(R2726) Beyond Retention: Using Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practices to Improve Outcomes in Courses for Non-majors

Mara Livezey (University of Detroit Mercy)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices are a hallmark of high-impact teaching. Such practices are common in discussions regarding the retention of all students in STEM, but especially those with identities such as Black, Indigenous, persons of color, female, and LGBTQIA+. However, the extent to which DEI improves outcomes for all students in courses designed for non-majors is not thoroughly understood. DEI-inspired pedagogical techniques, including themed case studies, group-work, and guest-speaker reflections were leveraged in a course entitled Chemistry in Society: How Drugs Work. These techniques resulted in significant improvement in outcomes for both majors and non-majors as assessed by an instrument probing the relevance of science to everyday life, the understandability of science, and specific course-related outcomes.