their respective contexts. Maggie then proposed the group expand their conversations by having a roundtable conversation at the 2011 International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conference in Milwaukee from October 20-23. She was able to attend the conference thanks to funding through a CATL Travel Reimbursement Grant.

At the conference additional radical research resources were shared and participants fleshed out potential research projects. Despite the rising role of student voices in the scholarship of teaching and learning, an undergraduate student proposing a roundtable was unique. Maggie found she was unable to submit a proposal as an undergraduate, and she started conversations that have led to changes in the proposal process for future ISSoTL conferences.

CATL’s Faculty Travel Reimbursement Grant program supports faculty involvement with the scholarship of teaching and learning and connects faculty with highly innovative programs in teaching and learning. This program is intended to supplement faculty travel support from other parts of the University, making it possible for more faculty members to participate in national and international initiatives on teaching and learning. Grants are typically awarded in amounts of $1000 or less. More information can be found on the CATL website.

Professors Hal Walker and Anthony G. Weaver in collaboration with Lamar Lee (’12) spent the Fall 2011 semester reaching out to regional leaders and building a database of potential mentors for majors. During the Spring 2012 semester, some of these leaders visited Elon classes, and many worked with students as informal mentors or in formal internships. Building on this success, the department will focus on implementing more of the well-received diversity focus in courses while continuing to enhance its mentoring database. More details about the goals, implementation, and assessment of this project are available online.

The Diversity Infusion Project began in 2011 to support the development and implementation of strategies to infuse Elon’s curriculum with the best practices related to diversity, broadly defined. The Multicultural Center and the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning co-sponsor the Diversity Infusion Project.  More information regarding the Diversity Infusion Project, current and past projects, and application information are available on the Teaching and Learning website.