Institutional Excellence Capacity Building Curriculum

Page Map

• Objective
• Guiding Frameworks
• Themes Overview
• Curriculum Map
• Themes & Desired Outcomes
  • Intersecting Identities
  • Trauma Informed Approach
  • Cultural Humility
  • Equity Mindedness
  • Restorative Practices
  • De-Esclation
  • Navigating Difficult Dialogue
• Suggested Sequencing of Themes (Professional Development Pathway)
• Mapping Professional Development Pathway to SJSU's IE Framework
• Crosswalk: Professional Development Pathway - WSCUC CFRs (2023)
  • Workshop-by-Workshop Mapping
  • Program-Level CFR Coverage

Objective

Increase our campuses capacity achieve IE goals, including but not limited to navigating campus climate flash points, through professional development activities for all employees 

Guiding Frameworks

• Speaking Truth & Acting with Integrity:Confronting Challenges of Campus Racial Climate
• Building Trauma-Informed Approaches in Higher Education
• SAMHSA’s Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach
• Quick Guide to Restorative Practices in Higher Education [pdf]
• Restorative Justice and Student Development in Higher Education

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Themes Overview 

Google Sheet Version

Curriculum Map

Google Sheet Version 

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Themes & Desired Outcomes

Intersecting Identities

1. Define intersectionality in the higher education context
   • Explain the concept of intersectionality and how overlapping identities (e.g., race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, immigration status, religion) shape student and colleague experiences
2. Recognize the impact of intersecting identities on campus life
   • Identify how systems of power, privilege, and oppression affect learning, advising, and campus engagement for students with multiple marginalized identities
3. Reflect on personal and professional positionality
   • Examine one’s own intersecting identities and how they influence teaching, advising, decision-making, and relationships with students and colleagues
4. Apply intersectional approaches to pedagogy and student support
   
   • Develop strategies to create more inclusive curricula, classroom practices, and student services that affirm and value multiple identities
5. Analyze institutional policies and practices
   • Critically assess how policies (e.g., attendance, financial aid, housing, student conduct) may advantage or disadvantage students depending on their intersecting identities
6. Engage in equity-focused dialogue and collaboration
   • Practice communication strategies that acknowledge and validate diverse identities while fostering respectful and inclusive dialogue across differences
7. Commit to action for equity and inclusion
   • Identify specific steps to integrate an intersectional lens into one’s own teaching, advising, or administrative practice, and contribute to broader campus equity initiatives.

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Trauma-Informed Approach

1. Define trauma and its impact in academic contexts
   • Describe how trauma can affect college students’ cognitive functioning, emotional regulation, learning, and classroom engagement
2. Recognize trauma responses in higher education settings
   • Identify signs of trauma in students and colleagues, including attendance patterns, academic performance, classroom participation, and professional interactions
3. Apply trauma-informed principles to teaching and support
   • Integrate the core principles of trauma-informed practice (safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural responsiveness) into course design, advising, and student services
4. Foster inclusive and supportive learning environments
   • Use strategies that reduce potential triggers, support student resilience, and encourage equitable participation in classrooms, labs, and campus programs
5. Adapt policies and practices to reduce re-traumatization
   • Reflect on syllabi, grading policies, advising practices, and student conduct approaches to identify areas where trauma-informed adjustments could enhance equity and retention
6. Enhance employee well-being
   • Develop self-care, boundary-setting, and peer-support strategies to sustain personal resilience and prevent secondary trauma or burnout
7. Strengthen campus-wide collaboration
   • Practice trauma-informed communication and cross-departmental collaboration to promote a culture of mutual care, student success, and institutional well-being

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Cultural Humility 

1. Define cultural humility in the higher education context
   • Differentiate cultural humility from cultural competence, and explain why humility is an ongoing practice rather than an endpoint.
2. Increase awareness of cultural identities and power dynamics
   • Recognize how personal, student, and colleague cultural identities intersect with systems of power, privilege, and marginalization within higher education.
3. Reflect on personal positionality and biases
   • Examine one’s own cultural background, implicit biases, and assumptions, and how these influence teaching, advising, decision-making, and professional interactions.
4. Practice cultural humility in communication
   • Demonstrate active listening, perspective-taking, and inclusive language strategies that validate and respect diverse experiences in classrooms, advising, and campus services.
5. Apply cultural humility to pedagogy and support roles
   • Identify strategies for fostering equitable and inclusive learning environments through course design, mentoring, advising, and student engagement practices.
6. Critically examine institutional practices through a cultural humility lens
   • Analyze how higher education policies, curricula, and practices may privilege dominant groups while creating barriers for others.
7. Commit to ongoing growth and accountability
   • Develop a plan for continuing self-reflection, feedback-seeking, and collaborative learning to sustain cultural humility in one’s role and contribute to institutional equity efforts

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Equity-Mindedness

1. Define equity-mindedness in the higher education context
   • Explain what it means to be equity-minded, and differentiate it from equality and diversity-focused approaches
2. Increase awareness of inequities in higher education
   • Recognize how systemic barriers, policies, and practices contribute to unequal outcomes for historically marginalized students and colleagues
3. Reflect on personal and professional assumptions
   • Examine one’s own role, biases, and decision-making practices that may unintentionally reproduce inequities in teaching, advising, or administrative work
4. Apply equity-minded strategies in daily practice
   • Demonstrate approaches to course design, advising, mentoring, and campus services that actively redress inequities and promote student success
5. Use data and evidence with an equity lens
   • Interpret disaggregated student outcomes data and reflect on what patterns reveal about structural inequities, rather than student “deficits”
6. Respond to inequities in real time
   • Practice strategies for addressing microaggressions, exclusion, or unfair policies/procedures in classrooms, advising, and meetings
7. Integrate equity-mindedness into institutional roles
   • Identify opportunities to align personal teaching/support practices with broader institutional equity initiatives and goals
8. Commit to continuous growth in equity-minded practice
   • Develop an action plan for ongoing self-reflection, accountability, and collaboration in advancing equity on campus

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Restorative Practices

1. Define restorative practices in higher education
   • Explain the philosophy, principles, and goals of restorative practices and how they differ from traditional disciplinary or conflict-resolution approaches
2. Recognize the value of restorative approaches in academic contexts
   • Describe how restorative practices can enhance community, belonging, accountability, and equity in classrooms, residence life, advising, and campus-wide culture
3. Apply restorative communication strategies
   • Demonstrate the use of restorative language, active listening, and questioning techniques to build trust, reduce conflict, and strengthen relationships with students and colleagues
4. Facilitate restorative practices in educational settings
   • Identify and practice approaches such as restorative circles, dialogues, and conferences that can be used in classrooms, residence halls, or staff meetings to address harm and build community
5. Integrate restorative principles into teaching and support roles
   • Reflect on syllabi, advising practices, and student conduct processes to identify opportunities for restorative approaches that balance accountability with support
6. Promote inclusive and equitable learning environments
   • Recognize how restorative practices can address disparities in higher education by centering voice, fairness, and mutual responsibility
7. Develop personal and institutional action steps
   • Create a plan to apply restorative practices in one’s own role and contribute to broader campus efforts toward building a restorative culture

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De-Escalation

1. Define de-escalation in the higher education context
   • Explain what de-escalation means and why it is essential for maintaining safety, trust, and learning in classrooms, offices, advising, residence life, and campus events
2. Recognize early signs of conflict and escalation
   • Identify verbal, nonverbal, and behavioral cues that indicate rising tension among students, colleagues, or groups
3. Reflect on personal triggers and responses
   • Examine one’s own stress reactions, communication style, and potential biases that may contribute to escalation
4. Apply de-escalation communication strategies
   • Demonstrate active listening, calm tone, non-threatening body language, and empathetic responses to reduce tension in academic and student support settings
5. Use situational awareness and boundary-setting
   • Assess different levels of conflict (low-level disruption vs. high-intensity crisis) and respond with appropriate boundaries, referrals, or support strategies
6. Integrate de-escalation techniques into teaching and support roles
   • Develop strategies for responding to disruptions in the classroom, difficult advising sessions, emotionally charged meetings, or residence hall incidents
7. Collaborate with campus resources
   • Identify when and how to involve counseling services, student conduct, campus safety, or other resources to ensure safety and support
8. Commit to ongoing growth and practice
   • Create an individual action plan for applying de-escalation techniques in one’s role while contributing to a campus-wide culture of safety, respect, and support

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Navigating Difficult Dialogue 

1. Define difficult dialogue in the higher education context
   • Explain what constitutes “difficult dialogue” (e.g., conversations around identity, politics, power, or controversial issues) and why it is essential to student learning, community building, and campus climate
2. Increase awareness of dialogue dynamics
   • Recognize common triggers, power imbalances, and emotional responses that influence how difficult conversations unfold in classrooms, advising, meetings, or campus events
3. Reflect on personal communication style and positionality
   • Examine how one’s own identities, lived experiences, and comfort levels shape responses to challenging conversations with students and colleagues
4. Practice facilitation and communication strategies
   • Demonstrate skills such as active listening, asking open-ended questions, setting ground rules, and using de-escalation language to guide dialogue constructively
5. Respond to moments of conflict or harm
   • Apply strategies for addressing microaggressions, repairing relationships, and re-engaging participants when dialogue becomes tense or harmful
6. Apply dialogue principles to teaching and student support roles
   • Develop approaches to foster inclusive classroom discussions, support students in moments of disagreement, and navigate sensitive conversations in advising, residence life, or staff-student interactions
7. Commit to ongoing growth in navigating dialogue
   • Identify next steps for continuing self-reflection, seeking feedback, and strengthening capacity to engage in difficult dialogues as part of one’s professional role

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Suggested Sequencing of Themes (Professional Development Pathway)

Phase 1: Awareness & Foundations 

• Intersecting Identities – explore how overlapping identities shape experience
• Trauma-Informed Approaches – understand student behaviors & barriers

Phase 2: Reflection & Self-Work 

• Cultural Humility – reflect on personal identity, bias, and communication
• Equity-Mindedness – shift from awareness to systemic equity focus

Phase 3: Applied Practice

• Restorative Practices – build relational approaches for community & accountability
• De-escalation – practice communication strategies for conflict & tension

Phase 4: Integration & Capstone

• Navigating Difficult Dialogue – apply all prior learning to facilitate challenging conversations effectively→Pipeline into InterGroup Dialogue Program as participant in a semester-long dialogue or train to become a facilitator by completing the InterGroup Dialogue Institute 

Sequence Rationale:

• Start with foundational awareness (identity+trauma)
• Move into self-reflection (cultural humility + equity-mindedness)
• Build concrete applied skills (restorative practices + de-escalation)
• Culminate in advanced integrative practice (navigating difficult dialogue) 

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Mapping Professional Development Pathway to SJSU’s Institutional Excellence Framework

1. Foundation: Aligning Values & Vision

Phase 1 (Intersecting Identities and Trauma‑Informed Approaches) aligns directly with SJSU’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence, especially in the values of equity-mindedness, cultural humility, and holistic learning environments. This foundational understanding builds awareness of systemic inequities and diverse student experiences that SJSU prioritizes and supports all aspects of the IE Framework.

2. Reflection & Self-Work: Advancing Cultural Humility & Equity

Phase 2 (Cultural Humility and Equity‑Mindedness) supports SJSU’s value of inclusive and equity-minded action—demonstrating commitment to lifelong cultural humility and dismantling structural barriers. This phase nurtures self-awareness and reflective professional growth, both central to the University's goal of being an institution that is inclusive by design, not just in intent and supports all aspects of the IE Framework.

3. Applied Practice: Operationalizing Inclusion

Phase 3 (Restorative Practices and De-escalation) equips faculty and staff with relational tools and conflict interventions. These strengthen the university’s mission “to enrich lives… service of our diverse democratic society”, while promoting a campus climate where belonging and safety are practiced behaviors and in most direct support of the Climate and Intergroup Relations IE Framework dimension.

4. Capstone Integration: Facilitating Difficult Dialogue

Phase 4 (Navigating Difficult Dialogue) embodies the essence of cultural humility, inclusion, collaboration, and equity in action. It empowers participants to lead difficult conversations—an expansive step toward transformation and most directly supports the Climate &Intergroup Group Relations, Infrastructure & Investment, and Community & Partnership IE Framework dimension.

5. Crosscutting Support: Broader Framework Resonance

Across all phases, the IE Capacity Building Curriculum strengthens SJSU’s broader Transformation 2030 strategic goals, such as:

• “Grow and Thrive” by fostering an inclusive and sustainable culture.
• “Engage and Educate” by building critical competencies like active listening, empathy, and dialogue across differences.
• “Excel and Lead” by elevating leadership in inclusive education and equity-focused innovation.

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Crosswalk: PD Pathway <--> WSCUC CFRs (2023)

Key CFR anchors you’ll see repeatedly

• Equity & inclusion: CFR 1.2 (institution acts with intention to advance DEI across academics and support); CFR 4.2–4.3 (disaggregated data; campus climate).
• Teaching & learning infrastructure: CFR 2.3 (clear learning outcomes & supports), CFR 2.12–2.14 (advising and student support effectiveness).
• People & capacity: CFR 3.3 (professional development for faculty/staff/administrators).
• Quality assurance & improvement: CFR 4.1, 4.5, 4.6 (QA processes; improvement based on evidence; inquiry into teaching/learning).
• Academic freedom & integrity: CFR 1.3, 1.6, 1.7 (integrity/communications/academic freedom).

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Workshop-by-Workshop Mapping

1. Intersecting Identities
   • Primary CFRs: 1.2 (DEI), 4.2–4.3 (use disaggregated outcomes; climate), 2.3 (align supports to outcomes), 1.5 (equitable treatment).
   • Evidence ideas: identity-impact case analyses; disaggregated course success snapshots; inclusive practice checklists.
2. Trauma-Informed Approaches
   • Primary CFRs: 2.12–2.14 (advising & support programs assessed and improved), 2.3 (policies/supports aligned to outcomes), 4.3 (student success climate), 1.2 (DEI).
   • Evidence ideas: trauma-sensitive syllabus language; advising protocols; assessment of referrals to support services.
3. Cultural Humility
   • Primary CFRs: 1.2 (institutional DEI intention), 3.3 (professional development), 1.5 (equitable treatment), 1.6 (academic freedom in discourse).
   • Evidence ideas: positionality reflections; inclusive language guides; PD rosters & participation data.
4. Equity-Mindedness
   • Primary CFRs: 4.2 (collect/analyze/act on disaggregated data), 4.5 (improvement based on evidence), 2.10 (timely progress/completion), 2.3 (outcomes framework), 1.2 (DEI intention).
   • Evidence ideas: department equity briefs; policy/流程 revisions tied to data; progress & completion dashboards.
5. Restorative Practices
   1. Primary CFRs: 1.5 (equitable treatment), 2.13–2.14 (co-curricular/student support effectiveness), 4.3 (climate), 3.3 (PD).
   2. Evidence ideas: circle protocols; conduct/resolution process updates; climate pulse findings.
6. De-escalation
   1. Primary CFRs: 2.13–2.14 (support services & assessment), 3.3 (PD), 1.5 (equitable treatment/consistent policies), 1.7 (communications with constituents).
   2. Evidence ideas: de-escalation scripts; referral decision trees; incident response training logs.
7. Navigating Difficult Dialogue (Capstone)
   • Primary CFRs: 1.6 (academic freedom), 1.3 (integrity/transparency), 2.3 (discussion/communication outcomes & supports), 4.6 (inquiry into teaching/learning practices).
   • Evidence ideas: session facilitation plans; ground-rules toolkit; reflection on handling harm/repair in class.

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Program-Level CFR Coverage

• DEI woven throughout: repeated engagement with CFR 1.2 and climate/data CFRs 4.2–4.3, demonstrating institution-wide intention and measurement.
• Student learning alignment: CFR 2.3 ensures workshops link pedagogy/advising practices to stated learning outcomes and supports.
• Capacity & PD: CFR 3.3 is satisfied via recurring, role-specific professional development across the series.
• Quality assurance & improvement: CFR 4.1, 4.5, 4.6 evidenced by pre/post artifacts, data-informed adjustments, and teaching-and-learning inquiry embedded in the capstone.
• Freedom & integrity in dialogue: CFR 1.3, 1.6, 1.7 engaged through the Difficult Dialogue capstone and communication norms.

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