Our Process
01
Literature Review
We started with an extensive review of peer-reviewed literature from the last 10 years on improving inclusivity in higher education classrooms, and more specifically in engineering classrooms. From this, we aligned our research tasks with the Theory of Change model developed by Henderson, Beach, and Finkelstein. This model is based on the premise that there are four categories of change strategies in higher education.
02
Developing the Menu
The first task of the project, we collected the practices through an extensive review of both peer-reviewed literature and university teaching and learning center websites. This task curated the descriptions and instructions, examples of implementation, and references and impact reported for the practices. We also organized the practices into timeframes such as "Pre-Semester" or "In-Classroom Engagement" to help guide instructors through the menu. The practices were also organized into the Aspire Alliance's inclusive professional framework domains of Identity, Relational, and Intercultural.
03
Inclusive Learning Communities
To help support the efforts of educators implementing practices, as well as provide a forum for feedback on the menu, we also convened ILCs in alignment with the goals of the study. In these ILCs, the members are faculty, staff, or teaching assistants who are interested in creating more inclusive classrooms and are committed to three semesters of membership. The ILC employs the core ideas of a learning community (LC) from the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) in which the focus is on shared discovery and learning through collaboration with an emphasis on selecting and implementing inclusive practices. The ILCs at each partner institution were developed with these shared goals.
04
Assessment Methods
One goal of this project is to provide faculty the support they need to successfully implement inclusive strategies in their engineering classrooms. The student-centered assessment plan is a mixed-method approach that includes survey response data asking students about their recognition of inclusive strategies, examination of the department and university climate, and a sense of community within the classroom. The faculty-centered assessment plan is two-fold in that we are collecting data both on faculty experience implementing the strategies as well as on the effectiveness of the support they received from their membership in the ILC. This feedback from both students and instructors will provide guidance on refining the inclusive practices menu and will help instructors improve their implementation of those practices.
