We are approaching the end of a tumultuous and exhausting academic term – for instructors and students alike. The challenges we collectively faced leading up to, and throughout, the Fall 2020 term laid bare the inequities of higher education, and elevated the urgency of our mandate as educators to more fully support the success and […]

How can institutions take an anti-racist approach to diversity and inclusion initiatives? How can institutions include faculty in efforts to transform student experience? These are just some of the questions that Dr. Claude Steele and Dr. Mary Murphy addressed during a Reinvention Collaborative town hall on October 13. Steele and Murphy’s conversation introduced the town […]

With the 2020 Election nearing, we find ourselves navigating students’ (and our own) complex reactions to the leadership and direction of the country and preparing for what we can say and do to support students in the days leading up to and after Election Day. As college instructors, especially those not in disciplines like political […]

Course syllabi are often written with the intention to set expectations and boundaries for appropriate student conduct, and as tools for holding students accountable for their learning. They often are instructors’ first communication with students and, therefore, give students their first impressions about what the course will entail, who you are as an instructor, and […]

At the same time that the COVID pandemic’s health and economic effects have disproportionately impacted our students of color, their families and communities, many Black students are grappling  with what it means to be part of a nation whose institutions are steeped in racism, as we face yet another murder of a Black person at […]

We are saddened and outraged by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others. Their tragic deaths and the ensuing events, compounded by the disproportionate impact of the COVID crisis, shine a spotlight on the deeply-rooted racist and oppressive systems that continue to inflict trauma and violence on communities of […]

When students are facing stress and uncertainty, whether due to individual circumstances, structural factors, or a global pandemic, instructors can have a particularly meaningful impact on their experience and well-being. During times of transition, students are vigilant for cues about whether they or people like them are seen to belong and whether they or people […]

On November 11, 2019, a collaborative of university leaders, faculty, researchers, and national education organizations launched the Student Experience Project (SEP), aiming to help universities provide supportive and equitable learning environments to foster a sense of belonging on campus.