Inclusive Pedagogy Academy presents workshop opportunities

The Ohio University teaching community is welcomed to attend several virtual workshops to enhance their fall semester experience. The events will be hosted by the Inclusive Pedagogy Academy (IPA). 

IPA is a joint venture between the Office of Instructional Innovation and the Division of Diversity and Inclusion to support faculty that are interested in improving inclusion practices within their classroom. The mission of IPA is to empower faculty to maximize student learning and achievement by working to enact inclusive teaching approaches across all disciplines. 

“The Inclusive Pedagogy Academy’s workshops will empower faculty to reflect and share best practice with one another as they incorporate more inclusive practices in their classrooms,” said Dr. Purba Das, associate professor in communication studies at OHIO Southern and IPA co-chair. 

The cohort took notes during the spring semester of what inclusive practices worked effectively within classrooms, virtually and in-person, as well as researched best practices for continuing support. The workshops reflect those ideas and are aimed towards helping faculty members learn more and provide those resources. 

“We really want to provide people with information as to what they can do to think about inclusive practice. An inclusive practice is pretty far reaching and it starts before class does, with thinking about how to build rapport with students or establish group norms and expectations,” said Dr. M. Geneva Murray, director of the Women’s Center. “We’re really hopeful that the workshops can be effective resources for folks as they are developing their syllabi and course content.”

The following workshops are available for anyone interested:

• “Identify as an Instructor: How Our Identity and Culture Shapes our Teaching” on Aug. 4 from 2-3 p.m. This workshop will include a reflection activity to uncover multifaceted identities, and the role they play in understanding classroom dynamics. Registration is needed by Aug. 2.
• “Designing Your Syllabi: Laying an Inclusive Foundation (Part 1)” on Aug. 6 from 2-3 p.m. This discussion will utilize IPA’s syllabi checklist as a guide in syllabi creation and inclusive practice. Registration is needed by Aug. 4.
• “Inclusive Syllabi Working Group (Part 2)” on Aug. 6 from 3-4 p.m. This informal working group is a follow-up to the above workshop. When attending, please be ready to share a copy of a syllabi to share with a working group. If a faculty member has already begun inclusive practices for their syllabi, they are not required to also attend the first part. Registration is needed by Aug. 4.
• “Universal Design for Learning and the Virtual Environment” on Aug. 12 from 2-3:30 p.m. This workshop introduces the basic principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), what’s needed to implement the principles, and how they can be applied within OHIO’s virtual environment. It will be led by OHIO Learning and Development Admin Michael Green. Registration is needed by Aug. 10.
• “Inclusion in the Classroom: A Panel of Change Agents” on Aug. 19 from noon to 1 p.m. This will be a panel discussion with members of the IPA on lessons learned and practical tools to implement more inclusive practices within the classroom. Registration is needed by Aug. 18.

More information about all of the above workshops and links to registrations can be found on the Women’s Center website.

For those not able to attend, there are several resources available on IPA’s website. This includes IPA’s syllabus guide and educational videos. The Women’s Center also have videos about allyship and implicit bias available from previously held IPA workshops.

If interested in learning more after the workshops, there are also additional materials and readings available on OHIO’s Keep Including page.