"

START HERE: Welcome and learning objectives

A women sitting in an office desk looking at her laptop PC talking with two others
Figure 0.2. A participant looking at a laptop during a workshop session.

Who is this for? This self-paced resource is designed for post-secondary faculty, staff and  students. Its purpose is to enhance understanding of power, privilege and oppression in the post-secondary context, and to provide strategies and teaching techniques for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in teaching and learning. 

The module moves from developing an understanding to taking action. After examining how power operates in post-secondary classrooms, you will explore psychological safety: the condition that determines whether every student, not just the most confident, can take the risks that genuine participation requires.

About this resource

  • Estimated time: 35 minutes
  • Format: Asynchronous, self-paced
  • Interactivity: Includes optional reflection prompts and linked resources. While these embedded links are not essential to engaging effectively with the module, they have been included to allow learners to explore additional relevant resources if they wish.
  • Support: This resource is not instructor-led, but your institution may offer additional programming.

Important note

At points throughout the module, you will be asked to reflect on your own past experiences. If you find any of these reflection prompts to be emotionally challenging, feel free to skip them or to use the text boxes to explore other ideas or feelings that you find relevant to the material.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, learners should be able to:

  1. Examine the concept of power and how institutional practices and policies can marginalize members of equity-deserving groups.

  2. Analyze how systemic oppression is rooted in relationships of unequal power among social groups and how these dynamics are sustained.

  3. Evaluate the role of privilege in shaping teaching and learning experiences in post-secondary education.

  4. Implement teaching strategies and learning activities that address power, oppression, and privilege, and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the classroom.

 

Download ‘Eric’s Welcome Video’ Transcript (PDF)

For accessibility or reference, download the written transcript of the video.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Exploring Power Dynamics in Post-Secondary Institutions Copyright © 2026 by Doug Strable is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book