Defining “Welcoming and Collaborative”

The following definition of “Welcoming and Collaborative” comes from the TFELT report of June 4, 2021. In this description, “Key terms” refers to descriptive terms that were generated through TFELT’s examination of relevant research literature and iterative brainstorming and refining during MU community workshop activities during September and October 2019. For more information on this process, please see the “TFELT Process to Determine Definition and dimensions of Effective Teaching” section on the task force’s online archive of in-progress work.

Welcoming and Collaborative means that the instructor welcomes and actively includes all students and perspectives in the learning environment. Students in the course collaborate with the instructor and other students. 

Key terms for this dimension include: Inclusive, Interactive, Dialogue, Creative, Relationships, Respectful. 

Sources: 

Brookfield, S. D. (2002). Using the lenses of critically reflective teaching in the community college classroom. New Directions for Community Colleges, 118, 31-38. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.61

Brown, A. R., Morning, C., & Watkins, C. (2005). Influence of African American engineering student perceptions of campus climate on graduation rates. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(2), 263-271.

Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251–19257

Paris, D. (2012). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: A needed change in stance, terminology, and practice. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 93-97.

Examples of “Welcoming and Collaborative” Teaching

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Resources for Developing “Welcoming and Collaborative” Teaching

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