About Us – Equitable Teaching

About Us

Who Are We?
We are a small group of faculty and staff who are committed to supporting instructors in creating inclusive and equitable classrooms at the University of Michigan. We hope to address these needs by providing best teaching practices and activities in addition to expanding instructors’ knowledge. We are supported by U-M through the LSA Curriculum Office.

History of the Website
Student activism, especially since Fall 2013 (such as: #BBUM, #UMDivest campaign in Winter 2014, Black Student Union demands, and more), reignited a commitment from staff, faculty, and administration at the University of Michigan to allocate time and other resources to issues of inclusive teaching.

In Fall 2016, the university launched a five-year campus-wide DEI strategic plan which promoted an inclusive and equitable campus environment along with innovative scholarship and teaching. The Inclusive Campus Collaborative was one of the major initiatives created during this time. This group engages staff, faculty, and students alike and aims to cultivate a culture of belonging and inclusivity within the university community. The Inclusive Pedagogies Committee, a subgroup of the Collaborative, initially built what was known as the Inclusive Teaching website. Initially funded by a CRLT Faculty Development Fund grant, the website offers a robust database of instructional resources including definitions and elements of equitable teaching, scripts and videotaped simulations of key activities, reflections and advice from journeyed faculty, and narratives from students about their experiences.

A Shift to Equity-Focused Teaching
The Equitable Teaching Website builds upon the Inclusive Teaching website created during U-M’s first five-year DEI strategic plan. The transition to DEI 2.0 provided an opportunity to equip faculty with the skills, strategies, and resources to actualize education equity in their classrooms. As we strengthened our commitments and expanded our work, we identified a need to rebrand from inclusive to equitable teaching. We adopted an equity-focused approach to promote systemic change in courses. We believe equity-focused educators use inclusive teaching practices to create the best outcomes for their students

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