Yale Center for Teaching and Learning

Teaching Flexibly and Accessibly: Balancing Student Needs with Course Structure

Audience 

Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Fellows

Event Time 

Monday, August 22, 2022 - 1:30pm to 2:30pm

Location of Event: 

Teaching Flexibly and Accessibly: Balancing Student Needs with Course Structure

Event Description 

Teaching through the pandemic heightened instructors’ awareness of obstacles that can interfere with students’ ability to learn and demonstrate their learning. Flexibility and accessibility are important components of equitable and engaged teaching, but how can we be responsive to students’ needs without significantly increasing the workload for instructors and decreasing the rigor of classes? Is it possible to implement “flexibility with guardrails,” and how do we tailor course policies to fit the different needs of individual students”? Join the Poorvu Center for this one-hour zoom session where we will discuss how to adapt aspects of courses to support students without significant increased workload or reduction of rigor. A faculty panel featuring Conkey P. Whitehead Professor of Chemistry, Patrick Holland and Director of Expository Writing and Course Co-Director for the English 114 Writing Seminars, Heather Klemann, will share how they approach flexible and accessible course design. Participants will be invited to discuss with the faculty panel how creating accessible course materials and flexible course policies can be particularly important for students with disabilities, whose first language is not English, and those with unforeseen circumstances, such as temporary illness or personal emergencies. We are committed to hosting inclusive and accessible events that allow all participants to fully engage. Please contact us faculty.teaching@yale.edu if there are ways we can support accommodations or for questions about inclusion… — Event Details: https://yaleconnect.yale.edu/rsvp?id=1629163