(188a) Evidence-Based Inclusive Teaching Strategies

There is an increased interest in using teaching strategies that will attract and retain a diverse set of students in chemical engineering. The purpose of this talk is to share an overview of evidenced-based inclusive teaching strategies. These strategies are broken down into three main categories that have been shown to increase student retention and motivation for learning: 1. Capacity and self-efficacy, 2. Interest, 3. Belongingness and support. For example, Canning et al. showed that faculty with a growth mindset lowered the achievement gap between white/Asian and underrepresented students (Canning 2019). Including formative assessments instead of summative assessments (e.g. exams that “sort”) had a large impact on students with low social economic backgrounds and no impact on those with high social economic backgrounds (Smeding 2013). In another publication, Stephens et al. showed that a one-hour intervention using difference education resulted in significant GPA gains for first generation students but not for continuing education students (Stephens 2014). An example of difference education is a first-generation student sharing that it was important that they find an advisor since their parents didn’t have college experience. These and other publications serve as a platform on which you can build an inclusive experience for a wide variety of students in your program.

Canning, Elizabeth A., Katherine Muenks, Dorainne J. Green, and Mary C. Murphy. "STEM faculty who believe ability is fixed have larger racial achievement gaps and inspire less student motivation in their classes." Science advances 5, no. 2 (2019)

Smeding, Annique, Céline Darnon, Carine Souchal, Marie-Christine Toczek-Capelle, and Fabrizio Butera. "Reducing the socio-economic status achievement gap at university by promoting mastery-oriented assessment." PLoS One 8, no. 8 (2013): e71678.

Stephens, Nicole M., MarYam G. Hamedani, and Mesmin Destin. "Closing the social-class achievement gap: A difference-education intervention improves first-generation students’ academic performance and all students’ college transition." Psychological science 25, no. 4 (2014): 943-953