CFD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Higher Education 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which term describes the unintentional, brief, commonplace verbal or behavioral indignities that communicate hostile or derogatory messages to members of marginalized groups?
- Implicit bias
- Microaggressions (Correct answer)
- Stereotype threat
- Cultural taxation
Correct answer: Microaggressions
Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional slights or indignities directed at members of marginalized groups that accumulate over time to cause psychological harm.
Question 2: According to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which of the following is one of the three core principles faculty should apply to course design?
- Multiple means of engagement (Correct answer)
- Standardized grading rubrics
- Uniform lecture delivery
- Single-modality assessment
Correct answer: Multiple means of engagement
UDL's three principles are multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement—ensuring all learners can access and participate in learning.
Question 3: What is 'stereotype threat' in an academic context?
- A faculty member enforcing harmful stereotypes in grading
- A student's fear of confirming a negative stereotype about their group, which hinders performance (Correct answer)
- The use of stereotypical examples in course materials
- Discrimination based on perceived group membership
Correct answer: A student's fear of confirming a negative stereotype about their group, which hinders performance
Stereotype threat, identified by Claude Steele, occurs when students perform worse because they are anxious about confirming a negative stereotype associated with their identity group.
Question 4: Which pedagogical approach involves sharing decision-making power with students and centering their experiences and community knowledge in the curriculum?
- Direct instruction
- Culturally sustaining pedagogy (Correct answer)
- Mastery-based learning
- Socratic questioning
Correct answer: Culturally sustaining pedagogy
Culturally sustaining pedagogy, developed by Django Paris, goes beyond cultural relevance to actively sustain and honor students' cultural and linguistic competencies.
Question 5: What does 'equity' mean in the context of higher education, as distinguished from 'equality'?
- Providing identical resources and opportunities to all students
- Providing differentiated support based on students' varying needs to achieve fair outcomes (Correct answer)
- Ensuring all students receive the same final grade distribution
- Eliminating all grading differences between demographic groups
Correct answer: Providing differentiated support based on students' varying needs to achieve fair outcomes
Equity means recognizing that students have different starting points and providing tailored support so all can reach their potential, unlike equality which treats everyone identically regardless of need.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'cultural taxation' in academia?
- The financial burden of cultural events on university budgets
- The disproportionate service burden placed on faculty of color to represent diversity on committees (Correct answer)
- A fee charged for multicultural programming
- The cost of translating course materials into multiple languages
Correct answer: The disproportionate service burden placed on faculty of color to represent diversity on committees
Cultural taxation refers to the extra, often uncompensated labor expected of faculty from underrepresented groups to serve on diversity committees, mentor minority students, and represent their communities institutionally.
Question 7: A faculty developer is helping an instructor revise their syllabus to be more inclusive. Which change would MOST directly address implicit bias in course materials?
- Adding a late work policy
- Auditing readings to include scholarship by authors from diverse backgrounds (Correct answer)
- Increasing the number of exam questions
- Switching from letter grades to pass/fail
Correct answer: Auditing readings to include scholarship by authors from diverse backgrounds
Auditing and diversifying the authorship of assigned readings ensures students encounter diverse scholarly perspectives and signals that knowledge production is not limited to a single demographic.
CFD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Higher Education 1
Which term describes the unintentional, brief, commonplace verbal or behavioral indignities that communicate hostile or derogatory messages to members of marginalized groups?