Office of Inclusive Excellence Newsletter
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MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN |
As we begin a new academic year, August offers us an important opportunity to reflect on the role education plays in creating environments where students, faculty, staff, and clinical partners can learn, grow, and belong. Teaching content is of course m very important. However, teaching is also about relationships, expectations, feedback, curiosity, and the conditions we create for people to participate fully.
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Inclusive pedagogy requires us to think about how we teach, who feels seen in our classrooms and clinical spaces, and what assumptions may shape our expectations of learners. Empathy is central to this work, but empathy alone is not enough. Inclusive education requires intentional practices that support psychological safety, foster meaningful engagement, and recognize the different experiences students bring with them into academic and clinical learning environments.
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HEALTH EQUITY FOCUS OF THE MONTH |
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Health equity begins with the professional socialization of future nurses in the learning environment. Classrooms, simulation labs, clinical conferences, advising conversations, and preceptor relationships all shape how students come to understand patients, families, communities, and themselves as professionals.
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Long before our students deliver clinical care, we are advancing health equity through the way we teach. Inclusive pedagogy challenges us as educators to look closely at our classrooms, materials, and evaluation processes to ensure they foster true belonging. This approach fortifies academic rigor by bringing transparency to our expectations and accessibility to our learning, ultimately preparing a more resilient, highly competent nursing workforce.
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Fostering Inclusive Learning Through Interactive Video
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Creating an inclusive learning environment means designing experiences that give every student meaningful opportunities to engage with course content. Nursing faculty and OLIT are accomplishing this is through PlayPosit, an interactive video platform integrated into Blackboard that transforms traditional video lectures into active learning experiences.
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Caring for the Educator, Too
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Creating an inclusive learning environment requires more than effective teaching strategies. It also asks educators and preceptors to be attentive, emotionally present, and responsive to students whose experiences, needs, and ways of participating may differ from their own. The work can be meaningful however, it can also require considerable emotional energy.
As the new academic year begins, consider making space for your own reflection and renewal. Before entering a classroom, clinical setting, or mentoring conversation, pause and ask:
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- What am I carrying into this interaction?
- Am I approaching this learner with curiosity or assumption?
- What do I need to remain present, patient, and open?
- Listen and Reflect.
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Please click on the Learn More button for interesting podcasts related to inclusive teaching.
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VOICES OF INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE |
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I was approached by our simulation lab director to help design an activity where nursing students could practice conversations about end-of-life care before meeting patients in clinical settings. We collaborated to create an AI chatbot that simulated a patient receiving palliative care after learning that her cancer had spread.
The simulation focuses on more than clinical decision-making alone. It emphasizes communicating with empathy during conversations that could be emotionally difficult. It allows our nursing students to practice communicating with patients. Our students can also make mistakes and reflect on their responses. Our goal was to allow students to make multiple attempts in a safe and supportive learning environment.
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Upcoming & Future Conferences |
| DATE / TIME | TOPIC | DESCRIPTION | LOCATION |
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| September 24–26, 2026 |
Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) 2026 Convention |
The AMSN Convention provides opportunities for medical-surgical nurses to share and gain knowledge, expertise, and perspectives through collaborative education and various modalities. | Palm Springs, CA | | October 15-18, 2026 |
2026 DNPs of Color Annual Conference | The conference centers on the theme "Designing Our Collective Future: Igniting Community & Driving Innovation," and gathers over 400 doctoral-prepared nurses of color, educators, and allies for leadership, professional development, and health equity advocacy.
| Detroit, MI | | October 22–24, 2026 | 10th Edition of Nursing World Conference | The conference will focus on "Nursing Leadership for a Changing World", emphasizing innovation, evidence-based practice, and transformative strategies to shape the future of nursing. | Boston, MA | Hybrid |
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This is one of the most influential annual gatherings for nurse educators. Centered on the theme "Beyond the Storm: Reshaping Resilience & Recovery," the summit features intensive tracks dedicated to innovative pedagogy, psychological safety in education, and faculty development.
- Date: September 23-25, 2026
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Location: Washington Hilton | Washington, DC
Register here
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Centered on education, leadership, and professional growth, this year's theme, The Power of Maryland Nurses: Advancing Health, Honoring Service, Celebrating America 250 is designed for nurses and educators from across Maryland.
Date: October 8-9, 2026
- Location: Maritime Conference Center | Linthicum Heights, MD
- Register here
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Hosted by the American Academy of Nursing, this year's conference theme, Digital Health: Promise, Responsibility, will explore relevant ethical considerations within the rise of digital health and artificial intelligence, care model development to scale practice innovations, and the effects of artificial intelligence on populations.
Date: October 8-10, 2026
- Location: Marriott Marquis | Washington, DC
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Register here
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CALL TO REFLECTION OR ACTION |
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This space will feature a prompt designed to help you grow in relationship with yourself and others. Here is August's reflection prompt:
As we reflect on Inclusive Pedagogy this month:
Think of a teacher/instructor or mentor who helped you feel capable. What did they do, say, or notice? How might you offer that same sense of possibility to someone else this year?
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