Accessibility
The resources below provide links to basic information and services required for all CSULB faculty to know about accessibility.
- What is the CSU Policy on Accessibility?
- What is the CSULB Policy on Faculty Accessibility Responsibilities?
- Is there a place on campus to assist me with making my course material accessible to all students? Visit the Accessible Instructional Materials Center
- What are some things I can do to make my instructional materials accessible?
- What else should I know about teaching, student learning, and accessibility?
- Universal Design for Learning
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching approach that works to accommodate the needs and abilities of all learners and eliminate unnecessary hurdles in the learning process. This means developing a flexible learning environment in which information is presented in multiple ways, students engage in learning in a variety of ways, and students are provided options when demonstrating their learning.
Inclusive Teaching
Why use inclusive teaching strategies?
“Even though some of us might wish to conceptualize our classrooms as culturally neutral or might choose to ignore the cultural dimensions, students cannot check their sociocultural identities at the door, nor can they instantly transcend their current level of development…
Therefore, it is important that the pedagogical strategies we employ in the classroom reflect an understanding of social identity development so that we can anticipate the tensions that might occur in the classroom and be proactive about them” (Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M.W., DiPietro, M. & Lovett, M.C. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass. ).
How does inclusive teaching improve student engagement and learning?
- You can connect with and engage with a variety of students.
- You are prepared for “spark moments” or issues that arise when controversial material is discussed.
- Students connect with course materials that are relevant to them.
- Students feel comfortable in the classroom environment to voice their ideas/thoughts/questions.
- Students are more likely to experience success in your course through activities that support their learning styles, abilities, and backgrounds.
What are some strategies for engaging in inclusive teaching and learning?
The Faculty Center at Western Washington University offers a great, comprehensive resource called the Inclusive Teaching Toolkit
You'll find a wide variety of resources here to assist you in determining inclusive teaching strategies for various problems, situations, or general use.
Additional resources to help you achieve an inclusive classroom:
- Benefits & Challenges in Diverse Campus Communities (PDF)
- Teaching and Learning in Diverse Environments: Affirming and Empowering Learners
- Growth Mindsets
- Diversity Web
PowerPoint, Videos, & Research on Classroom Inclusivity and Diversity
What LGBTQ Students Want You To Know
This compelling video explains what LGBTQ students want university faculty to understand and know.
Big Data Big Picture: Opportunities and Challenges for Diversifying the Faculty
Teaching For Inclusivity
This document provides multiple practical strategies for inclusivity - including teaching strategies that foster learning for all learning styles. It is a MUST READ for anyone who teaches in the multi-cultural classroom.
High Impact Practices for Underserved Students
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (DOC)
Most faculty believe that being culturally responsive will take valuable "time" away from course content, to the contrary, being culturally responsive will engage students as learners and they will be more likely to engage with the course content and you! I've written a brief for you to frame our conversation about what it means to be culturally responsive at CSULB. This lesson contains some of the most compelling research, to date, on why and how we MUST teach in culturally responsive ways to foster student learning.
The Beach provides many “non-course” opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to learn about facets of our diverse community. Additional learning opportunities provided by our campus include the following:
Teaching First Year Students
Understanding Your Student Audience: Millennials and Generation Z
Wait, aren’t all college students Millennials? Many of our students are millennials. However, generational researchers note that we have begun ushering in a NEW generation of college students, born in 1995 or later – called Generation Z.
Why are generational characterizations important?
An individual’s age is one of the most common predictors of differences in attitudes and behaviors. Generational characterizations help scholars and others understand how different formative experiences interact with the life-cycle and aging process to shape people’s view of the world. The Pew Trust's Why’s and How’s of Generational Research offers a more in-depth look in generational characterizations
Readings on Generation Z
For generation Z, computer technologies and the Internet is the commonplace. All their communication takes place on the internet and they show very little verbal communication skills. Most of their formative years are being spent on the World Wide Web. They are used to instant action and satisfaction due to internet technology. Importantly, they are more aware than any other generation about their presentation of self on social media.
- Generation Z Characteristics
- Move Over Millenials, Here Comes Generation Z
- Get Ready for Generation Z
- Who Are These Kids?
- Top Gen Z Questions Answered
Adjusting Expectations: Faculty and Student Expectations
The College Preparation Myth
Entering freshmen have much to be prepared for in starting college - but WHAT constitutes college preparation? White (2017) claims “Holding on to the college-ready paradigm serves only to provide a crutch that prevents us from putting forth the full measure of creative energy, resources and accountability required to significantly expand college attainment. It is time to abandon the college-ready myth and adopt, wholesale, a student-ready paradigm, which means rejecting policies that label students as “remedial” and discarding the notion that initiatives to assist them require some extraordinary act of charity that is beyond the legitimate role of higher education.”
- Ugly Consequences of Complaining About "Students These Days"
- Study Finds College-Prep Courses in High School Leave Many Students Lagging
- The Myth of the College-Ready Student
- Reader Survey Finds Unprepared Students a Persistent Problem
Faculty Practices for First Year Student Success
- Teaching and Advising First-Year Students
- Principles and Strategies for Teaching First-Year Students
- Teaching College Freshmen (PDF)
- One of the most important strategies or working with students today is inclusive teaching. Why is diversity and inclusion important to teaching and learning?
- Many of us teaching at the college level may not really know what inclusive teaching entails. If you are interested in some basic definitions and terms related to inclusive teaching, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy is helpful
- Western Washington University offers a useful site called the Inclusive Teaching Toolkit and it is highly recommended that faculty bookmark this site – it is a comprehensive resource
Student Practices for First Year Student Success
- Reality Check: Helping to Manage Student Expectations
- How Do College Freshmen View the Academic Differences Between High School and College
- Adjusting to College (North Carolina State University)
- Adjusting to College (UC Santa Cruz)
Challenging and Supporting Students: Establishing Foundations for Learning/College Success
Why is Challenging and Supporting Students Important?
How Challenging Students and Facilitating Academic Adjustment Results in Success
Dweck, Walton, & Cohen (2017) provide a compelling synthesis of the research literature on fostering and scaffolding student learning and adjustment. Their work is the centerpiece of this module. Upon completing this module, faculty should be able to:
- Identify why challenging and supporting students is fundamental to student success in the first two years of college and beyond.
- Recognize that foundation courses establish more than content foundations and are vital to student academic and social adjustment in college.
- Understand the role academic tenacity plays in student success.
- Learn how good teachers foster academic tenacity as an integral part of teaching and learning.
Dweck Texts
- Defining Academic Tenacity Pages 2 – 13
- Interventions that Improve Academic Achievement by Developing Tenacity Pages 14 – 21
- How Good Teachers and Schools Foster Academic Tenacity Pages 22 – 30
Additional Resources
Fostering an Inclusive Classroom
Academic Integrity and Dishonesty
- Cheating and Plagiarism is the campus policy governing all issues related to cheating and plagiarism.
- Academic Integrity Form (PDF) is provided for faculty to report specific instances of cheating and plagiarism so that the university can track students who engage in multiple offenses.
- Turnitin is a plagiarism prevention service available in BeachBoard.
Guide to Campus Civility & Disruptions to Learning (PDF)