Inclusive teaching isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a must-have for academic success, said a pioneering group of Craig School of Business faculty who are the first Fresno State instructors to complete the Inclusive Teaching for Equitable Learning micro-credential, an evidence-based course designed to improve student success rates.

“This isn’t about us as teachers, this is about the students. The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of instruction, to make it more conducive to learning, to allow students to participate more, to express and collaborate more freely and to get better grades,” said Dr. Antonio Avalos, chair of the Economics Department, who was both a co-facilitator and a student of the course.

Practicing inclusion in everyday teaching is essential to fulfilling the University’s primary mission of education, Avalos said. “My experience is that if there isn’t equity in the classroom, students’ motivation can diminish. Students can feel isolated and that does not help in building a positive classroom atmosphere. The ultimate consequence, of course, is poor learning and bad grades.” Avalos said.

Twenty-nine Craig School faculty participated in the 10-week course during the fall 2021 semester. This pioneering group includes the first Fresno State instructors and the first business faculty in the California State University system to receive this training.

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