Collaborate with Students on Course Design and Instructional Practice
Collaborating with students on course design and instructional practice is one research-supported way to increase engagement with students, especially those from underserved or underrepresented backgrounds, and support diversity in the classroom.
Most diversity-focused educational development for faculty does not directly draw on information from students themselves, but the insights of students are essential to developing effective and inclusive pedagogical practices (Bovill et al. 2011; Cook-Sather et al. 2021).
Incorporating students—especially those who are underserved by and underrepresented in higher education—into the development of educational materials and practices is an effective part of increasing equity, inclusion, and justice efforts on campus (Cook-Sather et al. 2021). Incorporating students as partners in course design, instructional practice, and inclusion efforts has been shown to be effective for both faculty and students, and to increase student engagement, enthusiasm, and empowerment (Bovill et al. 2011; Brooman et al. 2015).
Steps to consider
- Equitably include students in the conceptualization and implementation of course design and educational development (Cook-Sather et al. 2021)
(Module 1: Including Diverse Representation, and Module 3: Creating a Positive Community) - Develop panels to hear from and center the voices and experiences of students, especially those who are underrepresented or underserved in your discipline. Compensate them for their time and work, and be accountable to the issues they raise and suggestions they make (Cook-Sather et al. 2021)
(Module 2: Integrating Peer-to-Peer Learning, Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy) - Support students in developing resources for faculty in your discipline that offer recommendations for inclusive teaching and that address common diversity issues in your field or department. Compensate students for this work, promote it to instructors, and offer incentives for incorporating it into their teaching (Cook-Sather et al. 2021)
(Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy) - Develop compensated roles for students to act as partners and consultants within the department or at the classroom level in support of inclusive teaching practices (Bovill et al. 2011; Cook-Sather et al. 2021)
(Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy) - Develop compensated roles for students to act as partners or consultants within the department at the curriculum level in support of inclusive teaching design and practice (Bovill et al. 2011; Cook-Sather et al. 2021)
(Module 1: Including Diverse Representation, Module 2: Integrating Peer-to-Peer Learning, Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, Module 4: Making Success Accessible, Module 5: Giving Inclusive Assessments, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy) - Integrate student feedback from course reviews and exit interviews into department curriculum design and instructional practice
(Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy) - Develop focus groups to provide feedback to curricular design processes and instructional practice norms (Brooman et al. 2015)
(Module 3: Creating a Positive Community, and Module 6: Anti-Racist Pedagogy)
Go to the IDEAL Pedagogy Canvas course to explore the learning modules referenced above.
References
Bovill, C., A. Cook‐Sather, & P. Felten (2011). “Students as Co‐creators of Teaching Approaches, Course Design, and Curricula: Implications for Academic Developers”, International Journal for Academic Development, 16(2), 133–45.
Brooman, S., S. Darwent, & A. Pimor (2015). “The Student Voice in Higher Education Curriculum Design: Is There Value in Listening?”, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 52(6): 663–74.
Cook-Sather, A. (2014). “Student-Faculty Partnership in Explorations of Pedagogical Practice: A Threshold Concept in Academic Development”, International Journal for Academic Development, 19(3): 186–98.
Cook-Sather, A., M. Bahti, & A. Ntem (2019). Pedagogical Partnerships: A How-To Guide for Faculty, Students, and Academic Developers in Higher Education. Elon University Center for Engaged Learning.
Cook-Sather, A., T.M. Addy, A. DeVault, & N. Litvitskiy (2021). “Where Are the Students in Efforts for Inclusive Excellence? Two Approaches to Positioning Students as Critical Partners for Inclusive Pedagogical Practices”, To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 40(1).