Abstract: A major initiative of the Diversity Champions Group is to host workshops on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-related issues in the design of learning environments. This year’s workshop will build upon the success of the workshop session held at LearningSCAPES 2023 and lead into subsequent online workshops at various levels of the organization, including regional and chapter conferences.

The goal of these workshops is to go beyond raising awareness of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – to identify and generate specific, useful, and actionable ideas for implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion into design processes and design outcomes. Participants will be asked to consider how inherent bias creates our architecture – and schools in particular – as they explore a broad range of topics. Following are topics and top 3-5 action items from last year that we will build upon:

1 – Student Voices

How do we listen to students and reflect their identities and needs in the learning environment to create a culture of belonging?

2 – Holistic Design

How to integrate health and wellness for all learners.

3 – Normativity

How to develop an understanding and awareness of gender- and hetero-normative places and spaces and the impacts they have on our experiences.

4 – Climate Justice

How can we design a climate adaptive learning environment that will inspire, educate, and support the next generation of climate leaders?

5 – Feeding our Future

How do we design spaces that support healthy, sustainable, and instructional food programs for all?

The groups will be formed around these and additional topics to take a deeper dive for focused discussion and exploration on one topic per group. Each group will be facilitated by an A4LE Diversity Champion who will report out to the whole group at the end.

Please bring your ideas, questions, and challenges you see in specific areas of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – a word, thought, sketch, or photograph. If there is a topic you would like to be discussed in a small group, please reach out to the individuals listed with your suggestion. After the conference, your discussions, ideas, and solutions will be compiled into a report to be published online as part of a compilation of reports from past workshops.

Learning Objectives:

1. Develop awareness of a broad spectrum of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in design processes and outcomes.
2. Develop the capacity to identify and address issues of diversity in design processes and outcomes.
3. Learn to consider alternative experiences and perceptions of design processes and outcomes.
4. Develop awareness of key considerations to consider when designing for equity and inclusion of diverse stakeholders.