From Degrees of Difficulty: The Challenge of Equity in College Teaching by David Trend, forthcoming from Worlding Books
As awareness grows about the role of structural inequities and systemic biases in student success or failure, many schools are exploring the role of instructional methods and course design in bringing equity to the educational environment. In doing so, institutions are finding emerging teaching practices guided by evidence-based research can broaden learner success. Key to this movement is the practice of inclusive teaching, a pedagogical approach that recognizes the inherent diversity of learners and seeks to accommodate their varying needs. This philosophy is predicated on the understanding that students come from various backgrounds, possess different learning styles, and often face individual challenges in their educational pursuits. In recognizing these forms of diversity, educators can develop strategies catering to the most significant number of learners, ensuring no one is left behind. This also treats classroom diversity as an asset, enriching the learning experience for all students by introducing multiple perspectives and fostering cross-cultural understanding.
For many faculty like me, the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a heightened attention to inclusive principles. The sudden transition to remote learning destabilized my ongoing practices in two significant ways: first, by forcing the adoption of new instructional methods, and second, by making visible latent inequities I hadn’t previously recognized. As mentioned above, this situation led many colleges and universities to scrutinize their teaching approaches and adopt new tools and strategies to enhance fairness, flexibility, and accessibility. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of social-emotional learning and mental health support in education, prompting institutions to integrate these elements into their teaching strategies more fully.
In my case, the process began with campus triage efforts to familiarize faculty teaching very large classes with remote instruction. Like many teaching at research universities, this was the first time in two decades that anyone had ever approached me to discuss what I did in the classroom. Aside from student evaluations and self-statements in faculty promotion files, UC Irvine and institutions like it provide very little instructional oversight. This leaves faculty to their own devices –– often replicating the same methods and subject matter for years or even decades. Aside from verifying some of the good things I was already doing, the training from UCI professional development sessions helped me understand exactly why certain methods worked or did not. Beyond this I learned about more things I could do and what research was showing to be best practices in the field. Perhaps most importantly I came to grasp that inclusive teaching and effective teaching are two sides of the same coin.
Central to much of this work is Universal Design for learning (UDL), a teaching toolbox emphasizing flexibility and adaptability to accommodate diverse learning styles and needs.[i] As discussed above, UDL is informed by evidence-based findings on the differing ways learners perceive, process, and express information.[ii] The three core principles of UDL –– multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement –– can be woven into the fabric of curriculum design and delivery by using varied materials, alternative assessment methods, and new learning pathways.[iii] This approach benefits learners with differing abilities and enhances the classroom experience for all students by providing multiple avenues for engagement and understanding.
Using UDL principles in higher education can be a big departure from standardized approaches to teaching. Providing multiple types of representation, educators can format material in different ways (i.e., text, audio, etc.), catering to different learning needs and capabilities. This enables students to express knowledge and skills a variety of ways, moving beyond conventional exercises and essays to include projects, presentations, and multimedia assignments. Finally, multiple means of engagement tap into students’ interests, motivations, and challenges, fostering a more personalized and meaningful learning experience. This multifaceted approach recognizes that education is a complex process involving cognitive skills and emotional, social, and cultural factors.
As institutions begin implementing inclusive teaching practices, it is crucial to recognize that this shift requires more than adjustments at the level of course design. It demands a fundamental reevaluation of the underlying assumptions and structures that have shaped higher education for generations. This includes addressing issues of representation in curricula, examining power dynamics in the classroom, and challenging the notion of a single, normative academic experience. It also means rethinking the very purpose of higher education, shifting from a model focused primarily on knowledge transmission to one that emphasizes critical thinking, problem-solving, and the development of lifelong learning skills.
In recent years, programs that foster inclusion have been increasing nationwide. One among these is the University of California, Irvine’s Inclusive Teaching Institute (ITI). Operated by the campus’s Division of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (DTEI), the ITI is a targeted faculty development program using research-informed methods and practices like active learning. Such programs now are emerging as part of a new mood of self-reflection occurring in higher education, coupled with concerted efforts to address challenges faced by diverse learner populations. Such initiatives often combine theoretical frameworks with practical strategies, providing educators with the tools and knowledge to implement inclusive classroom practices.
By investing in faculty development programs like the ITI, universities aim to create pedagogical environments that can better support the success of all students. These initiatives typically cover a range of topics, including unconscious bias, culturally responsive teaching, and strategies for fostering reflective discussions. They take form in workshops, seminars, and ongoing support to help faculty members integrate best practices into their teaching methodologies. The impact of such programs extends beyond individual classrooms. By promoting inclusive teaching practices, institutions aim to improve overall student engagement, retention, and academic success. This, in turn, can lead to increased diversity in various fields and professions, as students from all backgrounds feel more supported and empowered to pursue their chosen careers.
Scholars like bell hooks have been instrumental in highlighting the need for a more holistic and inclusive approach to education. In her well-known work Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom, Hooks argued for a pedagogy that embraces the whole person, recognizing the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit in the learning process.[iv] As suggested by the book’s title, hooks encouraged students to critically question the status quo around issues of institutional authority and even the hierarchical relationship between students and faculty. hooks’ professed goal was in the empowerment of all parties to liberate themselves from oppressive ways of thinking. This perspective challenges learners and educators alike to move beyond the traditional focus on knowledge acquisition alone to consider the political and cultural dimensions of learning. It also emphasized the transformative potential of education, viewing it as a means of personal and social change.
Seen in this light, the pursuit of inclusive teaching should extend beyond individual classrooms to encompass institutional policies and practices. This entails reevaluating admissions, matriculation support, counseling, financial aid, and wellbeing services to ensure equity. It also involves diversifying faculty and staff, creating mentorship programs, and fostering a campus culture that validates difference in all its forms. Institutions must also consider the role of hidden curricula –– the unspoken norms, values, and expectations that shape students’ experiences –– and work to make these implicit aspects of education more transparent and inclusive.
This is an area in which scholars like Estella Mara Bensimon have highlighted the need for a more nuanced approach to equity in college and university teaching. Bensimon’s Equity Scorecard, also developed at the University of Southern California, provides a data-driven framework for identifying student outcome differentials.[v] Focusing on disaggregated data and institutional practices, this approach encourages a shift from deficit-thinking to equity-mindedness. It recognizes the role of institutional structures and practices in perpetuating inequities. Employing the concept of a “scorecard,” the overarching goal of the project is to encourage colleges and universities to engage in an exercise of deep reflection and self-critique. Perhaps most importantly, this framework emphasizes institutional responsibility in addressing equity differentials, rather than placing the burden solely on individual learners or educators.
Institutions should also consider the broader campus climate, including physical accessibility, representation in leadership positions, and the availability of culturally responsive support services. Creating truly inclusive institutions means addressing systemic barriers at all levels. This may involve reengaging campus spaces to be more welcoming and accessible, developing support programs for specific learner groups, and fostering a culture of inclusion that permeates all aspects of campus life. Institutions must also grapple with the intersectionality of student identities and experiences. The work of Kimberlé Crenshaw on intersectionality provides insights for understanding how forms of oppression and discrimination can compound and interact.[vi] By recognizing the complex interplay of race, gender, class, sexuality, and other factors, educators can develop more nuanced and effective approaches to inclusive teaching. This intersectional approach acknowledges that learners’ experiences are shaped by multiple, interconnected aspects of their identities and helps to avoid oversimplified or one-dimensional approaches to diversity and inclusion.
The most obvious aspect of inclusive teaching is the integration of diverse materials and ideas. Termed culturally responsive pedagogy, this means being mindful of learners’ identities and experiences in both the kind of material offered in a course as well as the way instruction is delivered. Put another way, culturally responsive pedagogy operates by recognizing the broad spectrum of differences in a classroom –– not only in terms of race and gender –– but also factors like income, ability, prior schooling, immigration status, English fluency, work or family responsibilities, and many other determinants of a learner’s identity or the factors that influence their ability to succeed.
Along similar lines, assessment’s role in inclusive teaching also deserves careful consideration. Traditional methods of evaluation may perpetuate biases and favor certain learning styles. Implementing more diverse and flexible assessment strategies, such as portfolio-based assessments or and peer evaluations, can provide a more comprehensive and fair measure of student progress. Alternative methods also offer enhanced avenues for critical thinking, creativity, and self-reflection.
[i] David H. Rose and Anne Meyer, Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning (Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2002).
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom (New York: Routledge, 1994).
[v] Estela Mara Bensimon, “The Underestimated Significance of Practitioner Knowledge in the Scholarship on Student Success,” The Review of Higher Education 30, no. 4 (2007): 441-469, https://www.ashe.ws/files/Past Presidents/30.4bensimon.pdf
[vi] Kimberlé Crenshaw, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color,” Stanford Law Review 43, no. 6 (1991): 1241-1299, https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/critique1313/files/2020/02/1229039.pdf