Calling all UVic educators!
The Equity Action Plan (EAP) sets out 5 equity goals. There is work for each of us to support the university in achieving these goals. Making long-lasting, meaningful change will require action from the entire UVic community.
Our classrooms, libraries and online learning environments represent the fundamental spaces in which you help shape the next generation of leaders, thinkers and citizens. As educators, you have a shared responsibility to provide learners from all backgrounds the opportunity to succeed at UVic and to foster inclusive spaces where students are exposed to diverse voices and ideas.
This reflection and action guide will help you find an entry point to move from personal reflection to action, while creating the momentum necessary for long-term, systemic change.
Thank you for your action, engagement and important work within the UVic community. This work benefits us all.
Reflection questions
The following questions show the many ways educators can engage with the goals in the EAP. We encourage you to take the time to reflect on the main questions and to use the secondary questions as an opportunity to spark ideas for action.
How do you consider the type of knowledge that is prioritized within your course syllabi and/or reading lists?
For instance:
- does your syllabus and/or reading list attempt to de-centre Western knowledge?
- whose voices are represented via authorship within your syllabus and/or reading list?
- does your syllabus and/or reading list include a diversity of perspectives, identities and lived experiences?
How is accessibility and accommodation built into your course assignment/assessment design?
For instance:
- do your assignments/assessments include multiple modes/mediums of submission (e.g., written, verbal, etc.)?
- does your syllabus highlight academic services and support structures that are available for students (e.g., the Learning Centre, the library, etc.)?
- how do you apply universal design when developing and instructing courses?
- do you consider the financial requirements of textbooks or other course resources/requirements?
- do you consider major religious holidays when planning your course schedule?
How comfortable are you referring colleagues/students to the various processes for reporting on campus?
For instance:
- are you aware of the Discrimination and Harassment Policy and its guidelines for reporting instances of discrimination and/or harassment?
- are you aware of the Sexualized Violence Prevention and Response Policy and its guidelines for reporting instances of sexualized violence?
- how do you actively consider safety when leading/working in your designated educational space (i.e., classroom, library or online educational environment)?
- are you comfortable responding when an incident of harassment or discrimination occurs within your educational space?
How can you contribute to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming faculty/office/group environment?
For instance:
- how do you seek out opportunities to support and uplift your colleagues?
- do you recognize the importance of preferential and limited hiring strategies to increase the representation of historically and systemically marginalized groups?
- how can you advocate within your department for the inclusion of colleagues and students whose work and experience may stray from the academic tradition?
- are you aware of and comfortable referring to the various resources available for mental, physical, financial and/or cultural support and accessibility?
How will you ensure accountability to the outcomes of the EAP within your teaching practice?
For instance:
- have you reviewed the EAP goals and considered how they relate to your work?
- have you considered how the institutional descriptions of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging relate to your research practices?
- how do you create opportunities in your classroom/lab for students to provide feedback related to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging within your teaching practices?
What you can do right now
Having reflected on your role in advancing the EAP, consider the following list of suggested actions and/or resources.
- take the Increasing Equity in Decision Processes course
- apply for an Anti-Racism Initiative (ARI) Grant, which support faculty and staff to revise or design courses, programs and resources
- encourage your students and colleagues to fill out the Better Data Questionnaire
- talk to your department chair about conducting an Equity Review within your faculty and/or department
- learn about being an ally to Indigenous peoples with this toolkit
- use UBC’s Inclusive Teaching cycle resources and take the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in Teaching and Learning course
- apply equity-focused teaching principles and strategies
- use universal design to develop and instruct courses in a more inclusive and accessible way
- check out these tips on teaching in an accessible way online
- conduct a disability justice audit within your faculty, department and/or unit
- watch the lecture, “Decolonizing your Syllabus,” and consider how you may implement the suggestions within your own courses
- watch Belonging, a critical piece of diversity, equity & inclusion to learn about 5 tenets to creating conditions for belonging