Inclusive classrooms and teaching
Resources for faculty
VCU fully supports every member of our community, regardless of citizenship, national origin, race, ethnicity or religion. We are an internationally premier research university with a world-class medical center precisely because we attract the very best talent from more than 100 nations, scholars who are drawn to us because we work to advance the human experience everywhere. We pursue this mission boldly and embody our core values of diversity, inclusion and respect for all people.
The menus below contain information for faculty and the university community regarding DACA as well as resources for faculty on inclusive classroom contexts, strategies, support and more.
In a message to the VCU and VCU Health communities, President Rao reaffirmed Virginia Commonwealth University’s "unequivocal support of our DACA students." Resources are available to support members of the VCU community:
Recent VCU statements
- Support for our international community (Jan. 29, 2017)
- Our Core Values (Feb. 23, 2017)
- VCU’s unequivocal support of our DACA students (Sep. 5, 2017)
- Our commitment to DACA students remains steadfast (Jan. 24 2018)
VCU Global Education Office (GEO)
- Statement on the Presidential Executive Order affecting international students: In light of the recent U.S. Presidential Executive Order, the VCU Global Education Office is reaching out to students and scholars with personal, geographic or cultural ties to affected areas and to anyone with concerns. Click here to read the full statement and view available resources/FAQs
- Regardless of country of citizenship, VCU international students, scholars and faculty with concerns about immigration status (especially in connection with upcoming travel outside the U.S.) should contact Immigration Advising at (804) 828-8471 or by email at GEOIS@vcu.edu
VCU Division of Student Affairs
- The Division of Student Affairs has compiled resources for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students at VCU, which includes university and community links and services. Click here to view DACA resources.
- University Counseling Services is committed to human rights and equality, promoting respect for individual and cultural differences.
VCU Division for Inclusive Excellence
- The Division for Inclusive Excellence focuses on nurturing a dynamic environment in which people of all life experiences and cultural backgrounds are valued and supported. Click here to view available resources.
Inclusive classrooms
- Creating Inclusive Classrooms: This University of Michigan’s CRLT paper discusses the range of elements that contribute to an inclusive classroom learning environment.
- Framework and Strategies for Inclusive Teaching: This PDF provides specific strategies for fostering four dimensions of inclusive teaching.
Specific contexts
- Facilitating Cross-cultural Group Work
- Teaching International Students
- Teaching Students with Disabilities: What Faculty Can Do
- Making Accommodations For Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Faculty and Graduate Student Instructors
- Student Teams in Engineering Classroom and Beyond: Setting up Students for Success
- Teaching for Retention in Science, Engineering, and Math Disciplines: A Guide for Faculty
- Academic Support for Women in Science and Engineering: Women continue to be underrepresented in a number of science and engineering disciplines. This paper describes factors that have been found to influence the learning and persistence of undergraduate women in science and engineering. Suggestions are offered for how faculty members can improve the academic environment to create a more positive learning climate for all students.
- Perceptions of Faculty Behavior by Students of Color: This paper reports the findings of a series of 15 focus groups with undergraduate students of color in which participants were asked to describe positive as well as uncomfortable interactions they had with majority group instructors. Suggestions for how faculty members can address students’ concerns are offered.
Key teaching strategies to engage students from a range of academic or social backgrounds
Classroom support
- What to Say After a Student Dies, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Difficult classroom conversations
- Handbook for Facilitating Difficult Classroom Conversations, City University of New York
- Ten Tips for Facilitating Classroom Discussions on Sensitive Topics, Twin Cities Public Television
Reflective strategies for faculty
Videos
- University of Michigan videos featuring U-M Thurnau Professors put various inclusive teaching strategies into action
General and other related resources
- Inclusive Conversations
- Diversity Makes You Brighter
- Inalienable Rights: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Belonging: Terrell Strayhorn
- Overview of the book The Department Chair as Transformative Diversity Leader: Building Inclusive Learning Environments in Higher Education by E. Chun, A. Evans and W. H. Gmelch. Full text available for purchase here.
- Teaching Tolerance
- Racism and Racial Equity in Higher Education
Recent news, updates and resources
- International travel resources for VCU students, faculty and staff: Click here to read the full statement from President Rao (June 2018)
- VCU’s unequivocal support of our DACA students: Click here to read the full DACA statement from President Rao. (September 2017)
- Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU) Statement Strongly Condemning Hate Groups: Statement from APLU President Peter McPherson strongly condemning hate groups, including those that target public university campuses (August 2017)
- Managing controversial classroom topics (Fall 2017): This PDF offers resources for building and maintaining safe and inclusive learning environments, university-level contacts, group norms, and resources specific to the Charlottesville rallies on August 11-12, 2017.