Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Anti-Racism in Learning

Appalachia is a land of injustice – injustice perpetrated on the residents by government neglect and injustice perpetrated by the residents on members of the full spectrum of minority groups. Despite the social forces around me, I found myself disturbed from a young age by the social and economic issues that in many ways define my home. This awareness and my maturing perspective have guided me to establish a culture of authentic, anti-racist inclusion in the classroom and lab to combat the alienation students can often experience. To be anti-racist is not a radical position; at its most basic, it is merely an acknowledgement that cultures are non-hierarchical, that implicit biases to the contrary must be banished, and that the history of Western civilization is intertwined with racism. This is an approach that acknowledges the individual instructor's agency in creating an inclusive environment while also realizing the systemic issues at the university, local, state, and national levels that perpetuate racism and disadvantages members of all underrepresented groups, but especially racial and ethnic minorities. I seek to affirm all students from all backgrounds in a truly comprehensive way and open the door to a complete learning experience. It sheds the assimilationist tendencies that pervade academia in favor of open discussion and appreciation for one another in the fulfillment of the liberal arts’ mission. Allowing students to understand the diversity of perspectives from which other students come improves metacognition and enhances student learning by revealing the mechanics of how the individual student learns in juxtaposition to the approachs and existing beliefs of others.

Every student in the classroom learning science is a scientist. This is a privilege accompanied by immense responsibility to make the world better through their knowledge. Popular science communication is still in its infancy and epidemic issues in public understanding of science have provided us with a fractured and dysfunctional mass media. COVID-19 has been an exercise in real-time science and while the scientific progress itself has been monumental, popular understanding is heavily distorted. This climate poses an exceptional danger to disadvantaged groups who are often the victims of such poor communication. Science is imperfect. It is an imprecise endeavor conducted by humans. We scientists couch our findings in oblique and guarded language obfuscated by jargon and liable to misinterpretation. This does not invite new members into the scientific community, it turns them away. In each of the classes I will teach and in my own laboratory, I will strive to provide trainees with meaningful experiences in communicating complex scientific concepts into broadly understandable terms. The methods will always vary by the size of the class and the depth of the content, but presentations and writing assignments geared for a general audience, pamphlets for campus distribution, and new outreach opportunities with local primary schools in disadvantaged communities will all feature prominently in the toolkit. Outreach especially is a prime opportunity for students to develop their own scientific identities by taking on the role of instructor in laboratory demonstrations to elementary, middle, and high school students while also performing a valuable service to the larger community.

Science courses have often been taught in a somewhat linear and monotonous manner: lectures, quizzes, and exams. However, neither the instructional delivery nor the means of assessment are tailored to a diverse audience of native English speakers and English language learners, different styles of learning, or differing ability to perform during assessments. It is my hope that through the provision of a range of in-class activities - from individual writing activities to small group presentations and discussions to brief, highly focused lectures and beyond - and a range of assessments - traditional exams, take-home exams, low-stakes quizzes, long-form essays, presentations, discussion leadership, and more - I can not only provide better instruction to students by creating a dynamic class environment, I can also get a better understanding of their comprehension of the material through varied assessment. This keys into the diversity of learning histories and cultural influences on students and allows iterative improvements in approach as the course becomes better tailored to the broader university culture. All of these features are able to be supported by institutional offices of diversity and inclusion, the Writing Center, and peer tutoring programs, where available. Such resources not only aid me in becoming a better instructor, but also lifts students up to achieve their potential.