2020 Diversity Track – Cancelled
Diversity and Inclusion: Navigating Difficult Conversations on Campus
Monday, May 4, 2020 – Thursday, May 7, 2020
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) is accepting Registration Forms from faculty members who wish to participate in the Diversity Track of the 2020 Summer Faculty Development Conference. Proposals are not requested as the conference project is already defined.
To promote active and authentic engagement, it is critical to have transparent and civil communications with stakeholders, even about difficult topics. These efforts will lead to networking opportunities, support short and long term educational and career goals, and create a campus-wide culture that is undeniably inclusive! The goal of the Summer Faculty Development Conference – Diversity Track is to help make UCF a place where all constituents proudly wear the “UCF Knights” armor.
Attendees will engage with experts who represent diverse roles and ideologies related to equity, inclusion, and diversity. Through guided discussions, lived experiences, and interactive activities participants will focus on ways they may effectively work within “Difficult Dialogue” situations. In addition, participants will be provided evidenced based strategies that address ethical guidelines, enhance cultural responsivity, and help them to navigate challenging discourse.
Specific goals are to utilize faculty narratives to authentically implement ideas and/or to create safe spaces where the UCF community may openly and honestly participate in difficult dialogues; ultimately benefitting the students and the UCF community.
Learning Objectives
- Attendees will learn to narrate and process their personal history with “Difficult Dialogues”.
- Attendees will identify common culturally-based “Difficult Dialogues” that they experience in their work with peers, clients, supervisees, students, staff, and members of their community.
- Attendees will identify strategies for addressing “Difficult Dialogues” with individuals who hold a diverse spectrum of beliefs (religious, political, etc.) incorporating ethical and competency standards.
- Attendees will examine how theoretical frameworks and resources (e.g., Relational-Cultural Theory, Multicultural Counseling Theory, the AMCD Multicultural Social Justice Competencies, and the Cultural Encounters Task Force Training Manual for Framing Difficult Dialogues) may be applied to successfully navigate difficult dialogues.
- Attendees will learn facilitation strategies to utilize in their group work when navigating critical incidents.
Diversity Track Program Requirements
- Attend the entire four-day 2020 Summer Faculty Development Conference. This is a cohort experience. While there will be some flexibility to attend sessions outside of the track, most sessions will be predetermined.
- Participate in all individual and group activities.
- Commit to the completion of all project requirements.
Registration
To complete the Registration Form, please go to 2020 Diversity Track Registration Form
Registration deadline: Monday, March 2, 2020
Notification of acceptance: Friday, March 13, 2020
Track participation may be limited.
Previous Years’ Summer Faculty Development Conference Topics
-
2019 Diversity Track
Applying Inclusive Teaching Strategies in the Classroom
Participants in the Diversity Track of the 2019 Summer Faculty Development Conference will have the opportunity to attend presentations and interactive workshops designed to address specific strategies for creating inclusive classroom environments, experiences, and curricula. Building off of work created by previous Diversity Track cohorts, participants will explore the application of strategies in areas such as: 1) course content, 2) prior assumptions and level of awareness of potential multicultural issues, 3) planning for class sessions, 4) knowledge of the diverse backgrounds of students, and 5) decisions, comments, and behaviors made or displayed during the process of teaching.
-
2018 Diversity Track
Reviewing, Researching, and Supplementing Diversity and Inclusion Resources – Expanding Opportunities for Continued Growth
Participants in the Diversity Track of the 2018 Summer Faculty Development Conference reviewed, researched, and supplemented the existing collection of resources provided by ODI. These resource recommendations were offered as annotated lists to workshop participants following their involvement in the department’s educational programming in order to enhance their knowledge and understanding of topical areas such as Diversity Awareness and Appreciation, Diversity in Academics, Diversity Leadership, Multiculturalism, Prejudice Reduction, and Social Justice. Resources can include such items as scholarly articles, books, videos, a variety of online materials, etc.
-
2017 Diversity Track
Developing and Facilitating Diversity and Inclusion Experiences – Capitalizing on Faculty Expertise
Faculty members at the University of Central Florida have considerable expertise around diversity and inclusion topics. In addition to the specific content knowledge faculty deliver in their courses, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion recognizes the value of providing opportunities for faculty to share their expertise with the greater UCF community, with the ultimate objective being to support the University’s key goal, “to become more inclusive and diverse.”
At the 2017 Summer Faculty Development Conference, participants developed outlines and curricula for interactive diversity and inclusion workshops, with a final submission deadline of Friday, September 22, 2017. These workshops, open to UCF’s faculty, staff, and students, and with the assistance of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, are scheduled for presentation starting in Spring 2018.
-
2016 Diversity Track
Determining Factors that Influence and Enhance the Likelihood of Faculty at UCF Incorporating Diversity-Related Content into Courses
In their article, Factors Contributing to Faculty Incorporation of Diversity-Related Course Content, Matthew J. Mayhew and Heidi E. Grunwald (The Journal of Higher Education, Volume 77, Number 1, January/February 2006, pp. 148-168) write “. . . any institution that seeks to reflect its commitment to diversity through integrating diversity-related courses materials into the curriculum needs to rally support from faculty. Despite research suggesting that diversity in the classroom positively affects learning outcomes, many faculty members still do not integrate diversity-related materials into their courses. Diversity advocates want to know why.
Participants in the Diversity Track of the 2016 Summer Faculty Development Conference designed a survey instrument to be delivered to faculty members at UCF to determine what factors positively contribute to the likelihood of diversity-related content being incorporated into courses. Factors assessed in the survey included ones explored in similar studies at other educational institutions as well as those deemed to be of interest by participants in the Diversity Track.
-
2015 Diversity Track
Inclusive College Classrooms – Valuing and Respecting All Students
The fourth strategic goal of the University of Central Florida is “to become more inclusive and diverse.” Key to achieving this goal is the creation of inclusive college classrooms.
In their article, Creating Inclusive College Classrooms, Shari Saunders and Diana Kardia (Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, 2013), define inclusive classrooms as ones “in which instructors and students work together to create and sustain an environment in which everyone feels safe, supported, and encouraged to express her or his views and concerns.” In inclusive college classrooms, faculty members respond to students on both an individual and a cultural level, and are particularly aware of the kinds of interactions that occur in the learning environment.
Participants in the Diversity Track of the 2014 Summer Faculty Development Conference developed well-defined suggestions for faculty members to consider as they establish respectful environments for teaching and learning in their courses.
In the Diversity Track of the 2015 Summer Faculty Development Conference, faculty members will explore in depth how to create inclusive college classrooms for dimensions of diversity such as social class, disabilities, faith and non-faith perspectives, veteran status, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression.
Thank you to those of you who joined us this year, we hope you gathered great insight to take back to your classrooms, and we look forward to working with you again in the future. Click here for a glimpse into the four-day conference sessions, and activities.
-
2014 Diversity Track
Creating Inclusive College Classrooms
The fourth strategic goal of the University of Central Florida is “to become more inclusive and diverse.” Key to achieving this goal is the creation of inclusive college classrooms.
In their article, Creating Inclusive College Classrooms, Shari Saunders and Diana Kardia (Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, 2013), define inclusive classrooms as ones “in which instructors and students work together to create and sustain an environment in which everyone feels safe, supported, and encouraged to express her or his views and concerns.” In inclusive college classrooms, faculty members respond to students on both an individual and a cultural level, and are particularly aware of the kinds of interactions that occur in the learning environment.
Participants in the Diversity Track of the 2014 Summer Faculty Development Conference will explore methods for creating inclusive classrooms, with the goal being the development of well-defined suggestions for faculty members to consider as they establish enhanced environments for teaching and learning in their courses.
-
2013 Diversity Track
Expanding and Refining Cultural Competencies to Facilitate Infusion into Curricula
Cultural competency is the ability to function effectively in the presence of socio-cultural diversity. In 2008, Diversity Track scholars proposed 21 “core” cultural competencies as learning objectives for the University of Central Florida’s students, as well as potential areas of growth for faculty and staff. These competencies encompass three domains of learning – cognitive, affective, and skill-building.
The purpose of the Diversity Track of the 2013 Summer Faculty Development Conference was to expand and refine the cultural competencies to include details that will facilitate infusion into curricula. Further, as an outgrowth of the conference, Diversity Track scholars will develop online learning modules for faculty members to rely on as they transform curricula to incorporate the competencies, with the ultimate goal being the development of culturally competent students equipped to function in today’s global workplace. Click here for the 21 “Core” Cultural Competencies.
-
2012 Diversity Track
Culturally Responsive Teaching
In their book, Diversity & Motivation: Culturally Responsive Teaching in College (2009), Margery Ginsberg and Raymond Wlodkowski suggest that “culturally responsive teaching occurs when there is respect for the backgrounds and circumstances of students regardless of individual status and power, and where there is a design for learning that embraces the range of needs, interests, and orientations in a classroom.” Culturally responsive teaching is respectful of different cultures and is capable of creating a common culture that all individuals in a learning situation can accept. Culturally responsive teaching attempts to:
- Establish inclusion
- Develop attitude
- Enhance meaning
- Engender competence
For students, learning in an environment that is culturally responsive may foster or enhance intrinsic motivation.
The purposes of the Diversity Track of the 2012 Summer Faculty Development Conference was to explore the relevance of culturally responsive teaching as it relates to the 21st-Century college student and to develop materials for faculty members to rely on as they create learning environments that are respectful of all students. Dr. Margery B. Ginsberg from the University of Washington-Seattle will assist Diversity Track participants as they learn about the basic tenets of culturally responsive teaching, with the ultimate goal being the creation of classrooms where human diversity is understood and valued as being beneficial.