People of color are underrepresented in many STEM fields, and this underrepresentation is especially prevalent for Black individuals in evolutionary biology. Although there are many potential reasons why, a new study focuses on a factor that is often missing from these discussions: religious beliefs. It has been well established that Black individuals are more likely to be Christian compared to white individuals. Previous studies have also reported that Black individuals are less likely to accept evolution. However, no prior study has explored the relationships between race/ethnicity, religious beliefs, and evolution acceptance. Because there is often a perceived conflict between Christianity and evolution, a recent study set out to examine if there may be a connection between people of color’s religious affiliation and their acceptance of evolution. People of color are more religious and less accepting of evolution Collecting data from almost 10,000 students in 77 undergraduate biolo...

How do you know if your assessments are inclusive? How can you reconsider your assessments to make them more inclusive? Last week, we learned from K. Supriya, Ph.D. , Postdoctoral Researcher in the ASU School of Life Sciences , on ways we can assess our assessments for inclusiveness.  During the webinar we discussed the purpose of assessments in class, examined the various assessment practices we have experienced as students or teachers in various STEM courses with a critical lens, and then came up with an assessment plan for a course we will/might teach in the future.  Watch the discussion here . Purpose of Assessment Let's consider the differences between assessment and evaluation. The purpose of assessment is to increase quality, as seen in formative quizzes, building upon each other. The purpose of evaluation is to judge quality, which is seen more as summative or at the end of the unit or course.  Define Inclusive Assessment Two definitions that Dr. K. Supriya shared...

It might seem like a no-brainer , but creating inclusive courses requires putting in the time to examine the way we write and speak. After all, we don’t all have the same culturally influenced lexicon . This week the Teaching Innovation Center’s instructional designers Sarah Prosory and Lenora Ott , discussed ways our written and spoken language can be clarified to create a better course experience for learners.  Universal Design for Learning The presentation explored the Universal Design for Learning Principle 2: Language and Symbols, Checkpoint 1: Clarify Vocabulary and Symbols. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines are based upon scientific exploration of how humans learn and take into consideration burgeoning research from the fields of education, psychology, and neuroscience. The final goal of UDL is “to change the design of the environment rather than to change the learner”. The guidelines set forth by UDL help instructors create learning environments that accomm...

It is well established that retaining PEERs in science is integral to addressing socioeconomic inequalities in the United States, ensuring that we include the best and brightest minds in the workforce, and minimizing the influence of bias in scientific research (Intemann, 2009). The term PEERs stands for “people excluded because of their ethnicity or race” and in the U.S. includes people who identify as Black or African American, Latinx or Hispanic, and people indigenous to the spaces comprising the United States and its territories (Asai, 2020). There are many efforts that we can make at the undergraduate level to positively influence PEER retention in science, including creating more inclusive undergraduate research experiences. In this post, we present four recommendations to help mentors create more inclusive research experiences for PEERs. We have developed these recommendations based on three studies that we have conducted, which identified negative aspects of undergraduate res...

The ASU RISE Center is hosting a  series of events this term focused on racial justice to find ways in which the School of Life Sciences (SOLS) can be inclusive and anti-racist. On September 2nd, we had 19 students of color attend a listening session to discuss problems and challenges for students of color in SOLS. SOLS PhD student Miranda Bernard facilitated the session. Thirteen faculty/staff attended this session and listened silently. We report here on the issues and challenges that emerged from this discussion. Note: these are experiences and perspectives of the individual students who attended the session and they do not represent the perspectives of all students of color. Lack of community and support in SOLS for people of color Many students echoed this theme where they did not feel like there was a sense of community in SOLS generally, but more specifically for students of color. Students highlighted that they often felt as though their own experience was...

Given the challenges we are facing this semester in light of the pandemic, rethinking our exams is essential for the success of our students. Stress, anxiety, and navigating a new modality creates a perfect storm that may derail many of our students and their ability to do well in our courses. This is the time to rethink the design of our assessments to ensure our students are engaged and learning the skills and knowledge we want them to learn. Recently, Josh Caulkins and Sarah Prosory examined several options for adjustments to your exams, some of which may take a small amount of time to implement but may have a big impact overall. Unpack Multiple Choice Question Exams We began with a poll: "What ways do you currently evaluate student learning in your course(s)?" Multiple choice was the leader with 89% of participants using them within their courses. A discussion followed describing the benefits and drawbacks of multiple choice questions (MCQ).  Concerns and Challenges Hig...