Meeting People Where They Are: Personalized Learning to Foster Inclusion & Equity

Abstract

The Institute of Quantitative Psychology (IQP) is a center for applied research at the (pseudonymous) University of the Atlantic, which supports leaders to develop the characteristics that are correlated with long-term success. Although IQP seeks to serve participants from a wide variety of backgrounds, the team has not developed their products with equity, diversity, or inclusion (EDI) in mind. Employing critical race theory as my conceptual framework, I surveyed a sample of 121 University of the Atlantic students and alumni about their experience with IQP, then conducted nine deep-dive interviews to better understand the qualitative story that undergirded the quantitative data. Contrary to expectations, I found that although the IQP team has paid little explicit attention to EDI in the design of their learning activities, those activities inherently centered learners' individual identities and needs, and therefore resulted in participants feeling seen and valued for who they are.