To create a sense of belonging in the classroom, pictorial representation as a means of inclusive communication was used at the onset of an Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS) course at a military academic institution. The objective of practicing inclusive communication was to help better understand differences, both individually and culturally, among students enrolled in the course. Of the 37 students enrolled in an Introduction to Management Information Systems (MIS) course, 389 pictures were collected and examined to determine how planned course teaching delivery and tools may need to be adapted and improved when addressing fundamental basic MIS concepts. Although time-consuming, inclusive communication as a pedagogical strategy involving pictorial representation proved to be informative and useful in attempts to bridge conveyance of primary MIS components comprised of hardware, software, data, network/communications, procedures, and users. From inclusive communication use, the pictorial representation results showed individual student differences in how they perceived primary MIS components at the onset of course delivery. These individual student differences called for variation in the initial use of examples and further instruction of primary MIS components beyond typical organizational settings found in traditional textbooks. As a contribution, this paper is intended to foster inclusive communication in course teaching delivery as a knowledge builder among researchers, teachers, and other practice members as well as a demonstrative practice in helping to build and strengthen a sense of belonging among students in the classroom.

Keywords: Inclusive communication, a sense of belonging, pictorial representation, interpretive analysis, management information systems (MIS).