What is Inclusive Academic Excellence?
Inclusive Academic Excellence is a framework, first developed by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U), that merges individual differences with academic rigor, creating educational experiences in which every student can learn, grow, and achieve high academic standards. It involves intentionally designing learning environments and using evidence-based teaching approaches to support the varying needs, backgrounds, and strengths of all students, ensuring they thrive and develop essential skills.
Why is Inclusive Academic Excellence Important?
Inclusive Academic Excellence leads to improved academic outcomes, social and emotional growth, and increased confidence and self-esteem for all students. By creating welcoming environments that accommodate diverse needs, inclusive classrooms foster a sense of belonging, build empathy and community, and better prepare students for a diverse real world and workforce.
How Can I Bring Inclusive Academic Excellence to My Courses?
The three boxes below provide you with a starting point for bringing inclusive academic excellence to your work in the classroom. Click on the link inside each box to learn more about that topic.
What I Need to Know:
Reflecting on your own background and beliefs is an essential first step in creating classroom environments that support inclusive excellence.
How to Get Started:
The most important part of creating an inclusive academic environment is getting started. Even a small change like how you get to know your students or how you develop your syllabus can make a difference.
Assessing Progress:
We tend to assess our students in the tradition of our disciplines, or in the ways that are most comfortable to us. Expanding our forms, frequency and transparency in assessment is an inclusive practice that can impact student performance and engagement, and give us feedback on our teaching.
Pedagogy in STEM Higher Education 