Learn how social identities affect your teaching
New UM Learn module helps instructors understand how identities affect teaching behaviour and outcomes
Your social identities are the physical, social and mental characteristics that make you the person you are. They include factors like race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, disabilities or abilities and religious beliefs.
These identities can affect teaching behaviour and expectations in the classroom in explicit and implicit ways.
In the new UM Learn module “Understanding social identities among faculty and students,” instructors can learn to recognize their own identities and those of their students, to help them develop strategies that promote engagement and success in the classroom.
The 35-minute self-study module is the second of six modules for Incorporating EDI into Your Course and Teaching, a course to help instructors apply equity, diversity and inclusion concepts in their teaching. Each module provides strategies and teaching techniques and additional resources for those who wish to take their learnings further. It is available to all UM instructors and staff.
Brandon University’s Kristen Hardy, authored the module. “I hope that those who engage with it come away with a stronger sense of how they can make connections with their students as whole, unique people, and feel more confident about their ability to use inclusive practices in their classrooms,” she says.
The EDI course was created by the Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub (MB Hub) at the request of six partner institutions through the Flexible Learning Advisory Group. Over 10K instructional and support staff across the province have access to the course via the learning platform at their respective institutions.
The MB Hub is part of The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and provides instructional design and digital media support to partner institutions across Manitoba. Partner institutions participating in the EDI series include Assiniboine Community College, Brandon University, University College of the North, Red River College Polytechnic, University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.
Access the course today
- Login to UM Learn with your staff email
- In the main navigation menu, select “Self Registration”
- Under Course offering code, select CENTRE_IEDIYCT_022024 or under Course offering name select Incorporating EDI into Your Course and Teaching: Module 2
Other EDI courses and resources
The course Equity Diversity Inclusion Accessibility – EDIA: Foundations (EDIA 0100) is an 18-hour hybrid or online course for UM students, staff and faculty. It introduces participants to the skills of critical self-assessment, social location, and diverse perspective-taking that are foundational practices in EDIA work and describes the content necessary for such skill development. It is offered in partnership with the UM Office of Equity Transformation and with the support of the UM President’s Office.
If you want more help applying EDI to your teaching practice, connect with The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning for one-on-one consultations.
Learn more about the Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub.