Improving the Academic Climate of an R1 STEM Department: Quantified Positive Shifts in Perception
This study confirms the positive outcomes of having a practical, sustainable, and data-driven framework for affecting change within a graduate community.

Shaping the Future of Higher Education: Practical, Community-Driven Initiatives to Improve Academic Climate
In this Editorial, we present the history and details of a collaborative effort to improve the academic climate of the Department of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley.

Grassroots Efforts To Quantify and Improve the Academic Climate of an R1 STEM Department: Using Evidence-Based Discussions To Foster Community
Here, we present the outcomes of a graduate-student-led initiative that sought to assess the issues affecting inclusivity, diversity, and wellness within the Department of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. We report how the results of a department-tailored academic climate survey were used to develop a method to foster open, productive discussion among graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty.

A student-staff partnership approach to course enhancement: Principles for enabling dialogue through repurposing subject-specific materials and metaphors
Lucy Chilvers, Centre for Learning and Teaching, and the School of Art, University of Brighton; Alice FoxCentre for Learning and Teaching, and the School of Art, University of Brighton; Sarah Bennett, Centre for Learning and Teaching, and the School of Art, University of Brighton;
Although describing a museum-based art class, the central principles and many of the strategies used can be adapted to STEM diciplines. The staff (authors' term) designed their museum-based class to create opportunities for dialogue with students, hear their voices, and use the information gleaned from to enhance learning and evaluate the class and pedagogical decisions. The qualitative analysis of student and staff experiences shows not only responsiveness by both groups, but increased engagement and sense of belonging by students from historically marginalized groups. The article includes quotes from staff about the challenges of this strategy (such as needing to remain 'unplanned') and practical constraints such as funding shortfalls. They end with 5 principles for module design including 'creative evaluation' (their term for this): 1. embedding regular opportunities for formative reflection and evaluation; 2. evaluative activities allow students to reflect on their learning and on the course; 3. staff are listening responsively and adapting to students' feedback where needed; 4. time is allocated for collaborative activities to build trust and support reflections; 5. activities and assessments are relevant to the discipline.

Educators' experiences with student voice: how teachers understand, solicit, and use student voice in their classrooms.
Jerusha O. Conner, Villanova University
Jerusha O. Conner, Villanova University This research paper explores how teachers understand, solicit, and use student input in their classrooms. The author defines 'student voice' as 'strategy that engageds youth in sharing their views on their experiences as students...' but discuss variety of definitions being used, and whether or not 'student voice' necessarily implies student engagement in decision making or even is restricted to opinions concerning school.

Designing for the Margins: Addressing Inequities in Digital Learning Starts With Hearing and Engaging the Student Voice
Jessica Rowland Williams, Every Learner Everywhere
Jessica Rowland Williams, Every Learner Everywhere Reflecting the events of the COVID shut-down, the author provides an overview of student and faculty experiences with remote learning during the stress of the pandemic with a focus on students from historically marginalized populations. The author is the director of Every Learner Everywhere, a network of 12 member institutions which seeks to reduce the achievement gaps through adaptive courseware and other digital tools. In this essay, the author explores what they learned about marginalized students' experiences of online learning while managing financial and personal stress through data harvested from the Suddenly Online national survey plus focus groups at nearly 50 institutions in 22 states.

Framing and Efficacy of University-Required Diversity Courses in the Research Literature
Christine Zabala Eisshofer, University of Oklahoma
This literature review examines the research in the last 30 years in relation to university-required diversity courses, as well as highlights areas that have been understudied. Utilizing the social justice rationale for diversity, this review analyzes 25 quantitative and qualitative research articles that address university-required diversity courses. This literature review unpacks the mixed results from quantitative studies as well as analyzes the case studies presented in qualitative research. The relevance to this collection is the authors point that outcomes-based analysis (grades, survey responses) are insufficient, but that to truely understand student experiences in the classroom, we must examine student work undertaken during the class.