
Eric Adams
School of Engineering and Technology
The last three years have been very challenging times for faculty and staff on our campus. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted learning environments, research agendas, and personal and professional lives. Calls for action around racial and social justice in our society, and especially in higher education, have forced a critical examination of how the work, policies, and processes of our institution create unequal and unjust outcomes for our students and colleagues and for many in our society.
Are you interested in connecting with colleagues, to discover, learn, share, and support one-another in a professional learning community during the semester? Are you curious if changing a few small things in your course could improve student success, especially for students from historically underserved groups? Would it be empowering to have access to student feedback on the small changes you were making?
The IUPUI Equity Champions Program is built upon a foundational element: we cannot expect faculty and staff educators to serve our students, and create inclusive and equitable environments, until we create welcoming, comfortable, safe, supportive and organic spaces for learning, sharing, and personal and professional growth for ourselves as educators.
The IUPUI Equity Champions Program, led by a team of faculty, the Institute for Engaged Learning, and the Center for Teaching and Learning provides faculty and staff educators with small, easy adaptable and modifiable strategies and resources that support students and their success throughout a semester. Our model relies on Communities of Transformation as a cornerstone of this work, bringing faculty and staff educators together on a regular basis to discover, learn, share, and support one-another.
Participants meet on Zoom weekly for 1-hour in a Community of Transformation, exploring evidence-based strategies that enhance equity and inclusion, sharing successes and challenges of implementation, and reflecting on feedback provided by students via a validated survey instrument to discuss and plan next steps. The program strives to:
The IUPUI Equity Champions Program is based on a model developed by colleagues at the University of Toledo. The Program draws upon resources, strategies, and practices developed by the Student Experience Project, a collaborative of university leaders, faculty, researchers and national education organizations committed to innovative, research-based practices that build equitable learning environments and fostering a sense of belonging on campus.
The Equity Champions Program focuses on six research-based constructs that have been shown to enhance inclusive and equitable experiences for all students:
Confidence that one belongs in the learning environment.
Perception that instructor and institution believes students' abilities are malleable and can be improved with effort, feedback, and use of effective learning strategies.
Concerns about whether one will be treated fairly in interactions, grading, and other forms of evaluation.
Students from diverse identities and backgrounds feel welcome, valued, respected and recognized as having the potential to succeed.
Confidence in one's abilities to do well in the domains required by the learning environment.
Feelings of connectedness to others (instructor, peers, TA's) in the learning environment.
Prior research shows that a sense of belonging is essential in the student experience, and students from historically underserved groups are more likely to experience stereotypes related to their identity, making them more likely to experience belonging concerns and weaker learning outcomes. As educators, we have the power to change learning environments, and make these spaces more welcoming and inclusive for our students and rewarding for ourselves.
Program participants will explore these six key constructs in their weekly Community of Transformation meetings during the spring semester, implement small, simple strategies to create a more welcoming and inclusive learning environment for their students, get regular feedback from students throughout the semester, reflect on their own learning and next steps, and receive support and encouragement from their colleagues.
IUPUI Equity Champions Program Participants will receive a small stipend ($300) for their engagement in this program. Program expectations include:
Each Community of Transformation meets on Zoom for one-hour each week and is limited to a maximum of 12 participants, including two co-facilitators. Each session will:
Orientation Session (on Zoom)
Thursday, January 5 from 10:00am to 12:00pm
Weekly meetings (on Zoom)
Meet weekly with your Community of Transformation between January 9 and April 21. Three day/time options will be offered during the spring semester of 2023. Option is selected during registration process and confirmed when officially admitted into program.
Final Discussion (on Zoom)
Monday, May 15 from 10:00am to noon; submit final reflection
The IUPUI Equity Champions Program is a collaboration between the Institute for Engaged Learning (and specifically, the Gateway to Graduation Program) and the Center for Teaching and Learning. A team of faculty and IEL and CTL staff worked with a team of external consultants who developed the Equity Champions model at the University of Toledo. The IUPUI team worked with these external consultants to adapt the University of Toledo model for the IUPUI context. Each Community of Transformation at IUPUI will be co-facilitated by members of the IUPUI team who helped develop the model for our campus, and includes:
Eric Adams
School of Engineering and Technology
Jessica Alexander
Center for Teaching and Learning
Jerry Daday
Institute for Engaged Learning
Jamie Levine Daniel
O’Neill School of Environmental and Public Affairs
Catherine Macris
School of Science
Anusha S. Rao
Center for Teaching and Learning