Accessible Language for Faculty-Facing Materials
Write so that any reader, a brand-new adjunct, a busy department chair, a community partner, a student, understands the point on the first read, without feeling talked down to. Professional and plain are not opposites. The aim is the register of a respected colleague explaining something clearly over coffee, not a journal reviewer performing expertise.
The core test
Before using a word or phrase, ask: would this land as clear and warm for someone outside academia, or would it read as showing off? If it reads as showing off, replace it. Clarity is the form of respect here.
Words and moves to avoid, with plainer swaps
| Avoid (elitist / jargon) |
Prefer (accessible) |
| grammar (as a metaphor for structure or pattern) |
shared pattern, common thread, the way it works, the through-line |
| operationalize |
put into practice, make real, carry out |
| interrogate (an idea) |
examine, question, look hard at |
| utilize |
use |
| leverage (as a verb) |
use, draw on, build on |
| pedagogical apparatus / mechanism |
teaching practice, the way teaching works |
| problematize |
raise questions about, complicate |
| valorize |
value, honor, prize |
| reify |
make concrete, treat as real |
| heuristic |
rule of thumb, shortcut |
| dialectic / dialectical |
back-and-forth, tension between |
| epistemology / epistemic (when not strictly needed) |
how we know, what counts as knowing |
| hegemonic |
dominant, controlling |
| liminal |
in-between, on the threshold |
| praxis (when not a defined term) |
practice, doing the work |
| instantiate |
show, be an example of, put in place |
| foreground / centering (as jargon) |
put first, focus on, make central |
| nexus |
meeting point, connection |
| salient |
key, important, that stands out |
| ontological |
about what something is |
| discursive |
about how we talk about it |
| heretofore, thus, hence, wherein, insofar as |
so far, so, because of that, where, to the extent that |
Sentence-level habits
- Prefer short, direct sentences. Vary length, but never bury the point.
- Lead with the point, then explain, rather than building to a reveal.
- Cut throat-clearing ("It is important to note that," "It bears mentioning that"). Just say it.
- Use everyday verbs over nominalizations: "we decided" not "a decision was made"; "this helps students" not "this provides student benefit."
- One idea per sentence when the idea is important. Let it breathe.
- Concrete over abstract: name the actual thing (a welcome video, a feedback comment, an office hour) rather than the abstract category.
What stays exact
Do not "plain-language" these:
- Direct quotations from any source.
- Legal and regulatory terms and citations (for example, regular and substantive interaction, 34 C.F.R. § 600.2, distance education, correspondence education).
- Tribal nation names and Indigenous place-names (for example, Nisenan, Miwok, Wasiiw, Daspah), spelled and ordered as the nations and the institution use them.
- Established proper nouns and program names (Umoja, Puente, the Four R's, Community of Inquiry).
- Discipline terms a reader genuinely needs, introduced plainly the first time.
When an exact term must appear, surround it with plain words so the reader is carried, not stranded. Define on first use in a short, warm aside.
Tone
Warm, direct, respectful, confident without posturing. Honor the reader's intelligence by being clear, not by being dense. When in doubt, choose the word the reader already knows.
1---2name: accessible-language3description: Use professional but accessible word choices in any material Michelle will share with faculty, staff, students, or community partners (documents, slides, infographics, emails, headings, labels, captions). Trigger this whenever producing Sierra College or RSI-project text that other people will read, especially faculty-facing and CommUnity-facing content. The goal is clear, warm, plain language that respects the reader and never reads as academic-elitist or jargon-heavy. Do not apply to direct quotations, legal or regulatory names, tribal nation names, or established proper nouns, which stay exact.4---56# Accessible Language for Faculty-Facing Materials78Write so that any reader, a brand-new adjunct, a busy department chair, a community partner, a student, understands the point on the first read, without feeling talked down to. Professional and plain are not opposites. The aim is the register of a respected colleague explaining something clearly over coffee, not a journal reviewer performing expertise.910## The core test1112Before using a word or phrase, ask: would this land as clear and warm for someone outside academia, or would it read as showing off? If it reads as showing off, replace it. Clarity is the form of respect here.1314## Words and moves to avoid, with plainer swaps1516| Avoid (elitist / jargon) | Prefer (accessible) |17|---|---|18| grammar (as a metaphor for structure or pattern) | shared pattern, common thread, the way it works, the through-line |19| operationalize | put into practice, make real, carry out |20| interrogate (an idea) | examine, question, look hard at |21| utilize | use |22| leverage (as a verb) | use, draw on, build on |23| pedagogical apparatus / mechanism | teaching practice, the way teaching works |24| problematize | raise questions about, complicate |25| valorize | value, honor, prize |26| reify | make concrete, treat as real |27| heuristic | rule of thumb, shortcut |28| dialectic / dialectical | back-and-forth, tension between |29| epistemology / epistemic (when not strictly needed) | how we know, what counts as knowing |30| hegemonic | dominant, controlling |31| liminal | in-between, on the threshold |32| praxis (when not a defined term) | practice, doing the work |33| instantiate | show, be an example of, put in place |34| foreground / centering (as jargon) | put first, focus on, make central |35| nexus | meeting point, connection |36| salient | key, important, that stands out |37| ontological | about what something is |38| discursive | about how we talk about it |39| heretofore, thus, hence, wherein, insofar as | so far, so, because of that, where, to the extent that |4041## Sentence-level habits4243- Prefer short, direct sentences. Vary length, but never bury the point.44- Lead with the point, then explain, rather than building to a reveal.45- Cut throat-clearing ("It is important to note that," "It bears mentioning that"). Just say it.46- Use everyday verbs over nominalizations: "we decided" not "a decision was made"; "this helps students" not "this provides student benefit."47- One idea per sentence when the idea is important. Let it breathe.48- Concrete over abstract: name the actual thing (a welcome video, a feedback comment, an office hour) rather than the abstract category.4950## What stays exact5152Do not "plain-language" these:5354- Direct quotations from any source.55- Legal and regulatory terms and citations (for example, regular and substantive interaction, 34 C.F.R. § 600.2, distance education, correspondence education).56- Tribal nation names and Indigenous place-names (for example, Nisenan, Miwok, Wasiiw, Daspah), spelled and ordered as the nations and the institution use them.57- Established proper nouns and program names (Umoja, Puente, the Four R's, Community of Inquiry).58- Discipline terms a reader genuinely needs, introduced plainly the first time.5960When an exact term must appear, surround it with plain words so the reader is carried, not stranded. Define on first use in a short, warm aside.6162## Tone6364Warm, direct, respectful, confident without posturing. Honor the reader's intelligence by being clear, not by being dense. When in doubt, choose the word the reader already knows.
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