Author: Oumou Azika

Unit 3 Reflection

Initially when I was searching for a topic in Unit 2, I was unsure of what exactly I wanted to research just because I didn’t know if I would be able to find a lot of information. I eventually decided to research the difference between diversity and inclusion because I thought that I would learn a lot through my research, and it would be very important knowledge to have currently and further along in my life. I looked back on the assignments that we had done in this course, and I found that I particularly really enjoyed the ones where we wrote about D&I. I also had a little bit of previous knowledge because last fall I took an African America studies course where we briefly spoke about the differences in the workplace when it comes to minority and majority groups.

            To collect my research in a more efficient way, I used the research tips that I learned in this course such as the subject searching and the cited in methods, we used in our complicating research activity. This was very helpful because prior to this I wasn’t sure how to go about finding relevant sources. I was also able to consolidate the information that I found and connect them to common ideas within my topic. I’ve learned a lot through doing this work. I was always taught that research had to be precise, everything had to connect and that it should be put together in an essay format. After doing this project I’ve learned that there isn’t and shouldn’t be one set way to convey a message. I was able to see the various methods that my classmates used like creating memos, posters etc. I was able to create a Kahoot which was fun figuring out how to do. I also really enjoyed getting feedback from all my peers and being able to give them feedback as well because it allowed me to see the different points of views and how everyone interpreted the assignments and readings differently.

            This assignment is very valuable to me because it has taught me a lot about diversity and inclusion and how to make sure everyone has the proper support, they need to do great things. This is especially helpful to me now since I am an RA and my residents all have different backgrounds and experiences so I need to be aware of ways to make sure everyone feels valued and seen.

            This class has taught me how to work with getting advice from other peers so I can make my work better. Taking this class over the past few months has been a great opportunity for learning and growth. The things we learned in all the units we have covered has provided me with a lot of insight into topics that I never really thought to much about before. The articles that we read about diversity, inclusion, neurodiversity, organizational culture etc. have been very enlightening.

            I also enjoyed getting to see little bits  of my peers, summer through the “highlight of the week” questions. It made this asynchronous class feel a lot more personal and live in a way. Thank you Professor Oakes for your great feedback and encouraging words. Thank you to my peers for your detailed and very helpful feedback this summer. Wishing you all the best and good luck this fall! 🙂

Final Project

https://create.kahoot.it/share/diversity-does-not-mean-inclusion/bf138868-cb58-41ee-84f4-900b0a3dd30f

I created my project in hopes of making something that would be easy to convey to college students as well as be informative. I wanted to make something that would stick with this audience and they best way I could think of was through Kahoot. I know several of my professors used in to make sure the class was being attentive last year so I thought it would be a platform a lot of students would already be familiar with. I included my sources in the description of the Kahoot since I was not able to link it into the actual questions they each relate to since Kahoot has a character limit. I think this Kahoot can really help college students since we are transitioning from high school where most of this is not really spoken about, which means it is the perfect time to prepare us for life after college by teaching us about these important and necessary aspects of life.

Draft- Oumou

https://create.kahoot.it/share/diversity-does-not-mean-inclusion/bf138868-cb58-41ee-84f4-900b0a3dd30f

This is the link to the kahoot I created.

These are the sources that I used.

kahoot-sourcesDownload

I like this method because it allows the audience to be to able to contribute to the discussion. The only portion that is timed is where the audience would pick their answers but afterwards they can take all the time they need asking questions or taking notes on the slide that follows. I was able to include slides which further explain the answers to avoid confusion.

Discussion Questions Wk 8/16

https://create.kahoot.it/share/explore-the-cardiovascular-system-with-soul/f78f1b2c-ba22-4877-95b7-03a6e20192ff

Initially I wanted to try and find a way that I could attach a word document to the kahoot that I create just so that when a professor goes to present this kahoot to the class, they would be able to further explain the correct answer. This was so the audience (college students) would not only be given the correct answer but they would also have an explanation for it. As I played around with Kahoot I found out that there is a way to integrate slides into the actual game as it is being presented. The image above is an example of a kahoot that was created to teach students about the cardiovascular system. After the actual question is asked and the correct answer is show, the following slide will explain the answer deeper and allow for the students to copy. This is the method I want to use because I think it will be very easy for the students to pay attention and also take notes from the slides in the game. I like the way this kahoot is set up and plan to follow this but I want to include a bit more information in the slides portion if I can. I also plan on possibly creating scenarios and then using it as a true or false question. This way I can explain why the question is true/false.

Project Proposal

For my project I am going to focus on defining the difference between diversity and inclusion. The audience I plan on reaching are college students since I feel like this would be a good way to begin preparing students to go off into the workforce, and a lot of students are most likely not aware of the difference. To do this, I plan on creating a Kahoot which can be presented in a class like SEM 100 which all freshmen are required to take. I want to use Kahoot because not only does it test the knowledge of the audience, but it also serves as a learning opportunity because even if the users get a question incorrect, they will be able to see the correct answer and, the presenter (or professor) can explain it further. The sources I will be utilizing are first-hand accounts of people who have experienced the difference between a community with just diversity, and a community with inclusion through ted-talks. I will also be using scholarly articles from the SU database. As for my analysis I plan to form a connection between things the students may have seen or experienced in order to help them be able to better identify situations where a place is diverse but not inclusive and vice versa.

Discussion Questions Wk 8/9

  1. “How to Create a Culture Manifesto for Your Organization (and why it is a good idea)” written by Mollie West, serves as a guideline for the proper execution of a manifesto which takes into account the employees and their experience rather than just the companies aspirations. West provides several examples of successful companies who have previously implemented their own versions of a humanifesto and then goes on to explain why their humanifestos aided in their success. She explains that the values these companies have in their manifestos are reflected in the decisons they make and the way the interact with communities and throughout the workplace. West includes several first person accounts from employees at these successful companies which support the usage and implementation of these humanifestos in workplaces. The inclusion of this allows her to show the readers the shift the employees saw after the implementation of these humanifestos in their workplace. I think the intended audience is people who run companies, people who hold a position of power in a company, or anyone trying to create a company because this article serves to give examples of successful companies and then goes on to provide a tutorial.
  2. For my research writing I want to share the information that i have collected in my research portfolio in a way that it can clarify and define the two terms diversity and inclusion. I think this topic is very important because eventually most of us (if not already) will have to work with other people in a workplace so it is very important to be aware of these types of things prior. I think a good platform to use for this would be something like Kahoot where you allow the audience to chose what they think the answer is and then afterwards elaborating on what the correct one is. I feel like games like these tend to interest a lot of people my age because it feels competitive and everyone wants to win.

Discussion Questions wk 8/2

1)

The article “In ‘Brotopia’, Silicon Valley Disrupts Everything but the Boys’ Club”, Jennifer Szalai analyzes Emily Changs book “Breaking up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley” in order to make sense of the privilege men in the technology industry have. She expresses that men in this industry have been able to profit off of their wealth and power so they can indulge in all the things that were previously denied to them which are “mainly stuff, status and sex.”. Szalai mentions a group of men who created a company and rather than hire female engineers, they decided to hire their friends. She attributes this to the idea that “women in leadership will create an environment for more leadership”, which would be a hinderance to the way the men were able to abuse their power and wealth. When men are in power they are able to get away with many things which is what Jennifer concludes from Chang’s book. Men in this industry were able to get away with numerous cases of sexual harassment and online trolling.

This article contributes to Wynn’s article because it supports the claims she has explored in her writing. Wynn says that women only make up “25% of computing jobs and 5% of leadership positions in tech”. Szalai expands on this when she mentions that the men in the tech company did not want to hire women and instead resorted to hiring their male friends. When Wynn mentions the disrespectful treatment of women in the tech industry Szalai’s article supports this because she goes on to mention that the men in these positions had been able to get away with cases of sexual harassment without any consequences.

2)

I think this article would benefit many people because it highlights the flaws in the tech industry. I believe the target audience is people who are in a position of power in this industry and many other male dominated industries. This article tackles the issue of entitlement and unfair practices in the tech industry based on gender which can be very enlightening to people in these positions who may have not thought about it. The sentence from this article that I believe is very significant “From its earliest days the industry has self-selected for men:first, antisocial nerds, then, decades later, self-confident and risk-taking bros”. This would work for this intended audience because it provides an introduction to way the industry has favored men for years and the changes that have emerged in these men.

Discussion Questions WK 7/26

  1. In the Ted-Talk “INCLUSION over Diversity” Kenyona Matthews drew on her own experience being a member of a marginalized group in her predominately white university. Throughout the video, Kenyona directly forms a connection between her success in this university and the universities efforts to create an inclusive environment for all its students. As she provides insight into her experience prior to the schools adoption of more inclusive practices, it is evident that once this shift occurred, Kenyona’s motivation increased greatly. She even mentions that when she saw the institution actively working towards becoming inclusive through things like funding African American history courses she felt valued and seen which reflected into her school work because her grades began to rise. When she went to Law school she was met with an entirely different environment which was not as accepting to Black people. She mentioned that by her second year, a large majority of her Black classmates had left since they felt like they didn’t belong there.

This ted-talk is very important for my research because it is the most informative primary source that I have found. In my opinion Kenyona explained everything very clearly, I liked how she explained the differences from her PWI and her high school which had a majority population of minority students. She was also able to explain the differences in how she felt prior to the adoption of inclusive practices and after, and then she went on to explain the differences from and inclusive environment to her experience in law school. This all helps my research a lot since it is essentially showing the difference in a diverse environment and an inclusive one, through Kenyona’s experience. I also think it is very helpful that she spoke about the change in her motivation at school and how it was connected to the increase of inclusion in the school. This relates to the article “The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity and Inclusion pays off” because it supports the idea that the more diverse and inclusive an organization is the higher their success rates. This is because the employees will feel valued which results in them doing their best work. A very important part of this was towards the end when she said “diversity will always give us space in the rooms but it leaves no room for our thoughts and out ways of life. Inclusion will change our rooms. Inclusion will make sure we all have a seat and voice and it makes it so that once you hear the voice you have to act and make some changes” this gives me a good explanation of the difference between Diversity and Inclusion which is a part of my research as well. Diversity does not guarantee Inclusion, which also means it alone is not enough to make sure a company/organization is successful because when people do not feel like they have a voice or a seat at the table, they will not be able to work their best.

2) In Lauren T’s response she mentions that she felt so uncomfortable in her workspace that she would strategize different paths to the bathroom so she didn’t have to pass by a specific male coworkers desk. She mentions that this passive sexism prevented her and other women from feeling confident, supported and safe in their workplace and this was not the type of conditions that would help a woman grow her career. I think this is very upsetting that these women come to work, which is a place they should feel valued and respected, and they are experiencing this degrading behavior. Lauren also mentions that the men who are the perpetrators of this do not acknowledge how difficult they are making the experience of the women the work with. She says that since she works in a male dominated agency, she feels like if she brings it up she will be labeled as “the complainer or too sensitive”. She then goes on to say that she doesn’t believe that the open office is to blame but rather the sexist men who are not willing to reflect on their behavior to see how it is affecting their female co workers. By this statement, Lauren is introducing a new perspective, the open office merely exposes the true nature of these male colleagues. The new question is what can be done to prevent this type of behavior and Lauren suggest you the adoption of employee training plans which serve to make all people in the office feel comfortable.

Research Plan : Oumou

What question us guiding your research?

I personally have several questions that I hope can be answered at the end of my research. Firstly I want to gain even more knowledge on Diversity and Inclusion individually because in my experience one is never mentioned without the other, so I’d like to research each individually. Secondly, I want to determine whether it is best for diversity to come before inclusion, or if it is best for inclusion to come before diversity. As of now I think it is best if diversity comes after inclusion because this way there won’t need to be more trial and error and potentially making people feel excluded. Although I’ve been coming across articles which say otherwise.

Why this question?

Aside from the reasons I mentioned in the previous question, these questions are interesting to me because I am a woman in STEM which is a predominately male dominated field. I’ve heard a lot of stories about gender inequality in the workplace so I want to make sure I know as much as possible about the topic of diversity and inclusion and how it relates to this, as well as methods to rectify this issue.

How will your professional/internship/organizational/ course work inform your inquiry?

I think my own experience will inform my inquiry someway because although I’ve only completed two semesters so far, I am an engineering major and more often than not I have been one of a handful of women in my classes. I feel like the men in my classes have been a bit too comfortable with interrupting the women in these classes while we speak and oftentimes try and dismiss our ideas (at least from what I’ve observed). I think there should be more emphasis placed on inclusion in courses like these especially since the diversity is somewhat there already.

What fields matter most in your inquiry.

I don’t have any specific fields that I am going to be focusing on. I will be using both professional, and academic articles (whichever I find) and I will also be using Ted-Talks and journals since I think they give good first person accounts.