Transformation Tools: interdisciplinary resources to guide DEI learning in professional and academic communities

Dialogue around diversity equity and inclusion can be sensitive and lead to divisiveness; yet avoiding these conversations impedes trust, growth, and innovation. While the University supports these values, it is difficult to translate them into staffing and education. We propose a set of interdisciplinary DEI tools available to University faculty, staff, and students to bridge this challenge. These Transformation Tools would include asynchronous learning modules, podcasts, and TED-style talks. Together they give ground leaders, faculty, staff, and students durable and flexible materials to weave DEI values into professional and academic work while also providing opportunity to study adult learning platforms, methodology, and effectiveness with respect to DEI content.

TED-style talks to educate and empower audiences around interesting ideas are popular but have not been methodically studied. We propose a curriculum of six interdisciplinary DEI TED-style faculty talks with facilitation guides open to all ground leaders. The curriculum will take no more than 18 months when used quarterly in staff meetings or learning collaboratives. Additional learning materials include podcasts, another popular medium because of its’ independence from visual requirements as well as asynchronous learning modules on Canvas or LMS Bridge. These materials will be designed to be complementary, but can target different audiences and educational needs. Evaluative data will be tracked and analyzed to inform future approaches to DEI and organizational change. All materials will be available to the University community for continued academic use.

These Tools build on work and infrastructure supported by the University. They enhance our educational mission by enriching an ecosystem and climate that values diversity and inclusion for all students. They also will inform scholarship, build cross-discipline partnership, and ensure long-term health and vitality of the University.

Current Status

2025-02-05
Dialogue around DEI can be sensitive and lead to divisiveness; yet avoiding these conversations impedes trust, growth, and innovation. We originally proposed building a set of interdisciplinary tools available to University faculty, staff, and students to bridge this challenge using TED-style talks. This type of teaching modality has been popular but have not been methodically studied. These 6 talks would together form a curriculum that could voluntarily be used in different workgroups or learning collaboratives over a span of 18 months.

In January 2024, halfway through our project, HB261 the anti-DEI law passed in the state of Utah. The now political social climate has escalated a previously already sensitive topic. To decrease risk to the U community, while still maintaining utility and the spirit of connection, we restructured our dialogue and frameworks to better illustrate the need for constructive dialogue, viewpoints, perspectives that bring our communities together.

Given the barriers encountered in 2024, we have not yet been able to pilot the curriculum in work units and learning communities but hope to do so over the next year.