Involving Doctoral Students in Teaching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Simulations

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) education is paramount to social work programs; it however, can be challenging to teach given the sensitivity required of the topic. To try to make teaching DEI more accessible to newer instructors, doctoral (PhD) students utilized DEI-based simulations as a means of teaching these concepts to master of social work (MSW) students. PhD students discussed how they perceived simulations to be a positive teaching method for DEI, though not without having some areas for improvement. For example, PhD students discussed how simulations allow for realistic, but safe, practice experiences to be had for MSW students; additionally, PhD students also stated the need to confirm simulation topics with those outside of their own identity groups to avoid stereotypes within the simulations. Overall, PhD students felt strongly about the positive impact of simulations in teaching DEI and felt that this teaching method can and should continue to be used.