Facilitating conversation among students is crucial for educators. Empowering all students to contribute to the conversation plays into an instructor's role. Voices that aren’t heard can be the ones with the most valuable insights. Higher education professionals have a reputation for the free exchange of thoughts and ideas, but there is still room for improvement.
“UNC Charlotte has a deep commitment to student success and has built a set of initiatives to help students, many of whom are first-generation college students with diverse backgrounds and experiences, get engaged once they are here,” said Provost Joan Lorden.
Inclusion expert Nona McDuff coming to UNC Charlotte
Through a Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund grant, Nona McDuff, director of equality, diversity and inclusion at Kingston University London, will visit UNC Charlotte to engage faculty about inclusive classroom methodologies.
Bruce Taylor, associate dean for UNC Charlotte’s Quality Enhancement Plan, “Prospect for Success,” partnered with the Center for Teaching and Learning to earn this grant.
“Kingston University and UNC Charlotte both have an ongoing commitment to diversity and cultural awareness. We see Nona's visit to UNC Charlotte as an opportunity to learn more deeply about the work each of our institutions is doing to address diversity and bias and to increase our capacity to address these challenges through teaching, research and community engagement,” said Taylor.
Keynote address and workshops scheduled
McDuff will present the keynote address “Overcoming Hidden Biases and Creating an Inclusive Curriculum” at 11 a.m., Thursday, April 6, in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall. She will host several workshops between April 6-13 to work in smaller, more personalized group settings with faculty members. These events are free, but registration is required.
McDuff is uniquely positioned to share her experiences. She has led myriad race equality symposia and conferences around the United Kingdom (UK) and is currently an executive board member of Kingston’s Race and Equalities Council. She also is chair of the Higher Education Race Action Group and was recently selected from 1,200 applicants to serve on the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) panel, a group that helps shape the future of UK government university assessments.