📘 TLC Guide Available
This topic includes a full-length TLC Guide for deeper exploration.
► Strengthening Inclusive Teaching and Preserving Academic Freedom: Proactive Strategies for Teaching in Complex Times
About This Resource
This guide integrates UC and campus policies, sample syllabus language, and evidence-based teaching practices to help instructors prepare for and respond to politically charged disruptions in the classroom that have the potential to escalate and cause harm to the instructor and/or to students. It offers:
- Proactive strategies for establishing classroom norms, boundaries, and expectations that promote academic freedom and inclusion.
- Practical approaches for responding in real time to conflict, tension, or harm in the classroom or online environments.
- Scenario-based reflections that connect policy and pedagogy through realistic examples and guided questions.
- Reiterate commitment and obligations to provide accessible teaching and learning.
- Post-incident guidance for reflection, repair, documentation, and self-care.
- Linked resources and policies from the University of California, UC Santa Cruz, and the Teaching & Learning Center.
This resource is designed for all instructional roles—including faculty, lecturers, graduate student instructors (GSIs), and teaching assistants (TAs)—and can be used individually, in teaching teams, or in departmental professional development.
See Also
Critical Incidents in the Classroom & On Campus
Addressing Current Events
Trauma-aware and Wellness-Oriented Teaching Practices
Reporting and Support Services for Faculty, Students & Staff
Supporting Students in Distress