In my laboratory course, equity-minded teaching often takes the form of how I facilitate a structured, hands-on environment while remaining responsive to students’ lived realities. Because laboratory courses have fixed schedules and sequential activities, flexibility must be applied thoughtfully to support access without compromising learning outcomes.
At the start of the semester, I invite students to share information through a confidential survey about responsibilities, concerns, or circumstances that may affect their participation. Ideally, this allows me to anticipate barriers and respond with empathy rather than reaction. Since this is the same survey I use in lecture – and discussed in this section of my lecture course documentation – I thought I would share some other thoughts about equity in the lab course, specifically.
Throughout the term, one way I approach equity and accessibility is by striving to apply course policies consistently while also modeling kindness and respect, particularly when students encounter challenges related to caregiving, health, or work obligations.
One example of this occurred when a student needed to miss a scheduled lab session in order to care for a family member undergoing a medical procedure. Rather than penalizing the absence or requiring the student to choose between family responsibility and academic progress, I arranged for her to attend a different lab section that week so she could complete the required activities at a time that worked around this family obligation. Expectations for learning and participation remained the same, but the pathway to meeting them was adjusted to reflect her circumstances.
Later in the semester, this same student thanked me for being flexible, and shared that she had noticed how I consistently model kindness and understanding in the classroom – both in moments of flexibility and when holding students to course policies. Hearing this feedback was meaningful to me, as it affirmed that the values I strive to model – compassion, fairness, and respect – are visible to students and shape how they experience the learning environment. It also affirmed the importance of treating equity not as an exception or accommodation, but as a daily practice. To see and treat every student as an individual, and offer them my understanding when they are struggling, or even when they have stumbled. In a course that can feel intimidating or rigid, I aim to create an environment where students feel supported as whole people while being held to clear and meaningful academic standards.