Ariel Fleurimond, Senior Director of Instructional Design and Curriculum Support at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, recently hosted a session at Educating for Democracy: The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) 2022 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Fleurimond presented the session, "Giving Voice to Diversity: Designing Inclusive Curricular Materials," alongside Delores Amorelli, Director of Faculty Educator Development at the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, on the conference's Curricular and Pedagogical Innovation track.
The conference brought together a community of educators to examine new models, practices, and solutions to provide and invigorate liberal education in service to democracy at higher education institutions across the country.
"While higher education institutions have made great strides in recruiting diverse student bodies, the voices of these students remain underrepresented throughout the materials that form the core of their educational experiences," wrote Fleurimond and Amorelli as an introduction to the session. "Designing inclusive curricular materials can help give voice to diverse learners and, as a result, is a key responsibility of educators who wish to further the mission of democratic education." Participants in the session worked to develop a toolkit of best practices for integrating inclusive language into their curricular materials.
"Presenting at the AAC&U conference allowed me to connect with other higher education professionals and education companies from around the United States," said Fleurimond. "It was a rewarding opportunity to learn from others and share best practices from my own teaching experience. I enjoyed the opportunity to showcase SPS and what we do. Many conference participants mentioned that they appreciated learning about SPS's innovative culture, clear commitment to DEIA, and talented faculty and dedicated staff who make all of this happen. I hope the pedagogical tools generated from this conference presentation can be shared with the larger community and move the needle on such an important component of our practice as educators and educational professionals."
The Instructional Design team, part of the Academic Affairs division of SPS, partners with faculty to design online and hybrid courses of the highest quality. Learn more about the Instructional Design team.