Inclusive Excellence Teaching
Inspired by our founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Catherine University is committed to academic excellence and educating women to lead and influence in a community characterized by respect for human dignity, equity, and solidarity. The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, "love of God and the dear neighbor without distinction," impels us to respond to the most urgent needs of society. We do this through intellectual inquiry which results in transformative leadership for action.
In addition to the resources available on the St. Kate's Inclusive Excellence webpage, below is a curated set of resources specifically geared toward Inclusive Excellence pedagogy.
- Universal Design for Learning
The resources below can get you started in creating accessible content in your Canvas courses.
Accessible Design Principles
- Accessibility - Creating Accessible Online Content.
- Canvas Accessibility Checker.
- National Disability Authority. The 7 Principles of Universal Design.
- National Center on Disability and Access to Education. (2007). NCDAE Tips and Tools: Principles of Accessible Design.
University of Washington DO-IT Center. (2019). What is the difference between accessible, usable, and universal design?
Designing for Screen Reader Accessibility
St. Kate's created a University Syllabus Template designed for screen reader accessibility.- University of Connecticut, IT Services. (2018). What is a screen reader and how does it work?
- Ability Net. (2021). An introduction to screen readers.
- WebAIM. Designing for screen reader accessibility. "WebAIM’s mission is to expand the potential of the web for people with disabilities. We empower individuals and organizations to create accessible content by providing knowledge, technical skills, tools, organizational leadership strategies, and vision." WebAIM supports web accessibility in website design and implementation.
Creating Accessible Content
- Designing Accessible Content: Typography, Font Styling, and Structure.
- Microsoft Support Video: Create Accessible Tables in Word.
- Making images accessible.
- Making PowerPoint Presentations Accessible.
Tips from Student Accessibility and Accommodations
Student Accessibility and Accommodations provides these tips and information for helping students with disabilities succeed. Since May 2020, Student Accessibility & Accommodations has seen a 40% increase in their registered students with disabilities.
We have had a surge of students register with our office throughout the pandemic (over 40% increase), and the primary concern has been mental health. Being aware of this fact may help you respond quickly and proactively to changes in student behavior that could be mental health-related. Consider entering a flag in Student Success if you're concerned about a student's possible mental health issues.
Did you know that the Tutoring & Learning Center converted over 1,000 textbooks for students who use screen readers in the 2020–2021 school year?
We have a large number of students who use screen readers for their textbooks. The largest percentage of those students are those with Learning Disabilities (not blindness).
Did you know that the Library can assist you in finding an accessible version of your article, book chapter, or document?
When making photocopies of textbooks (where two pages appear horizontally per Xeroxed page), a screen reader would not pick up the text on those documents. The Library is always happy to seek out a clean PDF version of resources (an article, or a chapter of a book) that faculty may need for their classes. (Due to copyright law, there is a limit on the number of pages we can provide, but we can generally meet the faculty member's needs).If you have questions or comments, feel free to contact Student Accessibility and Accommodations or Academic Technology.
- Anti-Racist Pedagogy
Understanding Anti-Racist Pedagogy
- Practicing Anti-Racist Pedagogy.
- Anti-Racist Pedagogy in Action: First Steps.
- Considerations for Anti-Racist Teaching.
- Additional Resources for Antiracist Pedagogy (This includes a number of resources)
Anti-Racist Syllabus Design and Review
- How Can I Build an Antiracist Syllabus? (Magna 20-Minute Mentor programs)
Anti-Racist Discussion
CUE Online Syllabus Review Guide
CUE’s tools are designed to help instructors explore and expand their agency for supporting racial equity in classroom experiences and outcomes.
- Additional Resources
Websites:
Disability Visibility & Representation (St. Kate's LibGuide) - This is a guide for finding multimedia resources about disability created by disabled artists and activists, including a list of children's books on the topic.
Overview of Inclusive Teaching Practices (Stanford) - This article discusses inclusive teaching practices, including the definition of inclusive teaching and strategies to implement it in the classroom.
Inclusive Teaching Resources (Marquette) - This website provides inclusive teaching resources for faculty and staff on creating an inclusive learning environment for all students.
Readings:
Moriña, A. (2019). Inclusive education in higher education: challenges and opportunities. Postsecondary educational opportunities for students with special education needs, 3-17.
Brown-Jeffy, S., & Cooper, J. E. (2011). Toward a conceptual framework of culturally relevant pedagogy: An overview of the conceptual and theoretical literature. Teacher education quarterly, 38(1), 65-84.
Aronson, B., & Laughter, J. (2016). The theory and practice of culturally relevant education: A synthesis of research across content areas. Review of educational research, 86(1), 163-206.
Tanaka, M. T. (2016). Learning and teaching together: Weaving Indigenous ways of knowing into education. UBC Press.