Reflecting on Your Teaching Through Classroom Equity Audits

As a university instructor, have you ever wondered about questions such as these?

• Do I encourage students that sit in the front of the classroom to participate more frequently than those in the back?

• Are my expectations for some student groups lower than my expectations for others?

• Are there gaps in my instruction that impact first-generation students more than others?

• Do commuter or part-time students need my help to make connections and engage with other students in the class?

If so, you might be interested in conducting a classroom equity audit to ensure that your classroom offers equitable teaching and learning opportunities for all students.

Green (2017) defines equity as “fair access to and distribution of opportunities, power, and resources.” Other scholars argue that educational equity is achieved when all students are able to participate fully in quality learning. At the classroom level, educational equity is the responsibility of the teacher. Bombardieri (2019) describes equity audits as “internal reviews of key policies and practices to identify those that fail to effectively serve underrepresented students.” Similar to the questions posed earlier, the need for an equity audit often emerges from an instructor’s desire to investigate a specific question or area of concern within their teaching or classroom practices.

Classroom equity audits are simple and straightforward. Once you have articulated the question you wish to investigate, just follow these steps:

1. Observe. You can learn a great deal by simply becoming more aware of what is happening before, during, and following class time. For example, if you are wondering which student groups are having trouble fitting in, observe where students choose to sit and how they interact with one another. Make note of patterns over time to confirm or disconfirm your interpretations.
   
   
2. Collect data. Is there data available – or easily gathered – that can help answer your question? Gradebook and attendance records may shed light. Blackboard Learn has course analytics that can let you know how often students are logging into your course site and how much time they are spending once they are there. Additionally, checklists, seating charts, and video/audio recordings work well for “in the moment” data collection. For example, to clarify which students are participating in class discussion, create a class seating chart and record a tally mark each time a student speaks or assign a TA or different student to this task each discussion. If you have chosen to audio record the discussion (with notice to students beforehand and for your ears only), you can analyze the recording later to assess, for example, the types of questions you ask – or responses you give – to different students.
   
   
3. Ask questions. You can also ask direct questions of your students. If you are wondering how comfortable students feel approaching you with questions, set up a one- or two-item, anonymous survey and ask students to complete it during class time to ensure a high response rate. Early or mid-course check-ins with students can also tell you a lot about how students are experiencing your course. Or you can try an exit slip. For example, to gauge how well students grasped the day’s content, use the last few minutes of class time to have each student summarize or illustrate a foundational theory or concept and collect the slips as students exit the room.
4. Reflect and adapt. Whether you choose to observe, collect data, ask questions, or all three, reflecting on your findings and adapting appropriately is crucial. If you have confirmed that your classroom includes “insiders” and “outsiders,” consider introducing activities that require students to group and re-group more often. If the data show that you frequently overlook students on the left side of the classroom, stand closer to that side of the room during discussions. If a student survey indicates that students perceive you as not easily accessible, ask what you can do to better accommodate them.

By conducting simple classroom equity audits, you can quickly and easily improve your teaching practice and your relationships with students. You can also make great strides toward narrowing gaps that might be keeping some students from getting the most out of your class.