Diverse Learners Awareness Week is an annual event at the University of Colorado that serves the entire CU System community but takes place primarily on the Boulder campus. Diverse Learners Awareness Week takes place in the spring semester in alignment with the Spring Diversity and Inclusion Summit.

The mission of Diverse Learners Awareness Week is to celebrate the diversity of learners at the University of Colorado through education, skill development, and community engagement.

In 2014, the Campus Climate Survey gathered responses of 4,445 students, which revealed specific areas where CU Boulder could improve its culture with regard to diversity and inclusion. A goal of Diverse Learners Awareness Week is to provide opportunities to learn skills, build connections and apply accessible and inclusive practices in campus learning environments. Examples below from the 2014 Campus Climate Survey identify specific challenges or needs for the campus, followed by areas of focus that Diverse Learners Awareness Week aims to support.

Challenges/Needs for the Campus:

  • Fewer than half of students overall feel that the material in their courses reflects the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds.

  • Furthermore, only approximately a third of students see themselves reflected in the examples presented in their courses.

  • There is a need to enhance the environment such that all students feel comfortable participating in classroom discussions in ways that support unique learning needs.

  • More than half of students felt that they were not overly valued and supported at CU Boulder.

  • There is a greater need to address comments that are offensive/impactful in the classroom.

Building Competencies/Areas of Focus for Growth:

  • There is a clear desire for campus culture to help students better understand the different perspectives of diverse cultures and social groups.

  • There is a clear desire for a classroom environment that is open and respectful of diverse beliefs and opinions that students express in class

  • Students want to improve their ability to understand the perspectives of others, especially those with whom they disagree.

  • Students desire to hear diverse points of view in the classroom.

  • Students feel that faculty members are important role models.

Through this year’s call for proposals that focus on diversity in the classroom, the planning committee seeks a diversity of presenters who can contribute expertise on how to make learning spaces at the University of Colorado more inclusive and accessible to the needs of our diverse community.