Initial Publication Date: October 31, 2025

Georgia Gwinnett College

Some Context

Though Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has been ranked as the most ethnically diverse Southern regional college since 2014 (2025 U.S. News & World Report) and faculty in the School of Science and Technology (SST) are committed to support the learning of such a diverse student body, many of our faculty when surveyed in 2021 were not aware of inclusive teaching practices, nor of the poor retention and graduation rates in SST. Upon sharing of this data, 70% of SST faculty surveyed were ready to take on the HHMI Inclusive Excellence 3 challenge of "Meaningful Evaluation of Effective and Inclusive Teaching". To guide change on campus we developed a "theory of change" which states "that when faculty have a clear understanding of the value of inclusive teaching practices in student success, and are rewarded for their efforts, there will be increased student retention and graduation rates".

Definition of Inclusive Teaching & List of Inclusive Teaching Practices

Following a workshop on inclusive teaching for School of Science & technology faculty, the core team followed this up by guiding faculty to draft a shared definition of inclusive teaching. After two drafts and anonymous comments, a final version was voted on and approved by the faculty.

"Inclusive teaching is a pedagogical approach which aims to create a welcoming and engaging environment that affords all students an opportunity for a successful learning experience and sense of belonging. An inclusive instructor fosters learning environments which consistently recognize the diverse values, experiences, and knowledge of students as an asset."

This led to discussion with the administration of SST to include an inclusive teaching as part of the teaching evaluation section of the annual review, and the creation of a list of inclusive teaching practices.