When teaching, you need to think about the students and how you engage and treat them. All students are equal in terms of human rights and equally deserving of respect. In that regard, you should consciously reflect on what you do and how you do it to ensure that you treat people fairly. Equity is about recognizing individual circumstance and allocating resources and opportunities so that an equal outcome can be achieved. If you fell off your bicycle and significantly injured yourself you would expect a doctor to help you get better. That is equality. To acheive this goal, they will treat you differently depending on whether the fall caused a broken arm or a concusion, and you expect them to do this at the same level of care and help. That is equity.
You also want to make sure that you do not accidentally or implicitly create situations that provide inequal access to opportunities and resources for those with physical or mental disabilities, or based on gender, race, class, etc.; this is what inclusivity is about. It can be tricky to do all of this but keeping the principles behind universal design (Scott et al 2003) in mind is a good approach.
It can seem overwhelming to make one's teaching equitable and inclusive. But remember, any improvement is better than none. Approach this topic with the goal of continuous improvement. Get help from others. It is also likely that some of the students will not be happy about what they are experiencing or what they observe others to be experiencing. Ill-placed entitlement can also creep in, be disguised, lie just beneath the surface, and these situations must also be managed. To counter this, you may need to have a discussion with individual students or the class as to why you have opted for a particular approach.
The student experience is important, and instructors must remember that they are in a position of authority, trust, and that the power equation is not balanced. We must remember that it is possible to accidentally marginalize or say something or do something that is not appropriate. The rules seem to constantly change and today’s generation is different. You need to understand the mindset of your students (see ref below on mindsets). We cannot change this and we need to deal with it. We hope that no instructor intentionally says or acts in a hurtful or marginalizing way! We can lead by example and help students understand such issues and learn how to deal with situations which might cause them discomfort.
It is not likely that someone can go through life without being in a situation that accidentally - and without intent - makes them feel uncomfortable or makes someone else feel uncomfortable. Individuals have different comfort levels and that makes it challenging. Some students have faced many challenges, while others have been brought up in a coddled fashion (Lukianoff and Haidt 2019). When possible, we can help explain to students how to handle accidental and unintentional situations versus those which are intentional. In the first case, the situation can be looked upon as an opportunity to repair the harm, and to educate and inform with understanding and empathy (e.g., reformation, restorative justice approach). Focus on the idea of 'calling people in', working together for understanding, rather than 'calling people out' which is meant to shame someone. In the latter case, well, that is different and intentional 'bad' practice needs to be dealt with by those in authority.
In the context of a course, these concepts play out in different and numerous ways. For example, equality implies that the course grading and assessments be designed that for the most part, all students have an equal starting point in the course and that the instructor is assessing what was taught in the course or explicitly linked to a previous course. This is the equal starting point. Marks are not given for skill and expertise not associated with the course. This gives everyone an equal chance to demonstrate their learning. Equity implies that we support and facilitate the opportunity for students to reach the point of demonstrating mastery in different ways; one size does not fit all. For example, memorization should not be the only way mastery is verified.
