Faculty Professional Development

"Creating an inclusive classroom environment isn’t just a nice idea—its effect on student engagement, learning, and
achievement is supported by substantial academic research. On this page, we highlight key elements of this research, so that you can answer for yourself the questions “So what?” and “Why do it?”

"Almost all of this research directly speaks to the fact that what we call inclusive teaching practices are helpful for all students’ learning but especially beneficial to students who are members of groups underrepresented in their fields or traditionally underserved by institutions of higher education."

"This paper explores the implementation of student-centered and social justice-based teaching methods that promote a classroom atmosphere of equity, inclusion, and positivity by prioritizing students' emotional and psychological well-being in relation to the course content."

"The new emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion has pushed each of us to recognize hidden barriers and inequities that our students have been dealing with all along. In my desire to be a compassionate teacher, I ask myself: What else should I be doing to be “inclusive”?"

“10 Effective Classroom Management Techniques Every Faculty Member Should Know features 10 different approaches to classroom management from those on the front lines who’ve met the challenges head-on and developed creative responses that work with today’s students.”

Quick read resource with three short tips oriented to effective classroom management about how to set the tone from day one, model the way, and be consistent.

"The findings point to the promise of care ethics to prepare teachers who can manage classrooms in ways that better meet the needs of diverse students.”

Significant improvements were noted in students' ability to appraise stressors as positive challenges, rather than threats. Noteworthy improvements were also seen in students' ability to recognize the resources available to help them cope with stressors, as well as decreases in math anxiety. These preliminary findings demonstrate that SEL programs implemented in a college setting have the potential to impact students' psychological well-being and, in turn, their academics

"In a world where the need for social and emotional learning is of utmost importance, it is imperative for college and university faculty to get to know, connect with, and understand their own students.  Building “community” is a phrase that we may have heard in many educational and professional settings.  Whether it is used to refer to building rapport with colleagues or just a classroom teacher building community within their own classroom of third graders, educators across all disciplines are called to build rapport and community with one another."

Incorporating social-emotional learning in the college classroom is about showing students where to look to find meaning and purpose in their lives, but allowing them to discover what that meaning and purpose looks like on their own terms.