The Inclusive Teaching Coffee Chats program is part of a series of networking events designed to facilitate discussions on inclusive teaching and active learning strategies among faculty in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CA&ES). It encourages and supports the intentional creation of inclusive learning environments and reflective teaching practices by faculty, graduate students, and staff campus-wide. This program builds upon the efforts and research from the nationwide, NSF-funded project on Inclusive STEM Teaching and is open to all audiences with an emphasis on supporting incoming and early career faculty.
Inclusive Teaching Coffee Chats aims to provide opportunities for networking among colleagues and space to share practical tips for creating inclusive learning environments and teaching strategies. Monthly topics will also focus on providing help with course redesigns and summarizing teaching impact for merit and promotion dossiers. We hope to give faculty space to enjoy a break, have a bit of fun and learn from each other collectively.
Upcoming Chats
Theme for the Quarter: Encouraging Student Engagement through Student Messages, Attendance Policies and Innovative Technology Tools
In our post-pandemic educational environment, many faculty have reported reduced in-class attendance, which impacts opportunities for student engagement and decreases the effectiveness of innovative technologies that support student interactions. This quarter in our Coffee Chats, we’ll look at a variety of strategies and tools that support student success through engagement and interaction. We welcome all faculty, including incoming and early career, TA’s and graduate students and support staff, and encourage participants to share their ideas, successes and challenges.
This winter we will extend the discussion times by an additional half hour as needed. Please join us!
January 13, 4:10-5 p.m., PES, Room 2005
Topic: Student Messages to Support Engagement and Academic Success
Instructor feedback on student course performance has shown to enhance student engagement, increase grades and retention, and reduce opportunity gaps, especially for underserved student populations. However, the way the message is written matters. Kali Trzesniewski from the Department of Human Ecology will join us for this Coffee Chat to discuss a variety of strategies for communicating information to students about course standing and utilization of support resources.
February 12, 12:10-1 p.m., PES, Room 2005
Topic: Student Attendance: Incentivize or Penalize?
Many studies demonstrate that attending and actively participating in class leads to better academic outcomes. How can instructors best support classroom attendance and engagement? Does this really impact student perceptions of learning and their academic performance? In this session, we will discuss strategies instructors at UC Davis have used to encourage classroom attendance and learn how those strategies can impact learning outcomes.
March 10, 4:10-5 p.m., PES, Room 2005
Topic: Equitable Use of Technology in the Classroom
There are numerous online tools to support classroom engagement, provide options for online exams and encourage asynchronous student-student and student-instructor interactions (e.g., discussion boards, shared text notation software, etc.). Is it reasonable and equitable to expect students to have access to these tools? How can we ensure students feel supported and engaged when technology is incorporated into the classroom learning activities? This Coffee Chat will use information from the IET Student Technology Survey to frame our discussion.