Thursday, January 15, 1:15pm - 2:30pm - In-Person

Bias doesn't announce itself. It surfaces in an offhand comment, a casually chosen example, the student whose hand you don't see or feedback that lands differently than intended. But bias doesn't operate in isolation, it's amplified or interrupted by power dynamics: who holds authority, whose knowledge is centered and how participation is structured. Interrupting Bias in the Classroom is a highly interactive, practice-focused workshop that moves beyond awareness into action. We treat participants as practitioners refining a difficult skill, noticing bias and the power structures that enable it in real time, then respond in ways that preserve learning and relationships.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

1. Identify personal cultural lenses and positional power that shape teaching choices and where bias might surface.
2. Recognize different types of bias, including cognitive, identity-based, professional/disciplinary and systemic in classroom vignettes.
3. Practice call-in (private dialogue), call-out (public naming of harm) and call-up (inviting students to co-create norms) interventions and refine their approach through peer feedback.
4. Draft a bias interruption statement that includes a restorative prompt for syllabi or lesson plans.  Register

Tuesday, January 20, 1:10pm - 2:00pm - In-Person

Are you equipped to provide accessible content that meets the needs of all your students? Come prepared to gain hands-on experience of applying digital accessibility best practices during this session.

This workshop will provide guidance for applying accessibility practices to your documents appropriately and how to prevent potential barriers people experience due to disabilities. An overview of disabilities and the challenges they cause will be provided including types of assistive technologies (AT) that help alleviate those challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will be touched on related to its part in developing accessible content. Integrated automated accessibility checkers of Microsoft and Blackboard platforms will also be covered. These automated tools can identify accessibility issues and provide guidance to resolve them.   

Attend with curiosity to help lead toward innovative and inclusive content design strategies. Leave with a strong sense of applying accessibility best practices that opens the path of better experiences for all your students.Learning Outcomes

• Gain insight into challenges people with disabilities can experience with digital content.
• Increase awareness of assistive technologies that students may utilize.
• Expand your understanding of digital accessibility, why it matters, and how it relates to your content.  Register

Wednesday, January 21, 10:05am - 11:20am - In-Person

Power isn't neutral or invisible. It's filtered through identity, social position and lived experience, and the same action (giving feedback, facilitating discussion, setting a policy) can feel completely different depending on who's delivering it and who's receiving it. Power operates in multiple directions in every classroom: instructor to student, instructor to GTA, GTA to student, peer to peer and back again. These dynamics are often invisible to those who hold power, but acutely felt by those navigating it. Understanding Power Dynamics in the Classroom helps you learn to see yourself as others might see you, and to design with that awareness to create psychologically safe, co-designed learning environments where all participants can learn and contribute.

This workshop requires active participation. Come ready to reflect honestly on your own position and consider multiple perspectives.

By the end of this workshop, participants will:

1. Examine their own power and social position, including role, identity and privilege, and reflect on how these shape how others experience their authority.
2. Analyze how power dynamics play out across different social positions in everyday interactions: feedback, discussion facilitation, group work and decision-making.
3. Practice acknowledging power openly and reflecting on how actions might land differently for different students, with peer feedback on approach and tone.
4. Redesign one high-stakes interaction (responding to grade challenges, addressing non-participation, or giving critical feedback) to acknowledge power dynamics proactively, reducing defensiveness and building trust.  Register

Monday, March 23, 2:20pm - 3:10pm - Webinar

Did you know that there is a science behind learning names? Names are an important part of identity and key to establishing rapport as you build your learning communities. Facilitating learning names by everyone in your class increases a sense of belonging and enhances opportunities for engagement. In this session, you will reflect on personal and global naming conventions, identify cognitive challenges with learning names, prioritize learning names as a pedagogy of care, and apply science of names to classroom practices. Register