TI 0707 - Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Teaching: Concepts and Models for Developing Cultural Competence

Course Description

Canadian universities are becoming increasingly ethnoculturally diverse as a result of immigration and the increasing enrolment of international students. Minority and international students bring their values, language, culture, and educational background to our campuses, adding to the richness of our educational environment. To establish a more inclusive space, universities need to embrace individual diversity and differences and integrate them into teaching and learning. Given this context, the importance of this workshop is to understand the notion of cultural diversity, examine challenges educators are facing in teaching in culturally diverse classrooms, and how to develop transcultural and transformative approaches to cultivate a more inclusive learning environment for students.

Upon completion of this course, participant will be able to:

• Unpack the challenges of cultural diversity in higher education in Canada
• Address how to create an inclusive learning environment through different ways of diversifying curriculum content
• Articulate pedagogical strategies to engage students with diverse learning styles in participating in class interaction

Facilitators: Sinela Jurkova and Jingzhou (Jo) Liu