Building Awareness and Teaching Tips for Faculty
On Saturday, Oct 29, 2016, the IUP Racial Justice Coalition for Change and the Center for Teaching Excellence offered a workshop on Diversity in the Classroom. 
Nancy Nkumsah, (residence director, Office of Housing, Residential Living, and Dining) led a group of six facilitators (Professors Rachel DeSoto Jackson, Abigail Adams, Mary MacLeod, John Ramsey, Nixon Cleophat, and Melanie Hildebrandt) and approximately 25 participants through a series of exercises aimed at expanding our shared understanding of how race, ethnicity, and culture shape classroom interactions at IUP. 
This Reflective Practice workshop explored ways that structural constraints, preconceived notions, and unconscious bias can be recognized and addressed by faculty to improve the learning environment for all students and enhance the teaching experience for instructors.
The RJCC and CTE hope to collaborate again in the near future to offer additional workshops, so stay tuned!