Diversity

Do students listen to others' views? Does diversity matter?

From Inside Higher Ed: "Campus constituencies across the country are skeptical of their institutions’ emphasis on -- and consideration of -- diverse viewpoints both in the classroom and on campus generally, according to a report released Thursday by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Read More »

Using this Resource

Our goals in compiling this resource book were to provide instructors with tools for teaching and to weave diversity throughout the volume. Although many of the documents that we examined were well-written, most were written for college instructors in general and were not STEM-specific. Further, few of those resource books incorporated diversity fully.

It is possible that a good portion of the difficulty with truly creating inclusive learning environments is that we do not see inclusiveness modeled. Instead, diversity is presented as an add-on and, therefore, is often ignored. Read More »

Resource Book

Benefit #2. Instructors who develop strong rapport with their students, make their courses accessible to diverse audiences, and practice unbiased strategies of assessment gain the reputation of being excellent teachers. Read More »

Diversity Workshop

Benefit #4. Reflection on potential challenges prepares faculty and graduate students to engage creatively with difficult situations when they occur in the future. Discussions also build community among the participants.

The Self-Guided Workshop is designed to enhance awareness of fundamental issues surrounding diversity. Through awareness, reflection and communication, it is possible to improve the chances that students from all backgrounds will continue on to graduate school. Read More »

Diversity Web Links

 

This collection of on-line resources will guide you to web sites and web-accessible documents related to diversity in STEM teaching and learning.

Web resources are evaluated and selected according to the quality, usefulness, and relevance of the information to:
    1.    Diversity in STEM teaching and learning
    2.    Diversity in teaching and learning
    3.    Diversity in STEM Read More »

Diversity, Ways of Thinking, and Geology

Submitted by RobinGreenler on Thu, 01/07/2010 - 9:19am
At CIRTL we contend that diversity leads to improved learning experiences and better products.   Part of this argument rests on the belief that by embracing a diversity of life experiences and perspectives we also embrace different ways of thinking and paths of synthesis.  And those different ways of thinking can increase the possibility of new insights and understandings.

While this sounds plausible, the argument is strengthened by concrete examples. What are some “different ways of thinking” that are not often represented and are useful in the STEM disciplines? 
Read More »

Matching Teaching Style to Learning Style May Not Help Students

Submitted by DrBruceHerbert on Wed, 12/23/2009 - 3:00pm

"Learning styles" research has been vastly oversold as a teaching tool, four psychologists argue in a new paper.   The four psychologists argue that there is no strongscientific evidence to support the "matching" idea, they contend in apaper published this week in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. And there is absolutely no reason for professors to adopt it in the classroom. Read More »

Reaching All Students: A Resource for Teaching in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics

Nationally, the scarcity of American students interested in going into STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is a cause for concern. Women and minority students could help make up this deficit – but only if they are welcomed. Numerous studies have documented the existence of a “chilly” interpersonal climate in STEM fields (see the CIRTL Diversity Resources Literature Review for specific references), but studies also show that in classrooms where students are working together well, women and minority students feel more at home.
Read More »

ECAR Report: Exploring Diversity and Creating IT Community through Storytelling

Submitted by DrBruceHerbert on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 8:17am

New Educause Report entitled "Exploring Diversity and Creating IT Community through Storytelling" by Hetty Baiz and Susan Danoff is avilable. Read More »

Does Diversity Matter: The Debate over Sotomayor's Nomination to the Supreme Court

Submitted by DrBruceHerbert on Tue, 06/02/2009 - 8:09am
The NY Times has an interesting blog discussion on whether diversity matters on the Supreme Court - Sotomayor's Life Matters by David Brooks and Gail Collins.  It would be easy to substitute academia for the Supremem Court to get an interesting conversation on the importance of diversity in our classrooms.
Syndicate content