Equitable Syllabus Design

Session Description

Using an equitable approach to teaching benefits all students. In this series, you will work with colleagues, guided by CEILS experts, to discuss and redesign your syllabus, assessments, and approaches for effective student engagement. The focus will be on fostering an inclusive and equitable remote learning experience to mitigate the likely worsening equity gaps in higher education. The principles we are using are applicable to when we go back to in-person teaching, so the time you spend on these best practices will not be wasted!

In this workshop, you will use structured syllabus review tools to help you assess and adjust your syllabus to be more inclusive and equitable. Don’t forget to have your syllabus ready to work on!

Session facilitated by: CEILS

Workshop Goals / Learning Objectives

Engage in reviewing your syllabus with an equity-minded approach
Identify the many purposes of a syllabus, including messaging to students
Reflect on the meaning of an equity-minded syllabus
Identify & apply ways to have a welcoming tone & inclusive language
Utilize Equity-minded Syllabus tool to create a syllabus that is a guide for students from all backgrounds on how to succeed in your class
Investigate key syllabus components and reflect on ways to make your syllabus (and therefore course) more equitable (especially for remote environment)

Session Materials

Couldn't attend? Check out the recording!

Slides for Equitable Syllabus Design

Equitable Syllabus Design Workshop Activity Guide

Resources

USC Equity-Minded Syllabus Review Tool

The Syllabus Review Guide is comprised of six parts that provide the conceptual knowledge and practical know-how to conduct equity-minded self-reflection on an essential document in academic life: the syllabus. Throughout the Guide are examples that illustrate the ideas motivating syllabus review, as well opportunities to practice inquiry and to reflect on how to change your syllabi—and your teaching more generally—so are more equity-minded.

Syllabus Tool Appendix with data, resources, and ideas

This resource outlines the traditional purpose of the syllabus, uses findings from empirical and peer-reviewed articles to answer questions that are often asked about syllabi, and offers examples of language for syllabi that support or hinder learners’ experiences.