Principle 3:

Introduction

The following text is abridged from the Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia.

What role does content play in creating an inclusive, or non-inclusive, learning environment? How can instructors design productive student interactions with content, no matter what subject matter they teach?

• Whenever possible, instructors should work to broaden readings from only a singular perspective, instead choosing content that reflects a range of perspectives and backgrounds ¹
• Instructors should avoid including a token perspective here or there, instead of meaningfully including and considering different perspectives. Instead, inclusive course readings should place multiple perspectives at the center, and should be contextualized and integrated with nuance.
• Instructors should be mindful of the demographic aspects of statistics/data presented.
• Instructors should also discuss institutional barriers to disciplinary inclusion when appropriate (for example, “I want you to be aware that although her labor goes unacknowledged here, Max Weber’s wife Marianne prepared and published these works after his death”).

Teaching Strategies

To work toward inclusive course content, instructors should:

Select content that engages a diversity of ideas and perspectives.^{2 3 4 5}

• When selecting course content (readings, textbooks, and any other course materials), consider whether certain perspectives are absent. Aim for an inclusive curriculum so that students can view ideas and concepts from a variety of perspectives, instead of treating one group’s experience as the standard.
• Critically evaluate the presentation of material. If you assign a text that proves problematic or incorporates stereotypes (for example, a business management textbook that only uses masculine pronouns, or a dermatology chapter that only shows fair-skinned patients), point out these shortcomings and consider supplementing the text with other readings. Encourage students to critique content, which normalizes critical thinking.

Select content by authors of a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.^{6 7 8}

• When selecting course content—especially in courses where content is understood to be more traditionally neutral—work to include materials written, created, or researched by authors representing a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
• If applicable, discuss contributions made to the field by people with different backgrounds and perspectives than those of the teaching staff and explain why these contributions are significant. This action can prove validating to students looking to see themselves represented in the researchers, mentors, and models of the course.

Use multiple and wide-ranging examples.^{9 10 11}

• When presenting content in class discussions or lecture, plan to use examples that are relatable to people from a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. If you cannot, ground examples in specificity and discuss limitations of what can be gleaned from analyzing a narrow range of voices or data.
• Do not assume that all students will recognize the cultural, literary, or historical references you use. Make sure not to reward students for their similarity to you at the expense of others (for example, chatting warmly with students who are from your hometown, but never asking other students about their backgrounds). Instead, try to draw on resources, materials, humor, and anecdotes that are relevant to the subject, and sensitive to your students.

Bibliography

• Ambrose, Susan A., Michael W. Bridges, Michele DiPietro, Marsha C. Lovett, and Marie K. Norman. How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
• Davis, Barbara Gross. Tools for Teaching. Second Edition. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
• Hockings, Christine. Inclusive Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: A Synthesis of Research. York: Higher Education Academy, 2010.
• Lee, Amy, Robert Poch, Marta Shaw, and Rhiannon Williams. Engaging Diversity in Undergraduate Classrooms: A Pedagogy for Developing Intercultural Competence. ASHE Higher Education Report 38, no. 2. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2012.
• Sellers, Sherrill et al. Reaching All Students: A Resource for Teaching in STEM. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), last modified 2007, accessed July 19, 2017, https://career.ucsf.edu/sites/career.ucsf.edu/files/PDF/Researchersreachingallstudents.pdf.

University Resources

Physicians & Surgeons: Promoting Bias-Free Curriculum (CUMC)

The P&S Guidelines for Promoting a Bias-Free Curriculum were developed with the input of many P&S faculty and students and adopted by the Committee on Education Policy and Curriculum (CEPC) in June 2017 with the goal of actively improving teaching. The guidelines are relevant to both classroom and clinical teaching environments and can apply to learners at all stages of training.

Footnotes