Hunter Library, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs at Western Carolina University invites applications from faculty for a new initiative focused on inclusive pedagogy.
For Western Carolina University to radiate “Inclusive Excellence,” diversity, equity and inclusion needs to infiltrate the curriculum, which pushes outward and reaches every student at Western. Providing a culturally-responsive education is layered, ongoing work, necessary to produce globally competitive, collaborative, and compassionate students.
Our Faculty Fellows will be practitioners of inclusive pedagogy and will engage in continuous learning and revising their approach. We are looking for faculty members who keep their finger/ear to the pulse of society, especially where it concerns their disciplines. This program seeks to encourage the development and incorporation of course content and pedagogical practices that enhance inclusion in the classroom. Selected faculty will engage with faculty from the College of Education and Allied Professions’ Department of Educational Leadership, as well as library faculty and the Coulter Faculty Commons to revise their syllabi and course design to the standards of inclusive excellence.
Four (4) faculty will be chosen to complete our inaugural program cycle. Tenure-track faculty members at the rank of assistant professor are strongly encouraged to apply. The program will combine expert facilitation with one-on-one learning opportunities to identify course-specific improvements and capacity building for diversity, equity and inclusiveness in the classroom. Faculty who apply to the Fellows program should note a commitment to:
- Openly engaging with the learning and professional development opportunity presented by the totality of the program
- Be willing to receive feedback and challenge personal assumptions and biases
- Individually work with faculty from WCU Educational Leadership on their course (requiring a minimum of five one-on-one meetings over the program cycle)
- Attend a half-day workshop on Diversifying Your Syllabi with Hunter Library Faculty
- Individually work with Library Faculty to locate diverse materials and incorporate them into your course (requiring a minimum of 2 one-on-one meetings over the program cycle)
- Work with the Coulter Faculty Commons on (re-)design of your course for Fall 2021 offering
- Collect data on student outcomes
- Generate and share newly newly-developed teaching materials with interested faculty
- Present findings to the WCU Community at the Spring 2022 Teaching and Learning Day
This initiative notes generous support from the Office of the Provost and Hunter Library. Faculty in the program will receive a $1,000 stipend to work with faculty consultants to revise their syllabus and course. In addition, Hunter Library will include $1,000 towards the cost of diverse materials to support the course.
Applications for the initiative open January 29, 2021. The deadline to apply is February 19, 2021.
Please direct your questions to Shamella Cromartie.
**Inclusive pedagogy is concerned with teaching methodologies and decisions about course content. In accordance with WCU’s 2020 Vision Plan Strategic Direction #3 – Inclusive Excellence at WCU means:
- We commit to creating a campus reflective of our core values and we offer curricular and co-curricular educational programs that prepare our students for the diverse world in which they live. Support innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching.
- Initiative 3.2.1: Ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are foundational aspects of educational offerings.
- Initiative 3.2.2: Provide ongoing, appropriate diversity professional development for faculty and staff.
