Presentation:
What is diversity in the classroom at a research university? Dr. Keasley presented the case for diversity education by expressing the importance of enrollment in an introductory diversity class during freshman year at a research university. Diversity courses are appropriate for students in all majors. Enrollment in a diversity course exposes students to concepts ranging from the contact hypothesis to problem solving. The interactions posed by Allport, Frieire, Hooks, Pratt, and Putnam present problem-solving activities and enhance writing in the classroom. Dr. Keasley reminded the forum participants that the diversity class enhances student growth and enables them to remain open to the tremendous variety within a research university. Dr. Keasley offers this course as a counter to the tendency in some communities within the university towards self-enclosure.
Dr. Keasley acknowledged that diversity courses are not required as part of general education at many research universities. Often, funding is absent for such courses, and theories of an support for general education is in flux.
At the University of Colorado, the diversity course is the most tested and studied on campus. The faculty measure the course, the outcomes, and the level of instruction. The course is set up to explain the overall context of the research university: self awareness, difference, community, community engagement, and inquiry-based learning as outlined by the University of Colorado at Boulder community. The objective of the course is to help students understand and appreciate why they are at the university, and to promote reflection on grander ideas, such as the University’s quest to develop students’ intellect and character. Dr. Keasley suggested that this course allows students to “come out of the dark.”
The course in diversity embodies the idea that the research university is a place where people from varied backgrounds experience different ways of “being” in order to come together and share their lives. Course faculty make it a point to have the students come to terms with the fact that their neighbors do not live exactly the same way they do, nor do they experience life in the same way. Faculty are asked to expand upon this concept powerfully through the introduction of human variations, asking students to recognize the human family, and teaching students to expand upon ways to begin thinking about the human family as a whole.
Dr. Keasley addressed some widespread misconceptions about diversity courses. Some wrongly assume that students do not need such a class if they come from an underrepresented culture or community. The idea behind the introduction and subsequent impact of this course is that all students need to experience broad undergraduate student socialization within the research university. Recognition that this course is about choice is most important. The diversity course can serve as a springboard for enrollment in other courses the students will take. Therefore, it is important to surround the course with a positive framework that takes into account the students’ understanding of one another. The most important lesson to learn is to engage broadly. A diversity course can welcome students, particularly first generation students to the extremely large and diverse community.
At the University of Colorado, faculty developed an exercise for the students in diversity courses that would test their knowledge of a community with which the student may have previously been unfamiliar, a community of people that the student wished to learn more about. This exercise required that the students attend public events where members of another community of people would be. The students were instructed to learn how to engage themselves in this diverse environment. After the interaction, the students were required to express their experience in a paper analysis. This exercise required students to get to know about a community of “others” through experience, by being out in the world, and allowed them to come away from this exercise recognizing that this world is a new place full of different people.
Discussion:
Throughout the session the discussion was interactive and educational. The discussion centered on the following four concepts:
Were committees formed to begin the course?
- Four sessions of committee meetings were held prior to beginning the course planning.
How many students attended the class?
- About 15 students attended each section; small class sizes allowed the course participants to get to know one another. Efforts were made to make the class diverse and interactive by inviting guests to attend the class.
How do we get students to break out of the mold?
- Enroll in this type of class. Make diversity classes part of the required curriculum.
Is there a difference between private and public research universities?
- Both private and public universities need to establish more formal diversity education.
Concluding Remarks:
Dr. Keasley concluded the presentation with an illustration of how the course is currently being assessed. The assessment of the course included hiring an external assessment firm, reviewing the coordinator’s report, and analyzing the students’ final papers. The external report provided evidence that the results were mixed in the areas of intellectual and diversity development. Dr. Keasley reported that the course was a success qualitatively, and the enrolled students expressed their satisfaction with the course. On the other hand, the course must be one that the students like, without sacrificing academic rigor. High initial scores across all three groups of students selected to participate in the assessment limited the amount of growth or gain that would be measured at the end of the semester, what may be referred to as the ceiling effect. Overall, the coordinator’s report and the final paper analysis revealed that the students recognized that the course offered worthwhile content and engagement. Qualitative findings illustrated various positive concepts students gained from the course. Course guest lecturers and exercises provided a view of diversity that the students would not have gained engaging in the readings alone. The experiences provided by the diversity of course participants gave specific insights into diversity issues that students may not have attained elsewhere.
Overall, Dr. Keasley and the session participants recognized the need to educate incoming students concerning diversity. Dr. Keasley emphasized the importance for students to recognize that diversity is more than black and white. Diversity includes issues of gender, nationality, community, health, education, and awareness among other elements. Introduction of students to the concept of diversity in the first year of education at a research university allows students to recognize and utilize the various opportunities available to step outside of themselves. Sparking interest in diversity early in one’s educational career could enlighten one to pursue a whole new educational experience. The injection of these ideas into the student’s experiences must occur in order to diversify our communities. This course and its objectives are meant to be the springboard for future thought and diversification of our students in the research university.
Recommendations:
|
