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Redesign for Equity & Accessibility Lab (REAL)

A College of San Mateo resource portal for curriculum and pedagogy redesign.

Key Principles

As the official record of the course (including title, course description, Student Learning Outcomes, recommended texts, etc.) the Course Outline of Record (COR) is an essential starting point for substantive course redesign efforts.  Although the COR is not typically a student-facing document, elements of it (the title and course description) are included in the course catalog, providing a student's very first information about the course. Also, a COR written with a focus on what students will gain from the course, using terminology accessible to someone new to the discipline, and recommending texts vetted for cultural responsiveness, accessibility, and affordability, sets the tone for new instructors looking to the COR as a guide to departmental expectations for the course.  Equity and accessibility-minded revisions to the COR can have an impact that goes beyond an individual class, instructor, or year.  

Our research highlights the following principles, which are developed in more detail below.

  • Student Friendly Course Description:   The course description helps all students understand what they will gain from the course. (Harris, 2021)
  • Cultural Responsiveness: The course outline and curriculum are designed to be inclusive of students of diverse cultural backgrounds, and especially those from historically marginalized groups. (California Community Colleges, 2022) 
  • Alignment: The course is aligned to external standards, internally consistent, and supportive of institutional learning outcomes
  • Inclusive & Accessible Course Materials: The assigned materials are culturally responsive and accessible for people who use screen readers. (IDEA Framework, 2023) 

video recorder Spotlight Video

CSM Business Instructor Sujata Verma revised the COR for her Business Analytics class to incorporate more student-friendly language in the course description, to add a DEI-focused Student Learning Outcome, and also to recommend a more affordable textbook.  See her talk about some of the revisions she made here: 

 

Check Mark Self-Assessment Tool with Example Strategies

To help faculty assess their CORs with regards to accessibility and cultural responsiveness, we collaborated on a rubric based on the principles above and incorporating example strategies.  You can also print the self-assessment tool, if you would preferable an editable copy.

Student Friendly Course Description : The course description helps all students understand what they will gain from the course. 
  Getting REAL* REAL Liberatory
Reflection Questions

Have you communicated in the course description what students need to know about the content of the course?   

Y/N/Partial 

Have you made the course description welcoming to students new to college or your discipline?  

Y/N/Partial 

Have you communicated the relevance of the course to diverse goals and pathways? 

Y/N/Partial 
Example Strategies
  • Use clear and specific language and avoid jargon 
  • State prerequisites and explain how the course fits into the larger program or discipline. 
  • Describe the types of activities or assessments (e.g., discussions, projects, exams). 
  • Identify the main topics, skills, or questions the course will address. 
  • Write in a tone that is friendly and encouraging, signaling that the course is open to all learners, not just those with prior knowledge.
  • Define essential technical terms or disciplinary concepts. 
  • Highlight supportive features (e.g., no prior experience needed, collaborative learning) that will make the course more approachable. 
  • Connect course content to students' everyday experiences or backgrounds.
  • Emphasize transferable skills students will gain (e.g., critical thinking, communication). 
  • Explain how the course connects to various careers, majors, or life goals. 

 *Each level ("Getting REAL," "REAL," and "Liberatory") represents a cumulative progression, incorporating and expanding upon the criteria of the preceding levels. 

Cultural Responsiveness: The course outline and curriculum are designed to be inclusive of students of diverse cultural backgrounds, and especially those from historically marginalized groups.
  Getting REAL* REAL Liberatory
Reflection Questions

Have you removed culturally biased or exclusionary language and representations?  

Y/N/Partial 

Have you explicitly connected the course content and objectives to diverse cultural experiences? 

Y/N/Partial

Have you integrated critical reflection on systemic inequities within the discipline? 

Y/N/Partial 

  
Example Strategies

  • Review course materials for biased language, streotypes, or content that centers a dominant cultural perspective.   

  • Use people-first and inclusive language, referring to individuals and groups with respect and dignity (e.g., “students with disabilities” rather than “disabled students).  Consult inclusive style guides like the APA Bias-free Language Guidelines. 

  • Ask colleagues or students to review course descriptions and suggest edits that improve cultural responsiveness 

 

  • Include learning objectives that involve analyzing or applying concepts across different cultural, social, or global contexts. 

  • Use diverse readings, case studies, media, and examples that reflect a variety of backgrounds and experiences. 

  • Design student learning outcomes (SLOs), instructional objectives (SIOs), or assessments that encourage students to connect course concepts to their own lives and communities 
  •  Incorporate an SLO or SIO about critically reflecting on systemic inequities in the discipline 

  • Create assignments or objectives that connect course content to broader social justice or equity issues. 

  • Supplement core readings with materials that critique or reframe dominant disciplinary narratives.  

  • Encourage intersectional analysis, in which students analyze how power operates across intersecting identities like race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability, encouraging nuanced understanding 

  • Recommend assessments that require students to evaluate systems of power in relation to course topics, propose solutions, or imagine alternatives.  

  • Recommend classroom practices that support respectful dialogue, acknowledge discomfort as part of learning, and encourages all voices to be heard. 
Alignment: The course is aligned to external standards, course and program objectives, and institutional learning outcomes.
  Getting REAL* REAL Liberatory
Reflection Questions

Do your course description, SLOS, and SIOs align with one another and with the expectations of college-level courses and CID/articulation?   

Y/N/Partial 

  

Do your instructional methods, assessments, and recommended readings align with your learning outcomes? 

Y/N/Partial 

 

Does your course promote institutional learning outcomes that relate to equity, like information literacy, social awareness and diversity, or ethical responsibility/community engagement? 

Y/N/Partial 
Example Strategies

  • Collaborate with department and discipline faculty to calibrate expectations, ensure consistency across sections, and confirm that outcomes align with major or program pathways. 

  • Write outcomes using clear, measurable verbs (e.g., analyze, evaluate, synthesize) that reflect higher-order thinking expected at the college level. 

  • Consult Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) descriptors and articulation agreements to ensure outcomes match required competencies for transferability.  

 

  • Ensure that assignments and assessments directly measure the skills and knowledge described in the outcomes 

  • Ensure that recommended readings and instructional methods are selected to support the learning outcomes 
  • Incorporate an SLO or SIO that relates to one or more of our institutional learning outcomes (ILOs). 
Culturally Responsive & Accessible Course Materials: The assigned materials are culturally responsive and accessible for people who use screen readers.
  Getting REAL* REAL Liberatory
Reflection Questions

Have course materials on the “recommended list” been reviewed for accessibility and cultural responsiveness? 

Y/N/Partial 

Have course materials on the “recommended list” been reviewed for affordability (zero or low cost textbook).   

Y/N/Partial 

Have you used the COR to encourage future instructors of the course to adopt inclusive course materials?   

Y/N/Partial  
Example Strategies
  • Select materials that affirm and reflect the cultural identities and experiences of the student population. 
  • Include readings from scholars and communities of different cultural, racial, gender, and global backgrounds. 

  • Reach out to the publisher to determine whether accessibility guidelines in online resources have been followed 

  • Submit course materials to the bookstore in advance, so that accessibility issues can be addressed quickly. 

  • Ensure multimedia is captioned 

  • Ensure documents are screen-reader friendly (e.g., proper heading structure, alt text for images, readable fonts, high contrast colors) 

 

  • Reach out to colleagues, the OER/ZTC liaison, or the library for help identifying zero or low cost textbooks in your field.   

  • Apply for a grant to create a zero or low cost textbook of your own. 

  • Remove course materials that are not affordable or not culturally responsive from the “recommended”  list. 

  • Add a statement to the recommended list that emphasizes the importance of culturally responsive and accessible materials. 

  • Encourage members of your department to submit course materials to the bookstore in advance, so that accessibility issues can be addressed quickly.

File Folder Example Revisions from CSM Faculty

Below you will find examples of COR revisions by CSM faculty who participated in the REAL workshops in 2023-2025.  Some are complete drafts, while others describe changes the faculty made and why. Please note that the sample materials submitted by faculty are works in progress and may not reflect final versions. They are shared to support collaboration and idea exchange.

Magnifying Glass Works Cited & Additional Resources

DEIA in Curriculum: 
DEIA & Affordability in Text Selection: 

  • [Placeholder for link to Jennifer Howze-Owens' libguide on OER/ZTC]