“Who am I to bring diversity into the classroom?” Learning communities wrestle with creating inclusive college classrooms

Abstract

This study explored the experiences of gateway course instructors during the implementation of pedagogical changes aimed at improving the success of diverse students. A detailed case study was built through analysis of peer observations, focus groups, oral and written reflections, student grades, in-depth interviews, and pre and post student surveys. Results showed that instructors faced three major challenges in implementing pedagogical changes: pragmatic challenges, student-centered challenges, and challenges to instructor self-concept. Embracing a learning paradigm and participating in a learning community helped instructors to manage these challenges and create more inclusive learning environments for students.

Moving Towards Inclusive Learning and Teaching: A Synthesis of Recent Literature

“…One area that has received increasing attention since Hockings' review is the question of professional development opportunities connected to accessibility and inclusion (Considine et al, 2014;Heesink, de Koning, & Visser, 2015;Thomas & Heath, 2014). Recent scholarship suggests that development opportunities should be part of a systematic program of support (Moriña Díez, López Gavira, & Molina, 2015) and have measures in place to identify and avoid outcomes such as changes in attitude but not in practice (Lombardi, Murray, & Gerdes, 2011).…”

Moving towards inclusive learning and teaching: A synthesis of recent literature

“…While many SoTL scholars have explored questions about accessibility and inclusion in teaching and learning, much of this work tends to focus on particular pedagogical strategies deployed at the classroom level (e.g., Dierker, Alexander, Cooper, Selya, Rose, & Dasgupta, 2016;Smith, 2012) or on educational development initiatives that support such classroom-level work (e.g., Considine, Mihalick, Mogi-Hein, Penick-Parks, & Van Auken, 2014;Glowacki-Dudka, Murray, & Concepción, 2012). Such scholarship is undoubtedly significant and continues to make important contributions to the goals articulated in this paper.…”

How Do You Achieve Inclusive Excellence in the Classroom?

“…A recent study (Considine et al. ) found a variety of barriers to implementation of new pedagogies. Educators had limited time to select new texts, revise lesson plans, and work closely with at‐risk students, and they misjudged the amount of class time required for student‐centered learning activities.…”

“…Training is time consuming, and along with the work of changing course content and pedagogy, competes with other demands on instructors' time. A recent study (Considine et al 2014) found a variety of barriers to implementation of new pedagogies. Educators had limited time to select new texts, revise lesson plans, and work closely with at-risk students, and they misjudged the amount of class time required for student-centered learning activities.…”