When we think about locating resources for DEI that we can incorporate as examples in our curriculum, we can approach searching in two main manners. After the initial step of deciding a topic (for this example, we will use climate justice programs) we can either (1) search on the topic and pair it with terms such as diversity, equity, or inclusion - which will often lead us to a small number of results - OR (2) we can reflect on specific aspects of that topic that relate to DEI and use those as our secondary search terms. Sometimes our search term will already move us into DEI territory. Remember, just as we instruct our students to brainstorm synonyms and related concepts before/during searching and holding space for flexibility in search terms, we encourage you to do so as well.
The chart demonstrates potential search strings to locate articles that tie DEI themes to our main topic of school lunches. It is important to note that both sides of the chart may work to find articles, but Side 2 may help to locate articles that don't use DEI language even as they speak to the purpose of DEI initiatives.
| Side 1: Adding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion | Side 2: Reflecting on our theme and how it relates to DEI |
| "first generation college student" AND diversity | "first generation college student" AND "representation" : this search focuses on a how specific cultural groups are represented in literature on climate justice |
| "first generation college student" AND inclusion | "first generation college student" AND "gender" : this search focuses on gender perspectives within the dialogue on climate justice |
| "first generation college student" AND Equity | "first generation college student" AND econom* : this search will focus on economic impacts and/or inequities that could be address by concepts of climate justice |
When thinking about locating sources in the public domain, before you search, consider what you might be looking for.
For information regarding first-generation college students, we will not find useful sources that have gone into the public domain due to age (97 years ago is too dated), but we may want to consider documents published by the federal or state government. This may direct us to the US Department of Education or the Illinois Board of Higher Education. As these are government agency websites, each one with have different search/browsing functionality, but you can always search by your topic's keywords.
For instance: if you are looking for students statistics on student success and to analyze how institutions communicate this type of data, you may search on the National Center for Education Statistics and locate a report such as:
First Generation College Students: College Access, Persistence, and PostBachelor's Outcomes
The links below will take you to the best places to start your research on this subject. If you are asked to log in using your CCC credentials, just use your username without @student.ccc.edu. If you are redirected to a page that is neither a log in page nor a database search page, try clearing your browser cache and trying it again. If you are unable to access the database or find what you need, feel free to contact an HWC librarian.
The first step when considering looking in an OER repository for content is considering what repository is going to have the type of content you need. If you are looking for textbook material, you would want to search in a repository such as Open Textbooks Library, OER Commons, or Libretext.
However, with this example of using a topic, such as first-generation college students, as a DEI theme to structure discussion around, where the item is an example to be analyzed, you might be searching for an article or resource communicating about the topic. This may lead you to consider open journals, such as searching the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or filter OER Commons to readings/primary source materials that are published with a CC-BY copyright at minimum.
When searching an OER repository, the navigation and search functionality may vary considerably. Some repositories are much larger than others. Use your best judgement on whether to browse through or use a search function. We recommend starting with a relatively simple search to get a sense of how much content the database might have.
For example, when searching Libretext for an article on first-generation students, we can run a search on (college students). As you may have noticed, the searching in Libretext is not very smooth. It is extremely helpful to select "Advanced Search" and utilize the filters available. In this instance, I selected "Social Science" for the "Library" to search in. There is definitely a bit of trial and error searching involved with locating sources within Libretext. For instance, in this I spotted a College Success textbook and browsed the chapters to find a useful reading to help spur a discussion of different types of college students and skills that will help lead to the success of all, such as:
"Different Worlds of Different Students," College Success. CC-BY-NC-SA