Drs. Kim Holser and Marc Napilitano from the United States Air Force Academy presented at the 2020 Lilly Conference online on “Inclusive Excellence Programming at a Military Service Academy: Improving Practice.” Hosler us the Director of Instructional Design and Napolitano is the Director of Faculty Development. This is the second session I watch by Napolitano and enjoy the eloquent and thoughtful delivery. I am also really curious about how faculty development and inclusive practices are promoted at a military academy. I’ve been fortunate to work with faculty at West Point and truly admire their work ethic and organization! Hosler cited Dewsbury that efforts should focus on inclusion of all students. The Air Force has a guiding document defining inclusion as: “the process of creating a culture where all members of an organization are free to make contributions to a group where there are no unnecessary barriers to success.” Hosler described four programs and workshops that address deliberate teaching of inclusive practices at the academy. There is a workshop on inclusive practices, a new faculty orientation inclusive module, a Dean’s teaching certificate inclusive module, and and excellence in inclusive teaching recognition. Napolitano mentioned how the programs are fully integrated and use common language and promote continuity. The presenters then asked: how can we create an integrated framework for inclusivity that spans several offices and can be assessed?
The first program Hasler described was a module in Blackboard that focuses on inclusive practices and follows a course design module. The module has assigned readings, discussion, and reflections. Some of the practices mentioned include:
- Creating a safe environment
- Use first games and avoid Cadet Jones
- Be authentic self, share some of who you are
- Offer readings and real-life examples from a variety of cultures
- Citing Sathy and Hogan 2018, ask who is being left out and think of inclusive teaching as a mindset. Acknowledge hard times
Hosler asked: what are two inclusive practices that you use and what makes them inclusive? This prompt is very thoughtful and important. I feel we often follow trends and fail to think deeply about what about the activities makes them inclusive and if there are more appropriate ways to reach this goal. Napolitano described the inclusivity activities that are part of the new faculty orientation inclusive module. The Dean’s Teaching Certificate is a credential faculty can earn. An entire module in inclusive teaching is part of the certificate and includes panels and reflections from faculty after designing strategies to promote inclusive practices. The presentation concluded with an explanation of the Excellence in Inclusive Teaching Recognition of faculty demonstrating an awareness of inclusivity and embed inclusive practices. It is always informative to listed and learn what other organizations are doing to raise awareness, train, and promote inclusive practices. Further, I appreciate that all modules mentioned in these programs had opportunities to reflect on inclusive practices and think about their goals.
