Revealing the Hidden Curriculum to Promote Student Success

Fall 2025 Short Course

What’s something you wish you had known as a student, but didn’t?

Do you ever wonder why your students don’t read the syllabus, don’t come to office hours, or don’t know how to write an email? In higher education, much of what students need to succeed isn’t explicitly written in the syllabus or talked about in class, leading to instructor frustration and student disengagement. This short course empowers instructors to uncover and address the hidden curriculum, or the unspoken norms, values, and expectations that impact undergraduate and graduate student success. During three interactive in-person sessions, participants will explore how the hidden curriculum manifests in academic settings, disproportionately impacting first-generation, international, and minoritized students. Instructors will reflect on their own learning experiences and teaching practices to gain critical insight into how systemic inequities persist in classroom culture and institutional and professional norms.

Through small group work, real-world scenarios, and hands-on revision of course materials, instructors will practice turning the implicit into the explicit—whether that means clarifying what participation looks like, explaining office hour norms, or rethinking assignment guidelines. Participants will leave the course with practical, equity-minded strategies to demystify academic expectations, enhance transparency, and foster a stronger sense of belonging for all students.

Short course participants will meet for interactive, in-person workshops once a week for three consecutive weeks during the Fall semester beginning the week of October 6th. There will be two offerings of the short course with meeting options on both the east side and west side of campus.

Revealing the Hidden Curriculum to Promote Student Success

East Campus meetings: On Thursdays, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, from 3:30-4:20pm in the Teaching Excellence Building (924 S. Morgan St.)

West Campus meetings: On Tuesdays, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, from 11:00-11:50am in Room 201 in the College of Nursing (845 S Damen Ave).

Enroll by Friday, October 3, 2025 to reserve your spot in the short course.

 

If you have any questions about the short course, please contact the event leads Katie Pierson and Margaret Gonzales.