Lessons Learned

Shifting Perspectives

By Drew Gieseke

This month, the University of Missouri–St. Louis kicked off the second iteration of its Chancellor’s Certificate in Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Workplace course, a six-month program designed to help local participants explore DEI concepts in professional settings.

Highly interactive and online-only, the program is a valuable tool for helping people understand not only themselves but also the world around them.

“The course itself is built on transformative learning theory,” says Marlo Goldstein Hode, senior manager of Strategic Diversity Initiatives at UMSL and course designer. “The idea is that intentionally designed educational activities can transform the way people see themselves, others and the world around them.”

The curriculum is divided into three units with three modules each: Building a Foundation, Obstacles to Inclusion, and From Awareness to Action. Each module kicks off with an engaging video mini-lecture that introduces the topics. For example, in the first unit, participants learn about the history, application and evolution of diversity in professional settings. Next, students are asked to complete an activity exploring the different meanings of the word “diversity,” and then share their thoughts on a discussion board with their colleagues.

Hode says that although the course does dive into the “tough stuff,” beginning the course with this foundation is key to its success because, oftentimes, when people hear “diversity,” they think only of race and gender and may feel the DEI conversation isn’t about them. For some, Hode notes, DEI training conjures up bad memories of ineffective courses that shamed and blamed participants.

This program takes a different tactic, Hode adds: Instead of that “shame-and-blame approach,” it’s based on social science research that helps participants question and explore what diversity means in different contexts. Then, it challenges them to look at their own identities from a multifaceted perspective.

“I think this makes everyone feel like part of the diversity tapestry because not only do we have these given identities, but also, we also have all these things that we choose that are important parts of who we are,” Hode explains. “This course is as much about building awareness of oneself as it is about learning about people who are different from ourselves, and that’s why it works.”

The course is offered through the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at UMSL along with the MU Extension Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council. It kicks off on Jan. 23 and will run through June 23. Hode is co-facilitating the program with Dwayne T. James, the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Director for MU Extension, and says that enrollment increased from the course’s debut in 2022. This season’s program is currently full, but interested participants can contact Dr. Hode at marlo@umsl.edu to be added to the waitlist.

“One of the benefits of having a cohort of people in very different industries is the opportunity to see DEI and what it means and what it looks like in all these different environments,” she says.

Program pricing was restructured in 2023 as well. Participation costs $450 per person and $350 for government, education, nonprofit employees and UMSL alumni. Group pricing is also available at $150 for each additional employee from the same organization.

Although participants receive a Chancellor’s Certificate in Workplace Diversity, Equity & Inclusion upon completion of the course, Hode notes that the bigger win is when people leave with something far more impactful.

“People really do gain a greater sense of awareness about their own identities and others’ identities,” Hode says. “Most importantly, [they gain] action steps that they can take to make workplaces more inclusive for everyone.” ln