Gateway courses can also become sources of inequity, as they are frequently designed with one kind of learner in mind. Those designs can negatively impact the academic outcomes of BIPOC students, women, students from lower-income backgrounds, and first-generation college students. Understanding that inequity and developing new teaching strategies can help make those gateway courses more supportive, and successful, for all students.
Butera said he’s made changes to his classes both big and small, from using green pens on students’ papers to change their perception of feedback (who hasn’t been devastated to see their paper returned covered in red ink?) to designing projects that go beyond traditional research papers.
“So rather than just saying, ‘We're going to do a research paper all the time because that's what we do,’ I’m opening it up a little bit and saying, ‘What are the skills that you all think would be helpful? What kinds of things would you like to work on? Let's design a project that allows us to do that sort of thing,’” Butera said. “I’m really working with them to make sure that they get the most benefit out of the kinds of assignments that we're doing.”
Butera said some of these changes meant breaking with traditional teaching models, and even some of his own teaching traditions.
“I used to be super strict about deadlines, super strict about no makeup work, super strict about attendance,” Butera said. Allowing for more flexibility and compassion in the classroom recognizes the fact that not all students are starting on equal footing, Butera explained. “They're all coming from very different places with very different expectations, and very different resources,” he said.
And the students benefit from being allowed the opportunity to correct mistakes, rather than just be penalized for them.
“They know they don't have carte blanche. They can't just decide when everything is due. There are still deadlines, and there's still homework, we're going to have a quiz this day and it's going to cover the readings that you had to do for this week, and that kind of stuff. There's still responsibility, and there's a syllabus and we still have things we have to accomplish during the semester. But, at the same time, stuff happens on an individual level, and you can work with students individually to help.”
Lorrie Jayne, lecturer in languages and literatures, also participated in the CTL summer institute, and has continued her work throughout the semester in a CTL learning circle, led by Angel Kaur, assistant professor of neuroscience. Participating in the learning circle has allowed Jayne to discuss her ideas for creating a more equitable classroom with her colleagues, and get helpful feedback. “We meet every month,” Jayne said, and discuss ideas, plans for their classes, successes, and challenges. “It’s nice to have that support group.”
One idea Jayne shared with the learning circle group was a workshop day, where Jayne made herself available in the classroom to any students who needed to catch up or get extra help on missing assignments. “I was in the classroom, and they could just take the whole hour and a half and catch up. We put on music,” Jayne said. “I got a number of emails thanking me for having that time.”
That gratitude extends back to the CTL staff, as well. “They are they are doing a lot of very hard work to make the University a strong place, a well-functioning appealing place where students want to come and where students want to stay,” Butera said.
For more information on resources offered by UNC Asheville’s Center for Teaching and Learning, visit https://ctl.unca.edu/.
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