Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism Guide: Faculty Resources

The purpose of this guide is to help educators throughout all disciplines evaluate their teaching resources and methods. Reviewing the learning materials ensures each and every student feels valued and welcomed in the classroom.

1. Acknowledge diversity: Recognizing and embracing the unique identities and backgrounds of our students is essential for creating an inclusive and enriching learning environment. This means intentionally incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences into our teaching materials and classroom activities.

Tip: Glossary for Culture Transformation (Boston Medical)

2. Use inclusive language: Using inclusive language is crucial to ensure everyone feels welcome and respected. By avoiding offensive or exclusionary terms and assumptions about students' identities, we can create a more positive learning environment. It's important to thoroughly review all teaching materials, including assessments, resources from previous years, and materials created by others, to ensure they align with these principles. Let's work together to create a more inclusive and equitable educational experience for all.

Tip: Reducing Stigma (Boston Medical)

3. Incorporate diverse perspectives: Incorporating a variety of perspectives into your teaching materials and classroom discussions is essential. This can be achieved by including readings and examples from a range of cultural backgrounds, historical events, and current events.

Tip: Cerdeña, J. P., Plaisime, M. V., & Tsai, J. (2020). From race-based to race-conscious medicine: how anti-racist uprisings call us to act. The Lancet, 396(10257), 1125–1128. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32076-6  - Open Access article through your ACHE Library.

4. Provide multiple ways of learning: Recognizing the diverse learning styles and abilities of students is crucial. Providing a range of learning methods and assessments such as visual aids, collaborative activities, and independent assignments can help meet their needs and encourage growth.

5. Create a safe and welcoming environment: As a dedicated educator, you have the ability to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for your students. Encourage them to speak up, ask questions, and share their unique perspectives without fear of discrimination or bias. By promptly addressing any issues that arise, you can foster a safe and inclusive space where everyone feels valued and respected. Keep up the splendid work!

6. Continuously evaluate and improve: Regularly assessing your teaching materials and classroom/lab practices to ensure they're both inclusive and effective is a great step towards creating a positive and successful learning environment. Seeking feedback from both students and colleagues and being open to making necessary changes can help you achieve this goal. Remember that small adjustments can make a significant difference in the long run.

By following this guide, educators can create a learning environment that fosters the academic growth and overall well-being of all students.

For more details on DEIAA, our Office of Diversity is available to assist you, by email dei@achehealth.edu or visit the DEIAA Guide on the library website https://library.achehealth.edu/diversity-DEIAA.

Questions to ask when reviewing teaching materials for DEIAA.

Images

•   Are the images in my presentation representative of people of diverse genders, ages, and skin colors?
•   Is there a sufficient diversity of images used in presentations to prevent stereotyping of "typical" pathology?

Example: Hyperbilirubinemia can present clinically as jaundiced skin. However, in darker-skinned people, jaundiced skin may be clinically difficult to appreciate. (Columbia University Irving Medical Center, n.d.).

Solution: An educator may discuss how disease presentations may vary across populations. In the example above, the educator can discuss the challenges of identifying skin color changes in persons with darker skin and recommend focusing on palms and sclera for clinical clues in these patients. Alternatively, in a case where the descriptors used for pathology are consistent across groups, such as peau d’orange to refer to the dimpled appearance of cutaneous lymphatic edema, the educator could be explicit about the universality of the trait (Columbia University Irving Medical Center, n.d.).

Language & Terminology

• In my use of language, do I promote a provider/patient divide, or do I acknowledge that learners may have personal experience with the content I am presenting?

Example: In a presentation on mental illness, do I discuss patient behavior as what “they” do and provider behavior as what “we” do without acknowledging potential learner experience? (Brown Alpert Medical School, n.d.).

•   Do I consider how my language and/or humor may be received by my diverse audience?

Example: using slang, jargon, and idiomatic expressions may not be understood by a diverse audience. “Cool as a cucumber” might be colorful but the meaning may be lost on a large part of a diverse audience (Toastmasters International, 2023).

•  Do I use inclusive, precise language?

Example: when presenting,  the term “minority” is still being used in the United States as a way to describe a person who isn’t white. By replacing “minority” with a more precise term, like “historically underrepresented,” your words are more accurate and empowering to people in the audience who identify as such.

•  Do I use terminology that is up to date?

Language evolves over time. Words and phrases used a few years ago may not work well today. It is important to continually evaluate the language we use and incorporate words as the latest information becomes available.

Example: for “mental retardation” instead say “intellectual disability.”

• Do I know whom to ask in my institution if I do not know the correct terminology?

Patient Cases

• Do the cases I use include individuals of diverse gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, race, and ethnicity? Am I using the preferred pronouns of the patient?

Research & References

• Is the research I cite up to date? Are the racial or other classifications used now considered outdated?
• Can I explain if the studies I cite define race by self-report, census data, medical record review, or some other method, and the implications of each? Is there bias in the studies?
• Can I explain why race, and not socioeconomic factors, is the relevant influence in a particular study?
• Are there differences between official guidelines/recommendations that I cite, and how I actually practice? If there are, how can I use that as a point of discussion?