Recommendation 10
Jo Hardin (chair), Allison Theobold, Suzy Thornton, Maria Tackett
Implement inclusive strategies that create learning environments where all students are valued.
Thank you for clicking on this recommendation! We know how overwhelming it can be to create a course that is inclusive of all students. Building an inclusive classroom is an iterative process which requires constant reflection on student needs, as well as our own. In the guideline below we have done our best to create “bite size” recommendations for a variety of dimensions of teaching, supporting you in navigating your inclusive teaching journey.
Introduction
Learning statistics equips students to take a well-informed and intelligent approach as they engage with the vast amounts of data and statistics in modern society (Ben-Zvi and Garfield 2008). Therefore, it is imperative that all students have an opportunity to succeed in their statistics and data science courses and to be “better prepared to grapple with the complexities of our technological society” (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2025, 17). Charles A. Dana Center (2021, 3) describes this as “a moral and a professional obligation to create the conditions necessary for every student to succeed.” Despite the obligation, students from groups historically marginalized in STEM are less likely to complete degrees in STEM disciplines, including statistics and data science, than their peers despite entering college with a comparable level of interest (Theobald et al. 2020). Students from historically marginalized groups are more likely to forgo further study in STEM disciplines due to experiencing an “unwelcoming atmosphere” (Olson and Riordan 2012) or having a lesser sense of belonging (e.g, Good, Rattan, and Dweck 2012; Strayhorn 2019). Society misses out on the knowledge and perspective historically marginalized students can offer when they leave the discipline. Given the complexity of challenges facing society, we need diverse perspectives to rise to the level of innovation required to solve them (Chaffee et al. 2025).
Students from historically marginalized groups may experience undo barriers that produce inequities in their opportunities to succeed in their studies. Unequal barriers can be mitigated through an inclusive pedagogy that gives all students an equal opportunity to achieve success (Byra 2006; Moriña 2022). Inclusive pedagogy can increase students’ sense of belonging, increase self-efficacy, and reduce disparities in academic performance (Valdez and Kelp 2023). Such efforts foster a sense of belonging, which has been shown to increase student engagement (Wilson et al. 2015), and students who are actively engaged have a stronger understanding of the course content and are thus better prepared to apply concepts in new contexts (Weiland and Williams 2024; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2025). Students in classrooms that implement inclusive pedagogies also report higher self-efficacy (Valdez and Kelp 2023). Self-efficacy is a strong predictor of academic performance beyond students’ ability, as students with high self-efficacy are more motivated to persevere when faced with obstacles (Zimmerman 2000; Rittmayer and Beier 2008; Sandrone 2022; Valdez and Kelp 2023). Additionally, inclusive pedagogies can increase classroom community, which can enhance students’ sense that they are valued by the field, ultimately impacting the decisions students make as they choose an academic path and career (Valdez and Kelp 2023).
Definitions
To ground our discussion, we offer definitions of “inclusivity” and “valued.” Through understanding of different perspectives, we can hone our teaching in such a way to bring all students successfully into our classrooms.
Inclusivity
Inclusivity refers to the practice of creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds, identities, or abilities, feel welcomed, respected, valued, and supported. Inclusivity involves actively acknowledging and valuing the natural variability that exists across student experiences, working to ensure students have the resources and opportunities they need to be successful, and creating an environment where every student feels they can thrive.
Valued:
Being valued refers to the sense that other people regard us as important, the belief that other people depend on us, and the realization that other people are actively paying attention to us (Rosenberg and McCullough 1981). In an academic setting, being valued is often described as “feeling cared about, accepted, respected, and important to others” (Strayhorn 2019, 4). Being valued emphasizes the need for others to recognize you as an individual in a way that honors your sense of self.1
Implementation
There are countless ways in which an instructor can cultivate a learning environment where students are valued. For example, the course preparation stage is a great opportunity to get a jump start on inclusivity efforts, by considering possible accessibility needs as they relate to the design of the course. When preparing their course, an instructor can preemptively reflect upon whether there are course components that could present barriers to the full participation or benefit of any student, such as students with different visual and / or auditory abilities, students who don’t have access to internet at home, or students who are nervous about speaking up in class. The course preparation stage is just one place where instructors can consider ways to foster a learning environment where every student is valued. Changes, however, permeate every interaction instructors have with students, both inside and outside the classroom. In the table of practices, we go into greater depth on a variety of changes instructors can make which “seek to dismantle systemic barriers in academia that may prevent full participation” of all students (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2025, 229).
Regardless of the number of inclusive strategies an instructor uses in their course, it is always important to obtain feedback from students on their experiences in the course. Student surveys can (and should) happen before the end of the course, so the instructor has sufficient time to act on changes that could break down barriers affecting certain students. We agree with (Dalzell, Rehnberg, and Theobold 2025) that there “is value in communicating the intentionally of our course design to our students and inviting them to share if the structure works for them”. Consistent, reciprocal communication lies at the heart of any approach, conveying to students that their experiences matter and reiterating that their instructor values their perspective.
Conclusion
We are confident that if you have considered the GAISE guidelines, you are an instructor who cares deeply about the quality of your course and the success of your students. Although it can seem overwhelming to consider the many dimensions of inclusive teaching, we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. In addition to the resources available in the table of practices that we provide, the internet is full of resources with tips and suggestions for all possible combinations of courses [large / medium / small], [online / in-person], [introductory / intermediate / advanced] with [traditional / non-traditional] students. Each step toward creating an inclusive learning environment which values learners, even steps that seem small, is beneficial and the accumulation of efforts over time will move the needle toward a more diverse and statistically literate population.
Additional Resources
Annotated bibliography
Examples
Assessments
References
Footnotes
In the literature, you may encounter references to “belonging” and “mattering” instead of “valuing.” While there are some important differences in how researchers define the ideas (see Ajjawi, Gravett, and O’Shea 2023; Mann 2005; Reay, Crozier, and Clayton 2010; Thomas 2015; Yuval-Davis 2006), the GAISE committee decided to use the term “valued” to represent the overarching idea of students feeling that they are valued by others. ↩︎