Cultivating Thriving

One of my tasks as a DETE intern was the coordination of one of three Lunch and Learn workshops in support of OIED's new assessment model. This was an example of organizational learning, spearheaded by Stephanie. For this initiative, I had the privilege of working with Dr. Christy Byrd, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences. It's worth noting that Dr. Byrd is also the Faculty Fellow for OIED.

These Lunch and Learns were planned in coordination with myself, Stephanie Helms Pickett and Miyah Wilson. While Stephanie had done much of the initial organizing in terms of determining who would present at the workshops, Miyah and I were each allowed to choose a Lunch and Learn to organize with the presenter. For my Lunch and Learn, I chose to work with Dr. Byrd, who would be sharing her research on campus climates and belonging. This research would allow staff throughout OIED to be even more informed about the emerging frameworks that shape our efforts to create more inclusive, affirming campus environments for all students. I chose this Lunch and Learn because of my own interests in research on sense of belonging for Black queer, trans, and nonbinary students.

When Dr. Byrd and I first met, we talked about how diversity-affirming school climates promote academic engagement, cultural competence, and psychological well-being. While much of her reason focused on K-12 students, much of what she shared with me resonated with my own experiences as an undergraduate and graduate student. Dr. Byrd talked about wanting to present a framework of how people learn about diversity and inclusion. We both agreed that'd be a great way to take scholarly knowledge and apply it to what OIED intended to do with its new assessment model.

The Lunch and Learn came and went, and Dr. Byrd did an excellent job guiding us through several frameworks. One that generated a lot of conversation was the one she had been building based on her own data collection and analysis. In her TIDE developmental cycles model, Dr. Byrd explored the cyclical process of gaining awareness of social inequalities and taking different kinds of action. The model made a distinction between flat (ineffective) action and critical (effective) action, with the later only possible when one moves past awareness of inequality and begins to understand the mechanisms driving inequality. This was a great learning moment for me, as someone who attempts to engage in critical action both within and beyond the university. It has made me think about the workshops that DETE is offering and workshops I may plan in the future: Are we educating simply to raise awareness that inequalities exist, or are we helping people understand how these inequalities came to be and are sustained? If we aren't doing the latter, then we can't possibly meet our commitment to "fostering an inclusive, accessible, and diverse intellectual and cultural campus experience" (OIED) for all students.

Dr. Byrd ended the workshop by having us gather in small groups and generate questions about campus climates and institutional transformation. We filled the white board with questions, from "How long does it take for an institution to be transformed?" to "Does it matter if change comes from the bottom (students) or the top (upper administrators)?" - all of which could serve as the foundation for good research questions to continue building on what we know about building campus climates wherein all students thrive.