David Vanden Bout

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DAVID VANDEN BOUT, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education in the College of Natural Sciences
http://vandenbout.cm.utexas.edu/research/Vanden_Bout_Group/David_Vanden_Bout.html Links to an external site.

What does inclusive teaching mean to you?

One of the biggest challenges we face in the sciences is not about content, it’s about personal interactions. It’s about people being aware of what they’re saying, who they’re calling on, little offhand comments they’re making, facial expressions, and being open to a variety of ideas. And it’s about the tone that says we haven’t necessarily all figured it out. We’re all here learning right now; this is not just a quiz show to see who’s got it already nailed. In my own General Chemistry class, I was so pleased to have a concrete example relating chemical kinetics to how quickly you can get off an airplane. Everybody knows what it’s like to get off an airplane. I’m flying all the time—to me, that’s happening all the time in my life. But I’m sure there were people in that classroom thinking, “wow, well, I’ve never been on an airplane.”

That’s a very subtle, simple thing. I’m sure it has not ruined people’s academic careers, but it’s one of many moments of being the outsider. Thinking consciously about the examples we use, and realizing that our experience is not everyone’s experience, is super important, especially in front of a room of 500 people.