201: Elevating Student Voices to Support Inclusive Classrooms and Sense of Belonging

Session Location: SIS Founders Room T-7 | Google Map

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Date: Wednesday, August 14

Time: 11:00 AM – 11:50 AM

Presenters: Melissa Hawkins (Senior Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Health Studies) and Alison Chrisler (Professorial Lecturer, CAS | Health Studies)

Session Description:

The Department of Health Studies engaged graduating 2024 seniors in the Public Health and Health Promotion majors (n = 49) to provide feedback and suggestions to support student success. During three sections of the spring capstone courses, students were asked to identify positive and detrimental classroom practices, in the department and across the university, that create (or inhibit) a sense of belonging and community. In one section, students were divided into small groups and asked to write examples on sticky notes and then placed those onto large pieces of paper at the front of the room; then, as a larger group, students provided more context around the examples provided. In the two other sections, students provided anonymous feedback. Over 100 student comments were grouped into key themes by Department of Health Studies faculty leaders. This information was then shared at the departmental annual retreat for discussion with the full faculty in small groups. Specifically, faculty discussed how the positive practices could be operationalized, and the detrimental practices minimized, or managed, in the classroom environment. This activity elevated student voices for faculty discussion and self-reflection in supporting classroom practices to build a more inclusive classroom environment and support student retention efforts. This interactive session will be of interest to undergraduate faculty and staff.