Below are the questions we asked the students. We recommend using these questions as conversation starters in your department. How do you think students would answer these questions? How do you address the topics below? Why are they important?
If you'd like to know how the students answered, please contact us or drop by the DEC. We are happy to have this conversation--and many more--with you.
Many thanks to our persistent, resilient students for taking the time to share their ideas and experiences with us!
PANEL QUESTIONS:
During this panel we will be discussing the ways that students have been engaged, represented, and how they have experienced education. They have dedicated time and energy into reflecting on personal and sometimes sensitive subjects. We hope these lessons and experiences help enrich your ability and drive to create more inclusive learning environments and to become life-changing faculty.
1. Please share an experience where your identities were addressed or represented in the classroom or curriculum? How was it handled?
2. Why have you decided to come share that story with faculty? Why does it matter?
3. Talk about a time when course content was not specifically related to gender, race, or identity, but your instructor made a conscious effort to include material from outside a Western European, US-Centric, or heteronormative paradigm.
4. Instructional style: What positive teaching styles and classroom norms have worked to make the environment feel more inclusive and conducive to your learning? What are some that made learning inaccessible or made you feel marginalized?
5. Faculty Diversity: Talk about a time when you had an instructor that reflected your own identities and experiences. What was it like and how did it impact your learning?
6. Student experiences: What are some common microaggressions that you experience in class and what can faculty do to prevent and/or respond when they happen?
7. What skills do faculty/staff/administrators need to work on to work successfully with diverse students?