Supporting Inclusive Computing: A Graduate Course to Prepare Future FacultyOnline
Creating inclusive learning environments is important for retaining students, particularly those from historically marginalized groups in computing. However, both faculty and graduate students – who are responsible for teaching and mentoring activities – often receive little, if any, training on creating inclusive learning environments. Using a higher education approach, I developed and taught a semester-long course to prepare future faculty members to create inclusive computing learning environments. This experience report describes the process for creating the course including topics, readings, assignments, and approaches for facilitation and learning. I also provide analysis, reflection, and insights from students’ surveys and their written reflections throughout the course. The primary contribution of this experience report is to document the learning gains in students’ self-efficacy, awareness, and preparation for faculty roles, and to share insights on the implementation of the course to serve as a guide for other departments in the development and execution of similar training approaches.