In every class, there are students who differ from the instructor and from one another in ways that profoundly affect how they experience classroom activities and how they learn. Factors of identity (such as gender, race, and ethnicity) are interwoven with individual differences (such as ability and experience with the subject matter) and these work together to affect how students relate to the instructor, to one another, and to the subject matter. Our role as instructional consultants is to help instructors teach in ways that optimize learning opportunities for all their students.

Our work with diversity and inclusiveness is informed by our knowledge of faculty and student roles, relationships, and interactions, by our understanding of how learning and change take place, by goals and policies of the university, and by our recognition of diversity's larger historical, political, and social contexts. In practical terms, this work begins with a client's request for consultation regarding his or her immediate situation.

To put this vision into practice, CIDR consultants:

Classroom practices are shaped by factors that are rarely visible in the classroom; for example, instructors' and students' academic and personal backgrounds, current developments in the department and in the discipline, and the history and priorities of the institution. One goal of consultation is to make these influences visible so that they become open to question, analysis, and reconsideration.

Our ultimate goal to help clients see the diversity that students bring to the classroom as a contribution to better teaching and learning, rather than as an obstacle to it. However, many clients who come to us are uncomfortable addressing issues of diversity, often due to the perceived magnitude and complexity of the task or the fear of being judged for their actions.

Because these feelings might inhibit clients from taking action, we try to make the consulting relationship a safe, non-threatening setting for considering change. Our immediate goal is to help clients identify areas where they can begin to take action.

We try to motivate clients by helping them see how strategic choices can lead to meaningful change in their immediate situations. We do not want to disregard or minimize a client's apparent reluctance to discuss sensitive or politically-charged topics, and we acknowledge the challenges they are facing.

Change is slow, incremental, and uneven. From the beginning, we want to honor clients' concerns, experiences, and efforts they are already making to teach effectively. Utilizing a variety of information sources, we present them with opportunities to see their situations from other perspectives and with resources that provide strategies and models for change.

In order to help clients think through and negotiate the process of change, CIDR consultants ...

Ask questions about:

• Contributions that students make to the way the course is taught, based on the different backgrounds, identities, and perspectives that they bring to it
• Ways in which the instructor is accounting for student diversity in his or her planning and teaching; for example, varieties of learning styles, life experiences, amount of experience with the subject matter, goals for taking the course, expectations of classmates
• Previous experiences and assumptions the client has related to student diversity (see a & b, above)
• Challenges of the teaching situation in terms of class size, preceding and following courses, students' backgrounds and ability levels: for example, is the course required or elective, for majors or non-majors, novice or experienced learners?
• Previous experiences the client has had in this type of teaching situation
• What the client likes / doesn't like about this teaching situation
• How the course is taught by, and valued by, others in the department
• What motivates the client to request assistance or consider change at this time
• Previous experiences the client has had with making or assessing changes in his or her teaching
• Limitations on the changes that can be made to a course because of the shared responsibilities for change (with students, other instructors, etc.) and variables not under the client's control

Create Opportunities to:

• Help the client value and view the course from the students' perspective via student feedback, relevant research, or other data
• Expand the client's range of options for approaches to teaching
• Express our own experiences dealing with challenges / change
• Provide of ways to interact positively and productively arounmodelsd potentially controversial issues, in order to help clients learn to have these kinds of interactions with their students.
• Learn ourselves through means we might suggest to our clients; for example, through reflection, documentation, or peer review of our work

Keep ourselves informed about:

• University policies regarding departmental program reviews, strategic planning, curriculum transformation, admissions and retention
• Departments undergoing changes related to courses offered and student opportunities
• What other instructors, programs, or institutions, as well as our CIDR colleagues, are doing to address diversity and inclusiveness
• Theories of learning, change, and identity development, concerning both clients and their students

Work collaboratively with:

• Colleagues and peers within and outside CIDR (always remembering to protect client confidentiality)
• Departmental leaders, advisors, or coordinators in positions to initiate or advocate change
• Other units on campus &endash; for example, the Curriculum Transformation Project, the Educational Opportunity Program, the Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program

Follow up with clients to:

• Find out how designs or strategies we've developed are working.
• Request permission to share their designs or strategies with other clients.

Links to related CIDR documents:

• CIDR Diversity Statement
• History and Development of CIDR's Diversity Statement
• Standard Practices Survey
• Staff Development Options
• Consulting at CIDR on Diversity and Inclusive Teaching
• Inclusive Teaching and Diversity Resources

See also, "CIDR Puts Beliefs into Practice in Year-Long Effort," University Week, 5 October 2000.