Equity in the Syllabus and in the Classroom

A Faculty of Arts & Science Teaching and Learning Community of Practice

Evidence-Informed Guidelines for Supporting EDI with Syllabus Design and Content
Molly Metz, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Psychology
William Ryan, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Psychology

Syllabi serve an important function in our classes; not only do they communicate and organize key course information, they are often the first experience students have with an instructor. Thus, the syllabus provides an opportunity to set norms of inclusion and encourage student engagement before they ever set foot in a classroom. In this session, we will share the product of the tri-campus department of psychology EDI subcommittee focused on undergraduate learning: an annotated syllabus with evidence-informed suggestions and examples for how to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the document (and course) in both content and design.

Equity, Access and the Co-Learning Classroom: What Happens in a Circle?
Simone Davis, Instructor (former Associate Director), Ethics, Society & Law and Trinity One, Trinity College
Kerry Taylor, Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies

Our co-learning project re-envisions both community-based learning (CBL) and access models. Partnering with the City of Toronto’s Community Healing and Peers Projects, we offer courses to a mix of U of T students and community-based alums of the City program. These youth workers and community development innovators bring not only a critical awareness of structural forces of exclusion within the academy, but also the ability to effect positive change within it. We will present the model…and the holistic andragogy at its heart, inviting you to think about your own classroom experiences. What is possible? What is it that can happen in a circle?

Register via Zoom

The Faculty of Arts & Science Teaching & Learning Community of Practice (CoP) was established in 2015 to create a collegial forum for faculty and instructors to meet and share teaching practices and strategies across fields and disciplines. This CoP is coordinated by Andrew Dicks (Professor, Teaching Stream and Associate Chair, Undergraduate, Department of Chemistry).