Washington County Community College Hosts Book Discussion on Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom

On Thursday, November 3rd, a book discussion event was held in the Teaching and Learning Center for Excellence at Washington County Community College.

Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom by Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy is all about providing recognized best practices, tips, and advice on how to help all students thrive and feel welcome and included.

Hogan and Sathy teach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and are highly regarded specialists, in inclusive pedagogy.  Their work helps us to think deeply about the important questions necessary to ensure we are structuring our curricula as not to leave students behind to foster a sense of belonging, and to provide an opportunity for all students to be successful in our classrooms.

“The group discussion was the inaugural event for the Teaching and Learning Center for Excellence, our recently renovated second floor space, which is providing the entire WCCC community with events and services focused on and around teaching and learning,” mentioned Associate Dean of the Center, Tatiana Osmond. “The theme of the book fits nicely with WCCC’s overall focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

The book begins with a framework describing why attention to structure can enhance inclusiveness in both course design and interactions with and between students.

Osmond started the discussion by posing some initial questions and once the conversation started, she switched to moderating the dialogue.

“It was a great first event with several members of the faculty and staff in attendance and even one student from the Early Childhood Education Program,” said Osmond. “And we had a thought-provoking discussion. Several in the group had tried some of the tips suggested in the book and shared their experiences with making the adjustments. Most shared their thoughts about what diversity, inclusion, and equity mean and how small changes can make a big difference for our students.”

All WCCC Faculty received a copy of the book in August during Professional Development activities, many came ready to share their thoughts.