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Talking about DEI, learning and development, communication, and leadership. [Personal; does not reflect affiliated organizations]

Three Quick Approaches for Increasing Inclusion

Using the (hopeful) change of seasons to reflect on broadening practices

Rachel Yoho

Aug 24, 2022

Temperatures are (hopefully?) cooling off in many places. Deciduous leaves have not yet started to change colors, but the fall semester is swinging in for most institutions throughout the United States.

In this, what feels like pandemic semester number 3,248,390, just getting by seems to be the new normal. As we focus on surviving - and hopefully thriving - here are a few quick resources to revisit.

For those not starting a new semester, a change of seasons is also a good time to consider broader aspects of interactions.

Starting day one with sharing your pronouns sets a good example and helps others know which pronouns to use for you. This can be done on the syllabus using the format: Instructor Name (pronoun/pronouns). The pronouns can also be included in personal introductions during live class sessions, class introductory recordings, and similar. Sharing pronouns is a great way to be more inclusive. Check out this past post from The Write Climate for more information on pronouns:

The Write Climate

Listing Pronouns is a Simple Step to Greater Inclusion

Much like the tulips that are beginning to pop up in parts of the northern hemisphere, pronouns have started to make more regular appearances on signature blocks and speaker introductions. Likely aided by the emergence of more frequent Zoom meetings, some people add their pronouns alongside their name…

a year ago · Rachel Yoho

In the last few moments before the semester kicks off, finalizing the course syllabus can have an inclusive lens. Bringing in concepts from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can make the course as a whole more inclusive, as well as supporting individual learners. Multiple ways to take in and show evidence of learning are two of the hallmarks of UDL. These courses can be more interesting, interactive, and help learners to bring in their own lived experiences into the work. Learn more about UDL in this earlier post:

The Write Climate

More Inclusive Spaces Create Better Learning Environments

Not all spaces work for everyone. The same goes for classrooms. The methods of delivery for education have changed over time. The technology is different and the educational theories have advanced. In short, we’re not copying content repeatedly on slate tablets anymore…

a year ago · Rachel Yoho

Finally, as we consider the inclusion and accessibility aspects of a course, images are often overlooked. Images are useful for reflecting the population and helping students “see themselves” in the literature of the discipline. Educational images are also essential in conveying information. From charts and graphs to flowcharts and diagrams, images are part of the learning process. Using alt text can increase accessibility in images. Consider supplementing images with alt text using the introduction here:

The Write Climate

A Brief Introduction to Using Alt Text

Twitter recently increased the prominence of the alt text option for images and GIFs. With the new roll-out of the “ALT badge” and better image accessibility features, many questions about alt text and how to use it remain. Alt text is the shortened version of “alternative text” and focuses on the text that is read aloud by a screen reader when encounte…

a year ago · 1 like · 2 comments · Rachel Yoho

As the heat waves hopefully begin to relent, best wishes for a smooth change of seasons in whatever way that means for you!

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