Diversity Statement

Diverse learners are increasing in higher education with the massive movement of globalization. The main role of educational institutions is to serve all community members regardless of who they are. I believe diversity in higher education includes all different types of languages, religions, cultures, demographics, national origins, disabilities, underrepresented students of color, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnics, and aces. (United States. Department of Education., 2016). In my teaching and research, I see diverse groups bring the creativity to the education and enhance innovation.

Diversity will increase the chance for students to be leaders in their future jobs as mentioned in (United States. Department of Education., 2016). Moreover, Inclusion in classrooms will ensure that the learning environment will be welcoming and safe for all learners. I thrive to improve the learning processing for diverse students. Diverse students are embraced and respected in my classes. Therefore, I would like for my students to have the best experience during their learning journey at college. I want my students to be eager to attend classes, and to feel like attending class is worthwhile, rewarding, etc. In the STEM fields especially, diverse groups are very important since each member will bring a new innovation. Inclusion of diverse members in research groups in STEM will promote creativity as McBride said (2017). Also, students in my class are encouraged to choose the topic for the course project and assignment, which connects with their personal experiences and culture.

Fortunately, I studied in different universities with different cultures at each. Back when I was a Master’s student at Kent State University, Ohio, I had the best experience as international students with different backgrounds, cultures, and languages. One of the professors gave non-English speaker students extra time for the exams. It was very helpful since we need that time to understand the questions. Besides, I taught at a community college where students come from different backgrounds, and different countries, and cultures. In such a diverse environment, I tried to empower technology uses to maximize the benefit of learning to all students, which raised their performances. For example, Also, designing the course for materials make it easier and accessible for all students.

To promote diversity in research, teaching, and service, I am planning to initiate award program for community college students’ level for the graduation project. This will give a great opportunity for diverse students to participate and contribute to their community. This event could be hosted by companies that give students the opportunity to present themselves to job recruiters. Moreover, I would like to participate in designing and developing MOOCs in Computer Science to improve learning in diverse learners’ classrooms. In addition, there are different ways to support my diverse students. For instance, keep myself up to date about diversity by attending workshops and lectures that promote diversity and inclusive learning will help me to improve myself, and being an active member of the academic association that promotes diversity in education. Lastly, I am planning to participate in facilitating admission and scholarship for diverse students.

References

McBride, L. (2017, September 14). Inclusion of Diverse Groups in STEM Leads to Increased Creativity, Innovation. Retrieved from https://www.insightintodiversity.com/inclusion-of-diverse-groups-in-stem-leads-to-increased-creativity-innovation/

United States. Department of Education. Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development. (2016). Advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education: key data highlights focusing on race and ethnicity and promising practices.

United States. Department of Education. Stronger Together: The Need for Diversity in America's Schools. (2016, July 1). Retrieved March 13, 2020, from https://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/stronger-together-need-diversity-americas-schools