Drs. Carrol Warner and Michelle Bartlett from North Carolina State University presented a recorded session about “Creating and Maintaining an Inclusive Online Learning Environment” for the 2020 Lilly Conference. The two presenters have extensive experience and showed several tools and approaches. I appreciate hearing their rationale for certain activities. They mentioned five areas for creating an inclusive environment:
- Extend empathy
- Set expectations
- Course content
- Design
- Reflect
They also mentioned five principles the Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning. The first principle is to establish and support a climate that fosters belonging for all. Warren suggests setting expectations by using a graphic or diagram. To create a sense of belonging, Warren mentioned an activity that prompts learners to share a photo that brings them joy. I like this one! Another example was a Padlet board to encourage participants to share takeaways or ideas. Warren also uses smore.com to create newsletters that look great! Smore.com has templates, and you can embed videos to personalize. Bartlett suggested that instructors think about the class climate from the student perspective and reflect on instructor presence. Using a warm syllabus and student hours instead of office hours were mentioned. I’ve been trying to use more welcoming language, and I will now follow Bartlett’s advice to search for examples of warm syllabi. I love how Bartlett mentioned in this and another talk to consider low-bandwidth issues and alternatives. Dotstorming is another tool that was mentioned similar to Padlet with upvoting capabilities. Bartlett also described the use of live Padlet word clouds: this is one use i didn’t realize was available! To include everyone in the discussion, GoogleSheets can be used. This may be particularly appealing to less vocal students. Bartlett also mentions that this becomes a shared resource.
Principle two is to set expectations for success by being clear in communicating course structure and tasks. Bartlett uses a color-coded course schedule broken down by module (each with a distinct color). By chunking, students see distinct parts and hopefully don’t get overwhelmed! Bartlett also uses a cool animated Canva.com timeline that is embedded in the LMS and highlights major tasks.
Principle three is to select course content that recognizes diversity and acknowledges barriers to inclusion. This one I find personally challenging to do in an appropriate non-tokenizing way. Bartlett encourages using diverse authors in assigned readings, respecting all religious holidays by shifting deadlines as needed, and addressing micro aggressions when they occur. Bringing diverse perspectives, voices, examples, and people into your online class can be done in many ways, starting by revisiting content. Think about barriers to inclusion in online courses: time limitations for synchronous sessions and bandwidth issues some students may experience due to work schedules or technology access.
The fourth principle is one that we are now proactively trying to do: design all course elements for accessibility. Warren mentioned UDL guidelines to provide access to all students and compared to individual access support or accommodations.
The last principle is to reflect on one’s beliefs about teaching online to maximize self-awareness and commitment to inclusion. I really like how this is worded. It resonates with being a reflective teacher. Bartlett mentioned peer review and the benefits of suggestions from colleagues and requesting feedback specifically for inclusion. Bartlett suggested a short statement in your teaching philosophy that you can share with your welcome email. I like this idea! Finally, Bartlett has written an article on netiquette I want to read. Warren and Bartlett have so much experience in online education. Their tips and tools help educators provide educational experiences that align with the five principles for inclusive online spaces.
