Discover the untapped potential of generative AI in fostering culturally responsive practices and identity-informed (and affirming!) learning spaces that resonate with your students. Join us for an engaging session filled with practical strategies to harness AI for inclusivity and belonging as you transform your teaching practice.

This session delves into the potential of generative AI to support culturally responsive practices and foster identity-informed teaching and learning spaces. Participants will gain practical strategies for leveraging AI tools to reflect on their teaching and learning practices, cultivating inclusive learning environments, and promoting equitable practices in their classrooms. The Need for Transformation in Higher Education: Higher education institutions face a critical challenge in fostering equitable and inclusive learning experiences for students with diverse identities and learning needs. Bridging cultural divides, addressing implicit biases, and creating classrooms that celebrate unique identities are vital to addressing this challenge. Generative AI, with its ability to generate text, translate languages, and create customized content, presents a powerful opportunity to transform the educational landscape. Our Approach: Empowering Colleagues This session will share practical strategies for leveraging generative AI to support culturally responsive practices and identity-informed teaching and learning spaces within higher education. We will focus on four key areas: 1. Culturally Responsive Teaching Materials: Generative AI can be used to create culturally relevant teaching materials. Imagine AI assisting in translating academic content into underrepresented languages, finding diverse historical and literary examples, or generating case studies that reflect the lived experiences of a wider demographic. This can enhance student engagement and foster a deeper understanding of different perspectives. 2. Identity-Informed and Affirming Learning Environments: Generative AI can be utilized to create inclusive and identity-affirming online learning platforms. Identity-informed and affirming learning spaces celebrate the unique backgrounds and identities of each student. These spaces ensure that all students feel seen, respected, and supported in their learning journey. Consider a space where AI tools are used to generate culturally sensitive avatars for virtual classrooms, develop personalized learning pathways that cater to diverse learning needs, and even personalize welcome messages to acknowledge students' backgrounds. 3. Building Bridges of Understanding: Generative AI can foster collaborative learning and break down communication barriers. Imagine AI facilitating facilitated discussions across cultural divides by allowing real-time translation within group projects or providing accessible translations of supplemental materials. This can encourage meaningful interaction and create a more inclusive learning environment. 4. Complementing Self-Reflection and Practice: Generative AI can be a powerful tool to unmask biases in course materials and student communications. Generative AI can analyze the content's language, context, and structure to pinpoint and highlight potentially biased or non-inclusive language, concepts, or ideas. This aids in promoting a more equitable learning environment by empowering educators to refine their teaching materials and communication practices, ensuring they are inclusive and welcoming to diverse student identities and needs. By sharing our experiences and findings, we aim to empower attendees with the knowledge and tools to leverage AI as a catalyst for positive change in their institutions. Key Takeaways: 1. Understanding of how generative AI can be leveraged by faculty to reflect on course communication, documents, and other artifacts. 2. Building connections with colleagues in the field, fostering a collaborative community for advancing inclusive pedagogy. 3. Understanding the potential of generative AI to support inclusive pedagogy, culturally relevant teaching, and identity-informed spaces in higher education. 4. Considering real-world examples of AI-driven interventions and their impact on student learning experiences. 5. Developing a critical lens for evaluating the effectiveness and ethical implications of AI in educational settings. 6. Designing actionable plans for integrating AI into their teaching practices to foster more inclusive and culturally responsive learning environments. Desired Outcomes: This session aims to empower attendees to become champions for inclusive teaching practices at their institutions. We hope to inspire participants to utilize generative AI to create culturally responsive learning materials, develop identity-affirming learning environments, and ultimately, support differentiated learning, and ultimately, advance educational equity for all students. We also aim to establish a network of educators who can support each other in leveraging technology to build more inclusive classrooms. By fostering a dynamic and interactive session, we aim to equip participants with actionable strategies and a renewed sense of purpose in creating a more diverse and equitable learning experience for their students. Interactive Experiences: To ensure active engagement and maximize learning, our session will incorporate various interactive components: **Reflective Activities: Participants will be prompted to reflect on their current teaching practices, identifying opportunities to integrate AI in support of inclusive pedagogy. **Collaborative Document: Participants will be invited to contribute to a collaborative shared document to offer ideas, strategies, resources, and other artifacts that leverage generative AI for building inclusive teaching and learning practices. **Q&A and Group Discussion: Participants will engage in a facilitated discussion, sharing insights and raising questions on the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations of using AI to promote equity and inclusion.