www.freepik.com Author: Rula Amer
What does inclusive teaching and learning online mean to you? “…ensuring that the different identities that are brought into the shared space–be it physical or virtual– are respected, addressed, incorporated, and celebrated. It focuses on facilitating the space needed for learning to be multi-dimensional, intentional, and critical. Inclusive teaching makes students feel seen and heard and allows them to think more critically about their interactions with each other and with faculty. It has multiple focus areas, including accessibility, bias awareness, and incorporating marginalized and underrepresented voices in conversations and curricula” – Haya Ghandour, Sophomore, SEAS; Undergraduate Student Consultant, CTL Students as Pedagogical Partners (SAPP) Initiative. Inclusive Teaching and Learning Online With the rapid shift to online learning, instructors can draw on principles of inclusive teaching to help students feel a sense of belonging, ensure they can access course materials, and support them in achieving learning goals. The current context calls for empathy and resilience on the part of both students and instructors. The following resource provides strategies for inclusive teaching online and is structured around the five principles of inclusive teaching as outlined in the Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia. Principle 1: Establish and support a class climate that fosters belonging for all students. How can you create a positive online course climate for students in your live Zoom class sessions and your CourseWorks course site? How will you know the climate is supporting learning online? It is important to think about your learners, their prior experiences with online learning, and their needs. Transitioning a course online mid-semester provides an opportunity to check-in with your students and partner with them on creating a supportive online learning environment.
With a wealth of online resources available, consider ways to integrate relevant course materials that bring in diverse perspectives and examples. Encourage students to play an active role in sharing resources they find online and making connections across course content.
With the rush to online teaching and learning, accessibility should be at the forefront and not an afterthought. All students benefit from accessible content and opportunities to engage with course materials that set them up for success.
Provide multiple means of representation
Whether you are new to teaching online or a seasoned online instructor, taking time to reflect on your experiences, assumptions about your learners and online learning, in general, is critical to practice as it provides insights into small changes you can make to foster inclusive teaching and learning.
Resources: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning. Inclusive Teaching Resources (includes MOOC, Guide, Accessibility resource) Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning. (2020). Asynchronous Learning Across Time Zones. Rice University. (2020). Inclusion, Equity, and Access While Teaching Remotely. Reflections on Teaching and Learning. The CTE Blog. Sathy, V. and Hogan, K. A. (2019). Want to Reach All of Your Students? Here’s How to Make Your Teaching More Inclusive. The Chronicle of Higher Education. CIRTL Network. (2020). Teaching Inclusively in the Online, Synchronous Classroom. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning.
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USWe are a collective Group of Educators in many different fields, all completing (or have completed) a Masters of Education at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. we all have an interest in teaching and learning with equity in mind. Archives
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