Equity & Accessibility
At the TLC we strive to honor and enliven the principles and practices of equity-mindedness in all of our materials and resources. Importantly, the strategies we uplift often relate to the “how” of instruction — how we structure class engagement and assignments, make expectations for academic success clear, and create the conditions for equitable participation and engagement. Equity and inclusion are the backbone of all of UCSC’s teaching initiatives, so there may be overlap between the resources here and elsewhere on our site.
Equity-Minded Teaching
These resources provide principles and practices that support instructors with addressing the needs and strengths of UC Santa Cruz students, with special call-outs for online and technologically enhanced courses.
Designing for Accessibility
These resources help instructors prioritize accessibility in the creation of course materials, thereby reducing barriers and making their materials more inclusive for all students.
Addressing Critical Current Events and Holding Difficult Conversations in the Classroom
This guide aims to offer strategies for establishing and sustaining an inclusive learning community that supports students during times of crisis—while simultaneously attending to instructors’ and TAs’ well-being, which involves accounting for how each person’s positionality will shape their instructional choices.
Trauma-Aware and Wellness-Oriented Teaching Practices
The resources and strategies embedded in this page seek to help teaching teams bridge “trauma-awareness,” that is, an understanding of how experiences of individual and collective trauma impact how we learn and teach, with a “healing-based” or “wellness-based” approach that invites us to design learning environments that help students and instructors/TAs thrive and nurture our collective wellbeing.
Promoting Inclusive Office Hours
Office hours are an opportunity for your students to forge meaningful relationships with you through discussing and seeking help with course materials and assignments. On this page we explore some of the reasons why students are hesitant to attend office hours, and what you can do to create an inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages students to attend your office hours.