Inclusive teaching strategies are intentional approaches that make learning accessible, welcoming, and equitable for students with varied identities, backgrounds, and abilities. Traditional, one-size-fits-all teaching often marginalizes students who do not match assumed norms. Inclusive practices work by combining transparent course design, varied modes of engagement, and relationship-centered teaching that builds trust and belonging (Dewsbury & Brame, 2019; Addy et al., 2021).
While there are many definitions and ways to think about inclusive teaching, it is framed as a reflective, evidence-based practice rather than a set of isolated techniques. As a mechanism, inclusive teaching promotes educational equity and deeper disciplinary learning.
Educational Benefits
- Stronger sense of belonging: When students feel seen and valued, they participate more, take risks, and stay engaged (Clements et al., 2020).
- More equitable learning outcomes: Inclusive strategies clarify expectations, permit multiple ways to show understanding, help close gaps tied to prior preparation or identity (Dewsbury & Brame, 2019; Dewsbury, 2020).
- Deeper engagement: When students see their perspectives represented and have varied ways to interact with content, they engage more meaningfully in richer discussions (Addy et al., 2021; Zdenek, 2015).
- Improved collaboration and classroom climate: Inclusive team structures and universally designed assignments help students work together more effectively and reduce interpersonal frictions (Vaden et al., 2025).
In Practice
See how BU professors and instructors are incorporating exam wrappers in their courses!
Boston University Large Course Initiative Examples
In collaboration with several programs in BU’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute is engaged in a multi-year initiative to redesign the student experience in large classes that typically have 100 or more students. This initiative provides an opportunity to reimagine and develop new approaches to course redesign, student assessment, classroom teaching techniques and the creation of instructional resources that promote engagement and learning in some of BU’s largest introductory courses.
In this video, Dr. Jonathan Huggins, Assistant Professor of Mathematics & Statistics and Computing & Data Sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences and Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences, explains how his team use standards-based grading in Basic Statistics and Probability & Applied Statistics to help students focus on the content of the course over their final grade and to give students flexibility in how they approach the course.
Biology 1 & Biology 2
Instruction Team: Kathryn Spilios, Kale Hartmann, Lynette Strickland, Sarah Klionsky
Activity: Low-cost Learning Platform, Tech-enabled strategies, and standard based grading
The Biology team has deployed a lower cost learning platform over a traditional textbook. This platform integrates shorter, more targeted readings while consolidating homework, knowledge checks, and polling all in one platform.
They have also designed and integrated a number of small group discussions and case study activities, with LA support, into their large lecture sections.
During Fall 2025, they also piloted LAUNCH sessions with students (Learn, Ask, Understand, Network, Connect, Help). These involved scheduling small group meetings with student tutors during the first 3 weeks in class so that students could get to know their peers and their tutors better outside of lecture. After these initial meetings, students were more engaged in class, more likely to ask their tutors questions, and more likely to schedule meetings for help.
General Chemistry 1
Instruction Team: Binyomin Abrams, Keying Chen, Caroline Muteti
Activity: Instructor training program, weekly knowledge checks, and scientist spotlight
In Chemistry, the team created a redesigned instructor training program for teaching fellows and learning assistants. Weekly training includes explicit discussions of culturally responsive pedagogy and student-centered teaching, helping instructors recognize student diversity, anticipate varied learning needs, and creating more welcoming discussion sections. These sessions also introduce core frameworks for backward design, Universal Design for Learning, and reflective teaching that guide instructors in planning activities, framing questions, and supporting students with different levels of prior preparation.
This course also uses short, multimodal knowledge-check videos to help students preview concepts before class, giving them multiple pathways to access ideas at their own pace. “Scientist Spotlights” each week highlight chemistry and molecular science done by a diverse group of talented scientists.
Basic Statistics and Probability & Applied Statistics
Instruction Team: Emily Stephen, Jonathan Huggins, Yongho Lim
Activity: Tech enabled strategies and standard-based grading
The math team employs a variety of technology-enabled strategies, like skeletal outlines, interactive in-class activities, and post-lecture problem sets to provide students with multiple ways to engage and practice.
In the lab, the shift from JMP to R reduces costs and builds real-world relevance, supported by undergraduate Learning Assistants who offer peer-level guidance. Redesigned lab activities are more structured and contextualized, helping students connect statistical ideas to authentic problems.
The move to standards-based grading further reinforces equity by offering clear expectations and multiple chances to demonstrate learning. The feedback is focused on growth rather than points.
Additional BU Inclusive Teaching Strategies Examples
- Design Inclusive Syllabi: In this lightning talk, Yvette Cozier, DSc, MPH, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) at the BU School of Public Health, asks participants if their syllabus is WEIRD, i.e., designed for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic contexts, which narrowly defines and measures competency. Cozier further inquires: Is there a “silent curriculum” at work? Who is included? Who is excluded?
- Leverage Inclusive Assessments: In this lightning talk, Leslie Dietiker, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education and Teaching & Learning in the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, explores proactive approaches to the design of inclusive assessments. In addition to its humanizing approach, Dietiker also describes how inclusive assessment is multi-tiered in the ways it offers both accessibility and depth (low-floor/high ceiling) and triangulates learning with no single mode for assessment.
- Build Inclusive Relationships: Lauren O’Neal with the Metropolitan College Graduate Program in Arts Administration reimagines inclusive pedagogy as multidirectional and non-hierarchical, operating in three strands: between teacher and students, between students and their peers, and between students and the curriculum.
Supporting Technology
Inclusive teaching strategies can be administered in a variety of formats. Often, they have more to do with assignment design or classroom management/facilitation, but some can be facilitated through the use of technology. Here are a few examples of how technology can assist in creating an inclusive learning environment for students:
Blackboard Ultra
BU uses Blackboard Ultra as its central LMS for delivering course materials, hosting assignments, and structuring courses. Effectively leveraging the LMS, providing alternative formats for course materials (with Blackboard Ally), and establishing clear communication channels (via the Blackboard discussion board) can all assist creating a more inclusive classroom for students.
Kaltura
For video-based content, BU supports Kaltura Capture. Videos can be used for lectures, student presentations, or multimodal assignments useful for diversifying how learning is delivered and for how students demonstrate learning.
Adobe Creative Cloud
BU licenses Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC) for students and faculty wherein, instructors can build multimedia assignments (video, audio, visuals, interactive media). This supports multimodal and accessible ways for students to engage with content and express ideas.
Additional Resources
Biology/Life Sciences
- Clements, K. et al. (2025). Impacts of Learning Assistants on Student Belonging and Confidence Vary Across Science Disciplines and Course Contexts. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 24(2), ar26. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-07-0179
- Dewsbury, B.M. (2020). Deep teaching in a college STEM classroom. Cult Stud of Sci Educ 15, 169–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-018-9891-z
- Clements, T. P., Friedman, K. L., Johnson, H. J., Meier, C. J., Watkins, J., Brockman, A. J., & Brame, C. J. (2022). “It made me feel like a bigger part of the STEM community”: Incorporation of Learning Assistants Enhances Students’ Sense of Belonging in a Large Introductory Biology Course. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 21(2), ar26. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.21-09-0287
- Johnson-Ojeda, V., Hill, L. B., Shin, S., York, A. M., & Frey, R. F. (2025). Measuring STEM instructors’ learning of and growth in inclusive teaching: Development and evaluation of the STEM faculty inclusive teaching survey (FITS). CBE—Life Sciences Education, 24(1), ar18. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.24-01-0016
Chemistry
Chung, J., Bunnell, S. L., Lopez, A. M., & Olshansky, J. H. (2023). Leveraging student–faculty–staff partnerships to implement inclusive curricular reform in chemistry education. Journal of Chemical Education, 100(6), 2243-2252. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c01190
Nardo, J. E., Chapman, N. C., Shi, E. Y., Wieman, C., & Salehi, S. (2022). Perspectives on active learning: challenges for equitable active learning implementation. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(4), 1691-1699. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c01233
Nakamura, A. (2021). Fostering diversity and inclusion and understanding implicit bias in undergraduate chemical education. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(1), 331-337. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00422
Kennedy, S. A., Balija, A. M., Bibeau, C., Fuhrer, T. J., Huston, L. A., Jackson, M. S., … & Phelps-Durr, T. (2021). Faculty professional development on inclusive pedagogy yields chemistry curriculum transformation, equity awareness, and community. Journal of Chemical Education, 99(1), 291-300. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00414
Mathematics/Quantitative Disciplines
Stone-Johnstone, A., Kurianski, K., Soto, R., & Marzocchi, A. (2025). Mathematics Equity through Teaching Actively: Centering Equity in Our Active Learning Pursuits. PRIMUS, 35(4–5), 479–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2024.2354813
Reinholz, D., Johnson, E., Andrews-Larson, C., Stone-Johnstone, A., Smith, J., Mullins, B., … & Shah, N. (2022). When active learning is inequitable: Women’s participation predicts gender inequities in mathematical performance. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 53(3), 204-226. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2020-0143
Johnson, E., Andrews-Larson, C., Keene, K., Melhuish, K., Keller, R., & Fortune, N. (2020). Inquiry and gender inequity in the undergraduate mathematics classroom. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 51(4), 504-516. https://doi.org/10.5951/jresematheduc-2020-0043
Psychology
Shane-Simpson, C., Obeid, R., Chang, J., Ki, D., & Arlt, E. (2025). Using Student Narratives to Characterize Inclusive Pedagogy and Inclusive Classrooms in Higher Education. Teaching of Psychology, 52(4), 443-454. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283241269434
Hicks, E. T., Alvarez, M. de la C., & Domenech Rodríguez, M. M. (2023). Impact of Difficult Dialogues on Social Justice Attitudes During a Multicultural Psychology Course. Teaching of Psychology, 50(2), 175-183. https://doi.org/10.1177/00986283221104057
Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the course syllabus: Considerations for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979
Multidisciplinary
Shortlidge, E. E., Gray, M. J., Estes, S., & Goodwin, E. C. (2024). The value of support: STEM intervention programs impact student persistence and belonging. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 23(2), ar23. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.23-04-0059
Jackson-Summers, A. G., Mrakovcich, K. L., Gray, J. P., Fleischmann, C. M., Emami, T., & Page, E. J. (2024). A systematic review of inclusive pedagogical research using the CIRTL inclusive pedagogy framework: Multi-disciplinary and STEM perspectives, current trends and a research agenda. Discover Education, 3, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44217-024-00093-y
Addy, T. M., Reeves, P. M., Dube, D., & Mitchell, K. A. (2021). What really matters for instructors implementing equitable and inclusive teaching approaches. To Improve the Academy, 40(1). https://doi.org/10.3998/tia.182
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