TEACHx 2024

In this presentation, our university team shares findings from a recently completed SOTL study concerning attempts to make our classrooms more welcoming and inclusive. We sought to respond to a need to help our students develop a sense of belonging. We explored two questions: (1) what happens in a classroom when faculty pursue the creation of systems of belonging that maintain a productive tension between the authority of expertise and democratic pedagogical principles, and (2) how does this process support democratic co-ownership of the curriculum? We found that choice (alternative assignments, for example) emerged as of primary importance; students identified building personal connections, informing their sense of belonging. Additionally, students noted recognition of instructors' attempts to model vulnerability. In this presentation, we will discuss these terms, themes, and findings and how we enacted student-centered, inclusive grading and teaching practices in undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral courses. This presentation intends to encourage engaging conversation about the TEACHx themes of fostering a sense of belonging through inclusive teaching methods and innovative, co-created grading and assessment strategies.