Tip Sheets: Inclusive Teaching and Learning

Ensure your in-person presentations are accessible to all learners with this practical guide covering content, delivery, and environment.

Design PowerPoint presentations that are accessible to all learners with this guide focused on layout, visuals, text, and assistive technology compatibility.

Create Word documents that are accessible to all users with this guide focused on structure, formatting, and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) and Flexible Classrooms (FCs) promote collaboration, engagement, and technology-enabled learning. These spaces encourage peer and team-based learning, shifting students from passive recipients to active co-creators. Effective use involves fostering group work, accountability, and adaptable instructional strategies that enhance participation and deepen learning outcomes.

Enhance student participation and real-time feedback with backchannel tools that support inclusive, low-barrier communication during class sessions.

Evidence‑based strategies to enhance instructor presence and foster student community through structured interactions designed specifically for large undergraduate classes.

Foster a supportive and effective learning environment with strategies for clear, respectful, and inclusive communication across various teaching contexts.

Support student well-being and autonomy by using content warnings to prepare learners for potentially sensitive or distressing material.

Make your video content more inclusive with tips for creating accurate, accessible transcripts and captions that support diverse learners and meet accessibility standards.

Enhance your presentations with visual aids that support student learning through intentional design and meaningful integration.

Foster student motivation and connection from the start with quick, practical strategies to build rapport, set expectations, and create a welcoming learning environment.

Boost student motivation and with strategies that create a supportive learning environment, recognize effort, and build confidence through encouragement and constructive feedback.

Foster an inclusive and respectful learning environment by understanding the importance of gender pronouns and incorporating practices that affirm students’ identities in your teaching.

Create a more inclusive classroom by using engagement strategies that recognize diverse student needs, encourage equitable participation, and foster a sense of belonging.

Design assessments that prioritize student learning by aligning with course outcomes, offering meaningful feedback, and encouraging reflection, growth, and active engagement.

Create impactful presentations by designing PowerPoint slides that are visually clear, well-organized, and aligned with your teaching goals.

Explore how to foster inclusive teaching practices through the creation of empathy maps, learner personas, and learner journey maps. This allows instructors to better understand students' perspectives, anticipate challenges, and adapt their approaches to support diverse needs. 

Support inclusive learning by proactively addressing accessibility and accommodation needs, designing flexible course materials, and fostering a classroom culture that values equity, empathy, and diverse ways of learning.

Foster global perspectives by integrating international content, inclusive teaching practices, and intercultural learning opportunities that prepare students to engage thoughtfully in a diverse and interconnected world.

Promote student mental well-being by designing courses that balance challenge with support, offer flexibility and clarity, and create a learning environment that fosters connection, compassion, and a sense of belonging.

Advance student well-being through instructional practices that build trust, foster inclusion, and offer flexibility, while modeling empathy and creating space for connection and support.

Good course design involves considering the strengths and needs of all learners. 

Good teaching involves considering the strengths and needs of all learners.

The term universal design (UD) originated in the mid-1980s from the architect Ronald Mace, who is internationally recognized for advancing the concept and design of barrier-free buildings for people with disabilities

According to recent advances in neuroscience research, there is no such thing as an “average learner” (Rose & Meyer, 2002; Rose et al., 2013; Rose, 2016)