Recommended Practices for Inclusive Course Design

"The ultimate outcome is really about the students; it really is about helping the students become better citizens and better people because that's what we're all about here." John Luk, Dell Medical School Assistant Dean of Interprofessional Integration, encourages faculty to engage in inclusive course design by never forgetting the joy of teaching, starting with small steps, engaging in deliberate preparation, and seeking out collaboration with colleagues.

Canvas Tip

Use Canvas to promote inclusive course practices. Anonymous grading allows instructors to reduce bias by reviewing content uploaded into an assignment without knowing which student submitted a particular document.

There is no standard blueprint for inclusive course design. However, there are a variety of recommended practices that we encourage you to explore as you design a course, plan a particular lesson, or think about feedback strategies.

Whether you're designing a new course, engaged in course redesign, or currently mid-semester-deep in teaching, you can foster an inclusive approach to learning by considering the ways in which your students (their backgrounds, familiarity with the subject matter, experiences, and identities) can connect with your course content.

Course Design that Helps Students Make Connections

Four of the five major components of course design are illustrated in the diagram below: determining learning outcomes (this is represented by the center of the diagram), deciding how to assess those outcomes, selecting course content, choosing teaching methods and instructional activities, and providing opportunities for reflection. Occupying the center of the course design process are well-defined learning outcomes. To that end, be explicit about the knowledge, skills and attitudes you want students to have by the end of your course, and clearly connect which assessments address which outcomes. Dr. Eric Moore, UDL Learning Specialist at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, says instructors should try to avoid conflating how students present their learning with what instructors want them to actually learn. He offers this helpful example: "If you want students to be able to explain the circulatory system, is it necessary they write a paragraph? Not unless your learning outcome emphasizes development of writing skills. Students could draw the circulatory system or create a video about it" (access Moore's Canvas Course Links to an external site. to learn more about Universal Design for Learning).

By focusing on the desired outcomes, rather than restricting the means of achieving those outcomes, instructors can maintain high expectations for students while providing multiple means for students to demonstrate what they know (Meyer et al., 2014).

Click on each word or phrase in the gears in the diagram below to discover strategies for addressing the different components of course design.

For an extended explanation of these practices, and additional recommendations, you may download this pdf version of the diagram Download pdf version of the diagram

Putting It Into Practice: What Would You Do?

As the instructor in an undergraduate course, you want to check students' knowledge of that week’s course materials. Which of the following options would you choose?

Respond in Discussion Forum

As you think about these possible approaches, bear in mind that these options are not solutions so much as attempts to address a situation that would benefit from ongoing consideration. Thinking further, what other ways could you measure students’ knowledge of course material? Are quizzes necessary for assessing students’ understandings of the material? As you reflect on this activity, are there any adjustments you may consider making in the future when you assess students’ learning?

Option A: Weekly in-class quizzes at the beginning of class

Consider how choosing this learning assessment strategy may affect students with different identities and experiences:

A student who relies on public transportation, which often runs behind schedule, is late to your class because of this situation.
A student who has a child and relies on family members or other caregivers for childcare during your class.
A student who does not have SSD accommodations, but takes significantly longer than average to complete timed, in-class quizzes.

Option B: Weekly quizzes available in Canvas

Consider how choosing this learning assessment strategy may affect students with different identities and experiences:

A student does not have access to the internet at home. He tries to do all of his studying that requires an internet connection at one time, but sometimes cannot submit his quizzes.
A student who demonstrates a deep understanding of the material in class discussions, but does not score well on the quizzes.

Option C: Use students’ in-class participation and discussion to gauge comprehension.

Consider how choosing this learning assessment strategy may affect students with different identities and experiences:

A student whose first language is not English.
A student who is introverted and experiences anxiety when speaking in groups.
A student who is comfortable speaking in groups, but does not have substantive contributions related to the course material.

As a way to promote student participation in your class, you have included class participation as part of students’ final course grades.

Which of the following options would you choose?

Respond in Discussion Forum

As you think about these possible approaches, think a little further about class participation: Is there a difference between class participation and course engagement? If so, what is the difference? What is the value of class participation and course engagement – to the student? To the course? As you reflect on this activity, are there any adjustments you may consider making in the future when you assess students’ class participation?

Option A: At the end of the semester you think back to class discussions and determine the contributions and effort of each student and grade accordingly.

In what ways might your verbal and non-verbal cues influence class discussions? How can you be mindful of these practices?
How might students who are different in a highly visible way (Black or Asian American students in a predominantly white class, students who use wheelchairs) be penalized (even unconsciously) because of their visibility? Think about whether you notice their absences more than others, or whether or not they contribute to discussions. The Center for Research on Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota Links to an external site. advises: "Students who are different in a highly visible way (women who wear Islamic clothing, African Americans or Asian Americans in a predominantly white class, students who use wheelchairs, etc.) can be penalized because of their visibility. In particular, absences of such students may be noticed more easily. For this reason, [if attendance is part of a grade in your course] it is important to record all students' attendance at every class session (whether or not you use the information) rather than collecting a mental record of absences of highly visible students that may inadvertently and unfairly affect how you evaluate them."

Option B: Use a class participation rubric that details class participation grades, which includes attendance, discussions, and group work.

What are some other ways you can measure class participation besides the ones listed above?
Some of these mechanisms for measuring class participation can be time-intensive, especially over the course of a semester. What are some strategies that can make evaluating class participation more efficient?
In your rubric, what aspects of course participation are you measuring?

Option C: You tell students that they can earn class participation grades by attending related workshops and events on campus, contributing to discussion board posts, use of iClickers in class, and visiting office hours.

Which students may benefit from different options for class participation grades?
Are there any challenges you foresee with offering different pathways for participation - for students? For yourself? How might you mitigate these challenges?

Meet UT student Courtney Austin. Listen to Courtney's story about her experience in a course.

Review the options below to think about how you might respond in a similar situation. As you think about these possible approaches, bear in mind that these options are not solutions so much as attempts to address a situation that would benefit from ongoing consideration.

Respond in Discussion Forum

Option A: Find students in your class to take notes for Courtney. The instructor in Courtney's story found three additional students in the course who agreed to take notes for Courtney.

Was this an effective response to Courtney's situation? Why or why not?
What might the instructor have done differently? Services for Students with Disabilities provides instructors with guidelines Links to an external site. for instructors to support students who have requested notes.

Option B: Provide your notes ahead of class time.

What are some advantages of providing notes ahead of class?
Some instructors are concerned that if they provide notes ahead of class, students will not attend class, or will "check-out" (not pay attention) during class. Do you share this concern? How might you address this concern with your students?

Option C: Build your course in ways that support the needs of some students, but is simultaneously supportive of all students. One guiding principle in proactive teaching strategies like Universal Design for Learning is the maxim, "essential for some, good for all." The classic metaphor of this principle is that of a ramp in a sidewalk curb. These ramps were built to accommodate individuals in wheelchairs or with walkers, but if you look down any street, you'll see these ramps benefit teenagers with skateboards, individuals pushing strollers, and individuals engrossed in their texting.

How can you make this principle meaningful in your own course? Where might you begin? In addition to thinking about offering notes and captioning videos, think about some of the areas of your course in which students have struggled. What are these areas? What kind of support might you build into your course to help students through these challenging spots?

Graduate Student Instructors: Top Tips

Whether you are a Teaching Assistant (TA) who grades and holds office hours, a TA who leads labs or discussion sections, or an Assistant Instructor (AI) who is leading your own course, these inclusive course design strategies are here for you too! But we recognize that these roles come with a variety of limitations because graduate student instructors rarely have a voice in the design of many aspects of a course. Thus, while you may not be able to contribute significantly to the design of the course syllabus, content, or assessments, here are the top five ways you can engage in inclusive course design practices when you are a graduate student instructor.

Go here Download here

for a more comprehensive list of inclusive teaching strategies for graduate student instructors.

Communicate learning outcomes to students in office hours, or lab/discussion sections: When students are working on a project or grappling with difficult content, be clear about how the activities connect to specific learning outcomes in order to help your students stay motivated and on track.
Create learning outcomes for your lab/discussion section: Using the overall course learning outcomes as a guide, create a lesson plan for each session that centers around specific learning outcomes and allows students a variety of ways to achieve learning outcomes.
Use informal assessments in your lab/discussion sections:Use low-stakes or ungraded assessments in your lab/discussion sections early and often to give students feedback on their progress.
Use anonymous grading: As a TA who has grading responsibilities, you can grade student work anonymously to prevent potential bias in grading.If you are using Canvas, you can hide names in Speedgrader to enable anonymous grading Links to an external site..
Create a section information sheet for your lab/discussion section: Create a document that will complement your lead professor’s course syllabus that states the purpose and format of your sections, what you expect of students participating in your section, and what they can expect of you as their section leader. Download an example of a section information sheet. Links to an external site.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Module 2 Worksheet

Recommended Practices for Inclusive Course Design

Canvas Tip

Course Design that Helps Students Make Connections

Course Content

Teaching Methods & Instructional Strategies

Reflection

Assessments

Putting It Into Practice: What Would You Do?

Graduate Student Instructors: Top Tips

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES