Diversity: Initiatives for Graduate Students

TA Training

The loss of talented students from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) majors is a significant challenge for U.S. technological advancement and global competitiveness in the 21^st century.

Although inclusive teaching strategies can help student retention, formal instruction in pedagogy has not traditionally been a part of STEM graduate education and is often completely absent from postdoctoral training.

To provide TAs with the advice and tools they need to create a safe learning environment that respects student diversity and encourages learning, a group of postdoctoral scholars in the Division of Biological Sciences developed a TA training program on inclusive teaching. 

The goal of the workshop is to help TAs understand that:

• Knowledge, experience, and cultural content makes each student unique
• The teaching methods, examples, and content we choose to use affect who is included or excluded from the classroom experience
• We all bring biases and assumptions to teaching and learning

Development of this workshop was initiated by a series of relevant readings and discussions on the roles that identity, diversity, and unconscious bias play in the classroom.  This workshop uses a combination of self-reflective and group activities to personalize diversity issues and model best practices for inclusive teaching. 

Common Experience Project: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

BioEASI is organizing an art contest that encourages students to artistically depict their interpretation of a struggle presented throughout this book, such as the conflict between following scientific codes of ethics and violating those codes to benefit the greater good.

Exploring the various outcomes of these struggles using artwork will prompt students to understand the complex ethical dilemmas facing society and consider the repercussions on a personal level.

Students will not be restricted to specific media forms and will be encouraged to use creative means to produce thought-provoking artwork. Judges will select three winning pieces and prizes will be awarded to the student artists.

See more about the Common Experienced Project on our Current Activities page.