12 Strategies for Making Your Syllabus More Inclusive
Want more strategies for designing an inclusive syllabus? The 12 strategies based on research into inclusive practices invite you to consider the many different ways a syllabus can welcome students to the course.
Twelve strategies for making your syllabus more inclusive are listed below. You may find that 1 or 2 of these make sense for you immediately, and additional strategies may be more appropriate to build in over time. As you consider the strategies below, remember that the syllabus is interrelated with and communicates about your course policies and expectations, activities and assessments, classroom dynamics, and teaching philosophy. As such, updating your syllabus may result in updating these other classroom components, and vice versa.
12 Strategies for Making Your Syllabus More Inclusive
- Use cooperative “we” and “our” language where possible.
- Simplify the language you use to describe the course.
- Format the syllabus for the web and mobile devices.
- Replace some text with images and graphical organization.
- Introduce yourself in an approachable way and invite communication.
- Avoid deficit language.
- Add disciplinary and course-specific context for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Adopt and communicate flexible, fair course policies.
- Share your responsibilities and commitments to students.
- Support students in revision, reflection, and growth.
- Provide access to the syllabus before the semester starts.
- Solicit input, feedback, or reflection on the syllabus.