Bay College Faculty Complete Year-long Inclusive Teaching Program

News

Over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, eight Bay College faculty participated in a community of practice focused on inclusive and accessible teaching practices.  Through zoom meetings and online discussion boards, faculty learned and reflected on ways to best serve the needs of students from varying backgrounds and identities.  Participants read current research on designing courses to be accessible, shared classroom practices to include all students, and attended a workshop with a guest speaker on how best to teach about race and racism.  The group was co-facilitated by Dr. Jessica Van Slooten, Dean of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Crystal Hendrick, Social and Behavioral Sciences Faculty; and Jessica Manier, Former Director of the Office of Accessibility.

Instructors from both campuses and diverse programs participated.  Those joining the year-long program included the following: Sandra Croasdell, Kristine Granger, Tammra Houseman, Amber Kinonen, June Klees, Konnie Kustron, Britt Slade, and Renee Strom.  The group read the book, Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom, by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy.   They also completed several assignments to reflect on and improve the teaching in their classes.  Along with others on campus, the participants also attended an inclusive teaching workshop in February called, Including Race and Racism in Your Courses: Why it Matters and How to Do It by Dr. Cyndi Kernahan, author of Teaching about Race and Racism in the College Classroom, Notes from a White Professor.

The community of practice allowed for participants to create connections and learn from colleagues.  “It was such a positive experience being able to interact with my colleagues,” said Konnie Kustron.  “I also appreciated our readings, which made me reflect on my teaching and course design.  I asked myself how I could change my classes to improve my students’ learning and added ungraded “learning checkpoints” in my courses that consisted of short questions with sample answers.”

Additional topics included instructor mindset and tone, adding structure to course design and assignments, creating meaningful interactions.  The group also explored universal design for learning, an approach to teaching and learning that allows students multiple ways to learn and demonstrate their learning.

Bay College continues to invest in faculty development, and such workshops are a priority for Van Slooten: “The heart of our work at community colleges is providing excellent and effective learning experiences for all students who enroll, meeting their needs and helping them reach their goals.  Being able to provide professional development for our already-exceptional instructors helps Bay continue to be a leader in the region.”  English instructor and College Readiness Coordinator Amber Kinonen said, “I am grateful to my colleagues for valuing inclusion so much that they took on the large and often time-consuming task of providing us with this long-term, in-house opportunity.  They voluntarily developed an entire course for us, and the approach of learning content over several months and through various modalities allowed full emersion into the content with the goal of helping us better help our students.”

The specific focus on inclusivity and accessibility is particularly timely as students—and faculty—have been shaped by the pandemic.  Focusing on common humanity and understanding the challenges and opportunities of this moment is crucial for continued success.  Longtime instructor, June Klees, reflected, “Professional development that’s focused on students as human beings is a core value of most community college instructors.  We’re academic experts focused on facilitating student success versus things like publish-or-perish, as found at most universities.  Regardless of the subjects we teach, we actively seek out trainings that help us to better understand student needs and empower them with 21st century growth mindsets and job-ready skills.” 

Bay College is devoted to your success in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and into the workforce. We’re proud to offer certificates and programs that result in successful careers, associate degrees and credits that transfer to universities, and workforce training to sharpen your skills and advance your career. #BayIsTheWay