Creating and Sustaining Inclusive Learning Communities in Engineering

Creating and Sustaining Inclusive Learning Communities in Engineering Jessica Vaden, Kristen Parrish, Amy E. Landis, April Dukes, Melissa M. Bilec As we face serious challenges in higher education from declining enrollment to public trust, creating an inclusive classroom can offer hope in our faltering times. Research supports that more inclusive classrooms improve students' learning and academic performance. Since higher education is experiencing declining enrollment, and persistence and completion rates are linked to enrollment, it behooves higher education to retain as many students as possible by creating environments and climates that foster belonging and inclusivity. While the research on the benefits of inclusive classrooms is evident, our own experiences as STEM educators across three universities suggest that while faculty may desire to create more inclusive classrooms, they may struggle with how to operationalize them, due in part to a lack of tangible guidance. Our work seeks to address gaps by providing actionable practices for engineering faculty seeking to create more inclusive classrooms. As a part of this work, we are developing practices that are peer-tested, peer-recommended, and expert evaluated and focusing on high-impact inclusive classroom practices that align with the arc of the course. This talk, however, will focus on the creation, development, assessment, and key aspects of our inclusive learning communities (ILC), which we believe are critical to inclusive classroom success as they can foster support and provide guidance related to actionable practices.