Northwestern University’s Office of the Provost and Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching have released Northwestern’s Principles of Inclusive Teaching.
Inclusive teaching refers to pedagogy that strives to serve the needs of all students, regardless of their backgrounds or identities, and to support their engagement with subject material. This may include strategies such as using course material and pedagogies that consider and acknowledge the various precollege backgrounds and contexts of students as well as requiring instructors to think about their own identities with respect to the content they teach. It also means creating a space where all voices are included in class discussions.
Deeply rooted in pedagogical research, Northwestern Principles of Inclusive Teaching and its corresponding practicum represent the University’s ongoing commitment to excellence and equity in teaching students. This resource was developed to assist instructors at all levels—those from all cultural backgrounds and social identity groups, those who are new to the professoriate as well as those more senior—in their teaching and in fostering inclusive learning environments.
Read more about and download the document here.
8 Principles of Inclusive Teaching
- Consider your and your students’ social identities and their implications for learning
- Establish and communicate clear course standards and expectations
- Offer varied ways for students to demonstrate their learning and knowledge
- Communicate sources of support for learning
- Cultivate a welcoming and inclusive course climate
- Consider diverse teaching and learning frameworks and methods
- Assess your inclusive teaching
- Stay current with inclusive teaching literature and strategies