Reflection and refinement
How should we reflect on our teaching and look for opportunities for growth? In Chapter 7: Reflecting and Documenting Your Inclusive Practices, the authors note that midterm and end-of-course evaluations give great opportunities for growth. Sathy and Hogan say end-of-course questions like the following allow for feedback on the level of inclusiveness in your class:
- In what ways has your instructor demonstrated they care about your learning?
- Is there content from the assignments or class discussion that has made you feel included or excluded? Explain.
- How did the diversity of your classmates contribute to your learning in the course?
- How might the class climate be made more inclusive? (p. 205)
In addition to the data you receive from students about the class, they both suggest getting peer faculty to assess your class based on your criteria of an inclusive class. This has to be carefully structured in order to get valuable feedback on the items required for an inclusive class, according to YOU—not the evaluating professor. This way you can see if you are meeting your own standards for an equitable and inclusive environment in the classroom.