Progress Report: Curriculum and Pedagogy

Recommendation

Timeline

Status

Create Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy Steering Committees to provide university wide and decanal unit prioritization and oversight

2022

Completed:

• The Undergraduate and Graduate Associate Deans Councils play this role

Foster and support inclusive pedagogy expertise at the unit level

2022-23

• Through EDJI Faculty Fellows Program
  

Implement a Student Academic Support Equity, Advocacy, and Concerns committee; and an Academic Support Service Coalition (for collaboration and training across staff)

2023-24

Create a task force to address issues of DEI and anti-racism in course evaluation

2022

In progress:

• Through a subcommittee of the Course Evaluation Advisory Committee.

Provide workshops, training, and resources in support of inclusive pedagogy & curriculum which address instructional faculty (at all levels); doctoral students and teaching assistants

2022 and ongoing

In progress and ongoing:

• Through New TA Conference, New Faculty Academy, related workshops, and individual consults.

Provide training on inclusive mentoring of students

2022-2023 and ongoing

In progress:

• Through CIMER Training Program

Require annual anti-racist/diversity training for faculty and staff

N/A

Recommendation moved to Staff Recruitment, Mentoring and Advancement Subcommittee

Develop internship programs for graduate students to engage in DEI work at the decanal level

2023-24

Reconsidered

9. Assess; enhance; and expand capacity, resources and access to programs such as Schomburg, iSEED

2022-23

Ongoing:

• All Schomburg Fellows complete Individual Development Plan, with workshops available on effective use of plans
• Enhanced programs for cohort building (research talks, community building events)

Expand mentoring programs to reach more underrepresented (UR) and First-Generation students, including graduate students

2022-23

• Undergraduate students: Each program developed under the Student Success umbrella will add a mentoring component as they are implemented, one such example includes the recently developed Creating Undergraduate Learning Through Unity, Resources and Equity (CULTURE) Program.
• There is currently and active undergraduate Peer mentoring Committee that meets monthly to ensure they stay abreast of what is occurring in each area and provide that support for consistent hiring, training, and resources.
• Graduate student events during First Generation week

Establish graduate student forums for information exchange across programs and campuses

2022-23

• Use Graduate Brief to promote programing
• Use Schomburg events to promote information exchange
• Graduate School partnering with IDC to address needs of BIPOC and First Gen grad students

Revise the UB-wide learning outcomes, undergraduate General Education diversity learning outcomes, and the Graduate School mission statement, in collaboration with appropriate governance, to explicitly address development of anti-racism competencies

• 2022-23

In progress:

• Undergraduate General Education learning objectives were revised using the UB Curriculum governance process. Approval through Faculty Senate committees are in process.
• UB-wide outcomes revision in progress through Institutional Assessment Council. (This must be approved by the Faculty Senate).

Completed:

• Graduate Mission update received Grad Fac quorum vote and was subsequently Promulgated in Spring 2023

Require a series of co-curricular modules for all undergraduate students that cover core knowledge and skills related to anti-racism, integrated within general education and at other critical points (e.g., orientation, first-year seminar, diversity learning requirement)

2023

In Progress:

• Undergraduate Education has completed a survey of peer institutional landscape in this space and will convene a task force of UB Curriculum Steering committee members, Associate Deans, CATT instructional specialists, and Student Life representatives to develop a plan for creating, implementing and resourcing the recommending co-curricular modules.

Review and modify Responsible Conduct of Research requirements to ensure content and assessment addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism

2022-23

Reconsidered:

• None of the current RCR requirement options satisfy EDJI training needs sufficiently by themselves. ADGC sub-committee recommend developing a Micro in EDGI pedagogy dev.

Develop and implement program processes which evaluate DEI and anti-racism in objectives, learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment of student learning

2023

In progress and ongoing:

• Through annual assessment reporting, consults related to new program and course proposals and syllabi redesign

Develop recommendations regarding inclusive and anti-racist syllabi, in concert with shared governance

2023

In progress:

• Through Faculty Fellows supporting the work of ADGC and UGAD

17. Modify course and curriculum review processes to support intentional consideration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism

• 2022-23

In progress:

• Undergraduate & Graduate Associate Deans were engaged beginning Fall 2022.
• New process /workflow can be embedded in the new Curriculum Management System which will be implemented in Spring 2024.
• Through Faculty Fellows supporting the work of ADGC and UGAD.

Completed

• Grad level have developed a new EDGI component to the Syllabus Template – to ensure each new course attends to an EDGI-oriented pedagogical approach.

Identify academic support programs successfully retaining and graduating underrepresented student populations and provide funding support to scale these programs across the campus.

2022-23

language updated following the Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action in Admissions

Completed:

• After assessing the current numbers of BIPOC students who are participating in academic support programs, in addition to their retention and graduation rates. A proposal was submitted to start the Creating Undergraduate Learning Through Unity, Resources and Equity (CULTURE) Program.  CULTURE in collaboration with CPMC programs (ACE, Acker Scholars, CSTEP, McNair, and SSS) and the Intercultural Diversity Center is the start of committing investments to support at scale programs for BIPOC students.
• Other existing programs include: Generation Honors, Proud to Be First, SEAS Diversity Program, UB Thrive Summer Bridge for First Gen and  STEM and Purpose (ACE LLC).

Recommendation

Timeline

Status

1. Create Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy Steering Committees to provide university wide and decanal unit prioritization and oversight

2022

Completed:

The Undergraduate and Graduate Associate Deans Councils will provide oversight of university wide and decanal prioritization related to curriculum and pedagogy

2. Foster and support inclusive pedagogy expertise at the unit level

2022-23

In progress:

Holistic Admissions in PhD Programs Initiative underway

• provide training to graduate admissions committees on holistic processes to expand access to diverse, qualified candidates
• increase transparency to prospective applicants

CATT developing faculty fellow model for 23-24

Also see notes for rec. 15

3. Implement a Student Academic Support Equity, Advocacy, and Concerns committee; and an Academic Support Service Coalition (for collaboration and training across staff)

2022

Completed: Student Academic Support committee assembled

In progress: Coalition development

4. Create a task force to address issues of DEI and anti-racism in course evaluation

2022

In progress:

The Institutional Assessment Council is creating a subcommittee to address this: the committee is assembled and has begun its charge; Also, the Educational Effectiveness and Learning Analytics Team in CATT (EELA) has begun on a bias study to quantify how much racial bias there might be in Course Evaluations.

5. Provide workshops, training, and resources in support of inclusive pedagogy & curriculum which address instructional faculty (at all levels); doctoral students and teaching assistants

2022 and ongoing

In progress:

• CATT is a partner with Faculty Affairs on the New Faculty Academies, which address EDJI.
• This year’s Annual Conference (January, 2023) for CATT will be DEJI themed-specifically in relation to inclusive pedagogy.
• Jeremy Jungbluth’s portfolio has been repositioned as an Inclusive Pedagogy Learning Designer.
• CATT will be offering a Spring Series on inclusive pedagogy/ DEIJ issues related to students and student learning.
• Web resources on both CATT’s site as well as TeachAnywhere are in development and ongoing.

6. Provide training on inclusive mentoring of students

2022-2023

In progress:

Graduate School initiating CIMER Training Program (Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research) which includes mentor and mentee training in EDJI issues.

7. Require annual anti-racist/diversity training for faculty and staff

N/A

Referred to HR.

8. Develop internship programs for graduate students to engage in DEI work at the decanal level

2023-24

In progress

9. Assess; enhance; and expand capacity, resources and access to programs such as Schomburg, iSEED

2022-23

In progress

10. Expand mentoring programs to reach more underrepresented (UR) and First-Generation students, including graduate students

2022-23

In Progress:

• Graduate School has expanded mentoring network to increase diversity of mentors and has added personal identities to mentoring network directory (identifies as racial minority; identifies as sexual or gender minority)
• Undergraduate Students – The AA UDO in conjunction with the  Director, SSAS will assess the current numbers of UR students affiliated with mentoring programs and determine what staffing and other resources are needed to expand mentoring to UR students who are not part of any mentoring initiative

11. Establish graduate student forums for information exchange across programs and campuses

2022-23

In progress

12. Revise the UB-wide learning outcomes, undergraduate General Education diversity learning outcomes, and the Graduate School mission statement, in collaboration with appropriate governance, to explicitly address development of anti-racism competencies

2022-23

In progress:

• Undergraduate General Education learning objectives will be revised using the UB Curriculum governance process starting this fall with consideration by the Diversity and Integrative Learning Committee. Depending on scope these changes may require Faculty Senate approval.
• Graduate School mission statement changes have been drafted and will presented to graduate faculty for a vote this fall
• UB-wide outcomes revision will also fall under the purview of the EELA Team and Institutional Assessment Council. (This must be approved by the Faculty Senate so the timeline may be protracted).

13. Require a series of co-curricular modules for all undergraduate students that cover core knowledge and skills related to anti-racism, integrated within general education and at other critical points (e.g., orientation, first-year seminar, diversity learning requirement)

2023

In Progress:

Undergraduate Education will convene a task force of UB Curriculum Steering committee members, Associate Deans, CATT instructional specialists, and Student Life representatives to develop a plan for creating, implementing and resourcing the recommending co-curricular modules.

14. Review and modify Responsible Conduct of Research requirements to ensure content and assessment addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism

2022-23

In progress:

AA/The Graduate School is currently evaluating methodologies to add DEI and anti-racism content to RCR requirement.

15. Develop and implement program processes which evaluate DEI and anti-racism in objectives, learning outcomes, curriculum, and assessment of student learning

2023

In progress:

The Comprehensive Program Review self-study document gives unit-level programs an opportunity to reflect on how they're adequately aligned to DEJI processes and concerns. At least one unit (SAP) has come forward to revise their curricula. This initial work with SAP will serve as a pilot process for effectively creating and posting templates and resources for unit-level use as they are continuously developed. (see notes to rec. 2)

16. Develop recommendations regarding inclusive and anti-racist syllabi, in concert with shared governance

2023

In progress:

Undergraduate Education and the Graduate School will convene a task force to develop specific syllabi recommendations

17. Modify course and curriculum review processes to support intentional consideration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism

2022-23

In progress:

Undergraduate and Graduate Association deans will be engaged beginning Fall 2022. New processes/workflow can be embedded in the new Curriculum Management System.

18. Identify academic support programs successfully retaining and graduating UR students. Commit Investments to support at scale programs across the campus.

2022-23

In Progress: Student Success will assess the current numbers of UR students who are participating in academic support programs and will assess retention and graduation rates. Recommendations will then be made regarding additional resources to support those programs