Promoting Retention through the Implementation of Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design

Abstract

This article introduces the guiding principles of integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID), a new pedagogical model created to promote retention by addressing multicultural perspectives and social justice issues across the curriculum. To illustrate the model, specific strategies for implementing IMID in a content-based, writing-intensive freshman seminar are described and a template for course evaluation is provided. The article concludes with students' perceptions of the faculty member's efforts to create an inclusive learning environment in the freshman seminar.

Pedagogy of Inclusion: Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design

“…The University of Minnesota's Office for Equity and Diversity provided a $3,000 grant for the "Promoting Inclusion and Retention through Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design" (PIRIMID) project to develop the IMID model and pilot implementation during the 2008-2009 academic year Higbee, Goff, & Schultz, 2009). The following paragraphs present just a few examples that illustrate how we implemented the guiding principles of each of the four aspects ofIMID.…”

Expanding the Scope of Universal Design: Implications for Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

“…When the Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation project (PASS IT) [4,26,27] was funded by the US Department of Education, project participants continued to consider how guidelines for UID might be re-envisioned to be more inclusive of different social identity groups. Eventually, a new model evolved, integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID) [28][29][30][31]. IMID addressed one of the primary weaknesses of UID [32] by encouraging authenticity in the integration of cultural perspectives.…”

“…The first guidelines of both UID and IMID focus on welcoming learning environments [21,[29][30][31]. One way to demonstrate respect for students' identities and privacy is to provide a form to be completed and returned via email on which students can provide necessary information, if desired.…”

Allies for Inclusion: Disability and Equity in Higher Education

“…Created initially for individuals with disabilities, UID has been expanded to address access for people whose native language is not English and for people of various cultures, ethnicities, ages, and learning styles. An expanded model of UID, integrated multicultural instructional design (IMID) is under development (Barajas & Higbee, 2003;Higbee & Barajas, 2007;Higbee, Goff, & Schultz, 2012;Higbee, Schultz, & Goff, 2010). "IMID picks up where UID leaves off, adding explorations of what we teach to the UID model that already addresses how we teach, how we support learning, and how we assess learning" (Higbee, 2012, para.…”