Category Archives: Inclusivity

Classroom of engaged college students using laptops, with bold text overlay reading "Increase Students' Engagement Through Feedback."

Increase Students’ Engagement Through Feedback

As instructors, we know the importance of feedback and checking for students’ understanding of course material. However, we often rely on traditional methods of assessment, like essays and exams. These methods are effective but don’t always allow for timely and constructive feedback. Giving feedback to students in real time helps them identify areas for improvement, deepen their understanding of course material, and develop essential critical thinking skills. Below I’ve shared some strategies to solidify your students’ knowledge prior to a high-stakes assessment. Continue reading →

Teaching and Learning Through Tabletop Games

Teaching and Learning Through Tabletop Games

As someone deeply rooted in the intersection of game design and pedagogy, I’m always on the lookout for ways to engage students through games and play. “Tabletop game” can mean a lot of things, but at the most basic they’re exactly what they sound like– games you play on a table. The most common examples of tabletop games are poker games and tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons. If you also want to play other games like mahjong, then you may check out mahjong slot here. You may also check out online gambling platforms like 918kiss if you’re looking for exciting prizes. You may also play situs slot games to help you relax and de-stress.

Whether they’re used to build social familiarity, develop communication skills, enhance critical thinking, or simply break traditional lectures’ monotony, tabletop games have carved out a niche as powerful educational tools. Continue reading →

Collaborative Efforts in DEI: Reflections on a Universal Design for Learning Faculty Development Program
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Collaborative Efforts in DEI: Reflections on a Universal Design for Learning Faculty Development Program

Sometimes, serendipity plays a remarkable role in our professional journeys. After years of championing Universal Design for Learning (UDL), offering one-off workshops, and engaging in accessibility initiatives for our courses, the perfect opportunity can unexpectedly fall into your lap through unforeseen partnerships. This was precisely the case with our recent faculty development program on Inclusive and Accessible Course Design. Although I had been advocating for UDL for years, it was a conversation between a member of our Center for Teaching & Learning and the Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) that actually led to the creation of this program.

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Bridging the Gap: Cultivating Soft Skills in Students for Lifelong Success 

In my interactions with faculty, a recurring concern emerges: the challenge of fostering essential academic skills in students. These skills encompass, among others, timely submission of assignments and effective communication. Often referred to as soft skills, they form the cornerstone of both academic and future professional success.    Continue reading →

Revamping Office Hours

I have a hard time getting students to come to my office hours. When I do have one-on-one conversations with students outside of class, they almost always feel like a breakthrough of some sort, especially when meeting with my online students that I rarely chat with synchronously. As I start to wrap up this quarter at DePaul and make my inevitable list of all the things I want to do differently next quarter, I’m looking for ways to see more students during my office hours. 

I’m not the only one trying to figure this out. Derek Bruff and Beckie Supiano reference the same study led by Jeremy L. Hsu at Chapman University. In Spring 2021, Hsu and his team surveyed 500+ STEM students and 28 instructors to figure out what they think about office hours. Students and instructors both identified “Ask questions or review material, including going more in depth into related concepts” as the top reason to use office hours. 

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A classroom full of blue students with one red student under a spotlight.
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Teaching and Learning While Black

When I was a junior in high school, a classmate who sat next to me in AP U.S. History told me that I needed to be “smart” to get into the University of Maryland. While sitting in the same AP class, this confused me, but I knew why she made this statement because I had been navigating white educational spaces since I was in the 6th grade. This was not the first microaggression that I experienced in these spaces and certainly would not be my last. But in that moment, it reinforced to me that teaching and learning while Black would always be a different experience for people that looked like me.  Continue reading →

How to Build Community in Your Class Without Using Icebreakers

How to Build Community In Your Class Without Using Icebreakers

Research has shown that college students who find a support community in the first 6 weeks of college are more likely to persist and complete their education (Woosley, 2003). Much of this community can be found and created outside of the classroom through co-curricular involvement, however, faculty are in a unique position to influence the success of their students. For example, a 2021 study found that students who felt a sense of belonging in their STEM program were more likely to persist to their second year (Garza et al.).
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Using Genre in the Classroom

During the holidays, I spend the majority of the time with my partner’s family, who are predominantly first- and second-generation Polish immigrants. Many of them can speak Polish to each other with ease. Now, I’ve tried a few times to learn Polish so I can participate in conversations (or at least have a marginal understanding of what they are talking about). Really, I can only name a few foods and I can sing Happy Birthday.

But sitting around the table, not being able to speak or understand the Polish they’re speaking, often leaves me feeling isolated and confused. Those moments remind me just how challenging it can be to try and be an active participant in the room, when I fundamentally don’t communicate in the same way.

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Chemistry and Diversity & Inclusion at DePaul University: A Metaphor

Traditionally, Colombia celebrates Chemist’s Day (El día del Químico) every year on October 31st. The Colombian Council of Professional Chemists organizes events or meetings to help celebrate the day (https://cpqcol.gov.co/eventos/dia-del-quimico/). In short, today is certainly a big day for chemists around the world, but especially in my home country, Colombia. On account of this day, and given my role not only as a chemist but also as the Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion at DePaul University, I feel very motivated to write this short blog post wherein I attempt to link chemistry and diversity, at least symbolically. Continue reading →