The Teaching and Learning Center’s Shared Interest Group for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education recently presented a workshop for UNCP professors on “Syllabus Transformation: Creating Conditions for Students to Embrace Rigor and Succeed.”
The presenters, Drs. Camille Goins, Claudia Nickolson, Gerald Neal and Leslie Locklear led and assisted the group in developing more culturally responsive syllabi through a process that included reconstructing course objectives to specific classroom activities and assignments designed to enhance student engagement and input. Professors were challenged to critique the tone used in policy statements, minimize potentially problematic requirements, and ensure accessibility, among many other topics.
Director of Student Inclusion and Diversity Dr. Lawrence Locklear contributed insights to support inclusive practices that eliminate micro-aggressive mishaps while promoting productive, communicative protocols.
Through this workshop, fourteen professors representing the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Health Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, the Department of Community and Civic Engagement, and the Center for Student Success developed strategies to increase critical thinking and higher-level cognitive functioning through a cultural lens in the college classroom.
Participants are eligible to apply for a TLC grant for syllabus transformation and modify one of their course syllabi to be more culturally responsive. Participants will also receive a copy of the book Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World by Paul Hanstedt to help support them in the syllabus redesign process.
The goal is to entice other UNCP professors to collaboratively explore, create or revise pedagogical strategies designed to maximize the teaching and learning experience for faculty and students alike.
Goins, chair of the Shared Interest Group and workshop coordinator, was encouraged by the turnout and the level of engagement.
“We have found through research that professors desire to include more creative pedagogical practices in the classroom to better support the needs of diverse learners. Workshops such as this help support professors in that process,” she stated.
Goins expressed gratitude for the guidance that Dr. Scott Hicks contributed to help plan and organize the workshop and members of the group.
“Dr. Hicks has been instrumental in supporting the group’s work to provide professional development opportunities to faculty and staff at UNCP that encourage excellence in teaching,” she explained.
“Additionally, we are thankful for the support of the Social Belonging for Student Success (SBSS) for sponsoring the workshop.”
Goins formed the Shared Interest Group with the support of the Hicks in 2018. It has performed multiple workshops and webinars and published research on Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education.
“Dr. Goins and her faculty team are making an incredible impact on teaching and learning at UNCP,” Dr. Hicks said.
“They know how vitally important it is that we teach in ways that connect with our students’ rich lives and experiences—and they are leading the way in showing us faculty how to teach in a way that welcomes all students to our classes and disciplines. We want all our students to know they belong in our classes, and we want them to grow and thrive—and the more faculty who develop their abilities to teach in culturally-responsive ways, the greater the impact we can make.”
The group is in the process of developing an online course module for UNCP professors to continue their engagement with culturally responsive teaching. Visit here for more information on opportunities offered through the Teaching & Learning Center.
