Practicing What We Teach: Strategies to Provide a More Accessible Teaching Experience for Everyone
Miriam Markum
Friday, September 11th, 2026
9-9:45 am
Description
As instructors, we strive to provide inclusive and accessible learning environments for students, but are we also providing accessible teaching experiences for members of our teaching teams? More than 1 in 10 Americans aged 16-64 has a disability (2023 American Community Survey), meaning disability is likely already represented among the graduate teaching assistants, undergraduate learning assistants, and other members of our teaching teams. By proactively adopting accessible teaching practices, we can foster better teaching and learning experiences for everyone. In this presentation, I will share practical strategies by which we can identify and reduce barriers such that every member of the teaching team can participate fully, leverage their strengths, and thrive as an educator.
About the Presenter
Dr. Miriam Markum (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department. She got her first taste of teaching as an undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) at the University of Oregon. She subsequently developed her teaching skills as a graduate TA at Indiana University, Bloomington, and as adjunct faculty at community colleges in the Sacramento Area, before starting her tenure at UC Davis. Through these experiences, she developed greater awareness of the diverse challenges students face and an appreciation for their determination to learn. She implements a variety of approaches to make her courses more accessible and is eager to share them with you...and to learn of yours! Her scholarly activity is focused on student-centered instructional practices that promote their learning and support them as human beings. One such practice is teaching with undergraduate Learning Assistants and preparing them for their role in the classroom.
