How do you make online teaching inclusive?

In my experience, out of more than twenty webinars I have conducted online on various topics since the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most creative methods to grab the audience's attention, get more engagement from them, and also get to know them better was asking short two-word questions at the beginning of the first session and requesting their answers in the chat bar. Very simple questions like "How old are you?" "Which city are you from?" "What field did you study?" and "What do you do?" These questions can vary greatly depending on the webinar's topic and the audience. Certainly, it's important to remember that there isn't always an opportunity for an interview before an online class.

Have an inclusive framework, designer and a content creator. The content creator is the module leader, lesson planner or lecturer. They put in the information. Your inclusive framework sets out all your EDI expectations through understanding student demographics and learning needs. Your designers will have EDI related design skills for effective visuals that collaborate with the content. If not: You may have a lot of content that makes your slides text heavy because you have no designer or design skills. This will not align with your inclusive framework expectations for easy to read slides. If you do not have a framework you may not consider all diverse learner needs because this involves conscious awareness of everyone.

There is so much power in creating gathering or community time in online courses. For example, you can greet each student by their preferred name as they join an online session. Something as simple as, "Good morning _____!" and engaging in some small talk can help make students feel seen. It can also help you build rapport and ease any discomfort one may have.

In my experience it is essential to design the online course in a way that caters to different learning and engagement styles. Additionally offer different learning activities to offer the student the autonomy to choose the learning path that caters to their needs and facilitates them in achieving the learning outcomes. Asking for what they need or prefer is based on the assumption that they actually are self aware enough to know what those are. In my experience as a lecturer some do, others don't. You are better off designing and delivering in a variety of ways.

First of all, ONLINE lectures should be shorter than the usual class lectures. It should be focused on one topic with media (graphics, pictures, short videos, etc...)

In my opinion, the Zoom platform breakout rooms and collaborative whiteboard creates the best way to deliver inclusivity for participants. As recent as last week, I had a student tell me she never had a teacher use these tools until I asked her to do it. Consider that she completed one year of school online. When these things are considered, students feel more included in their learning.

Choosing inclusive tools and platforms includes choosing options that are accessible for students with disabilities. Be aware that with some tools and platforms, you need to manually enable accessibility features, such as captions. You can Google how to use the accessibility features in your chosen tools and platforms.

In my experience with online learning, PearDeck was an amazing platform that allowed for collaboration amongst peers, but also let participants remain anonymous to avoid being put on the spot. PearDeck has great interactive features, and templates for slide decks that make the easy to follow and push for engagement.

Self-Reflection Activities: Incorporate regular self-reflection activities where students assess their own progress and learning. This can be done through journaling, self-assessment forms, or reflective prompts. Encourage students to identify their strengths, areas for improvement, and strategies they can use to enhance their learning. Example: After completing a project or presentation, students can write a self-reflection where they evaluate their performance, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for future improvement.

Select digital tools that are accessible and user-friendly for all students. These should have features like text-to-speech, adjustable text size, and closed captioning.

In addition, equal participation of male and female students is pivotal. Providing balanced opportunities in classroom activities fosters equity. Design activities promoting collaboration, skill application, and diverse viewpoints. For instance, group debates on contemporary issues or collaborative science experiments. Also, consider varied learning styles, such as incorporating visual aids for visual learners and interactive discussions for auditory learners. This ensures comprehensive engagement for all students.

Designing inclusive content and activities involves including diversity, such as cultural diversity. Another type of diversity is disability. When giving examples, or using images in a lecture presentation, you can feature people with disabilities along with people of different cultures. For example, you could show an image of someone using a wheelchair, walker, crutches, cane, white cane for the blind, hearing aids, or service animal.

This is very real, and it demonstrates the importance of iteration. The experiences students may bring, and most likely will be constantly shifting, sticking to the same examples and content session after session will most likely miss relevance for some students depending on intersections of racial, gender, class, ethnicity, religious, ancestral national origin, disability, sexuality, documentation status, and many other identities. As a white man, it is particularly important to be aware of what voices we are uplifting in the classroom, is it primarily white men or a more inclusive set of voices and perspectives? Often, if all else fails, sticking with centering & uplifting the voices of those most oppressed in society is a safe choice

Don't forget that you are frequently teaching students who have experienced trauma (the details of which you don't need to know in order to provide trauma-informed practices). Inclusive spaces, online or offline, support the inclusion of sensory toys for regulation, shifts in language like "what questions do you have" instead of "do you have any questions" that make the space for the student to ask, encouraging listening to the body (even when that means a student is laying down with their legs up the wall or from their bed), and frequently naming emotions to normalize their experiences (I can see this is frustrating for you, wow look how proud you are to have accomplished that).

Peer Feedback Groups: Divide students into small groups and assign them the task of providing feedback on each other's work. This can be done through peer editing, group discussions, or presentations. Encourage students to focus on specific aspects, such as content, organization, or language use. Provide guiding questions or rubrics to help them structure their feedback effectively. Example: In a writing assignment, students can exchange their drafts with a peer and provide feedback on the clarity of ideas, organization, grammar, and overall coherence. They can use a checklist or rubric to guide their assessment.

In the world of online teaching, effective and inclusive communication is very important. Using clear, polite language in messages and feedback fosters an inclusive atmosphere. Utilizing inclusive pronouns, names, and terms acknowledges student identities. A nurturing online community is fostered by valuing diversity, inclusion, and participation. Teachers must ensure impartiality, avoiding biases. Equitable communication, irrespective of gender, cultivates a balanced classroom. Conversations should reflect parity, eradicating any gender-based favoritism. The goal is a classroom where every student feels equally valued and heard, incorporating unbiased and inclusive discourse.

Communicating inclusively includes using the proper language when referring to people with disabilities. Make sure to Google the appropriate terminology to use when talking about disabled people. For example, use the terms “person with a disability” or “disabled person”—not terms like “differently-abled.” As another example, don’t say “a woman who is wheelchair-bound”—instead say “a woman who uses a wheelchair.”

Model the Process: Demonstrate the peer and self-assessment process to your students by providing examples and modeling how to give constructive feedback. Show them how to analyze their own work and identify strengths and areas for improvement. This modeling helps students understand the process and builds their confidence in providing feedback. Establish a Safe and Supportive Environment: Create a classroom culture that values and respects diverse perspectives and encourages constructive criticism. Foster an environment where students feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. Emphasize the importance of providing feedback that is specific, constructive, and respectful.

Foster an environment where all students feel valued and heard. Encourage participation, respect diverse viewpoints, and provide clear, constructive feedback.

I agree recognize everyone has a voice and not all will respond. Give alternative ways to communicate whether it is with the chat or private message. Participation is important and is a part of belonging.

Clear Expectations: Clearly communicate the purpose and benefits of peer and self-assessment to your students. Explain how it can help them improve their understanding, provide valuable feedback, and develop critical thinking skills. Set clear expectations for the assessment process, including criteria, rubrics, and guidelines.

Teachers should be open to evaluation and feedback from their students. It models and reinforces the culture where mistakes, errors and self regulation is promoted. Students embrace this culture whilst observing the use of metacogntion, self regulation and development in their teachers. Hence, their attitudes towards learning and development are enhanced.

Surveying the classroom is a wonderful way to gather real time input from students regarding your instructional practice and classroom atmosphere. Take time to make meaningful and individualized questions about what you'd like to improve on and gather from your students in order to collect valuable feedback. Then, use this feedback to facilitate an open dialogue with the group regarding their perspectives. Use the safe space to allow students to engage with one another, the course, and contribute to the course guidelines and learning space. As a former instructor, I found this community model to create immense opportunities for trial and error that led to an inclusive learning space that met the needs of all learners.

Good feedback mechanism and learners active participation.? One way to make online teaching inclusive is the use of regular feedback. This helps learners to appreciate the fact that their learning activities is being noticed and monitored by their teachers and peers. Learners active participation in online classes leads to a good interactive atmosphere and collaborations between learners and their peers from different?backgrounds most especially when classes are live and not recorded. For example, this can be enhanced by classroom polling, Zoom chat window, screen sharing with other learners and participant, and online discussion board.

Apart from setting expectations, you need to frequently try to make it 2 way. Ways to do is include asking questions, ask for their experiences in similar situations and recap - ask the students to recap topics covered.

I've learned that all teaching situations benefit from taking the time, at every lesson, to "warm the space between us" so that everyone feels welcome and comfortable. As well, it's beneficial to all who attend to include time for integration towards the end of the lesson so that students can reflect and digest the lesson, share insights and take aways and be given an opportunity to give feedback. In other words, connection and quality over quantity is greatly appreciated by students. Also, on a practical note, it's also valuable to start off with an orientation of sorts so that students feel acquainted and comfortable from the beginning with the learning platform, the "housekeeping", agreements about group learning, etc.

- Review the backgrounds of your students. A cursory review of their student profile helps. - Ask questions about them in your first session. Break the ice. I tend to ask direct questions vs open ended questions as Open ended questions may go into a discussion that cuts into teaching time. For e.g - how many of you are employed? Or How many of you have done accounting studies before at any level? - Engage students in class through quizzes(introverts love these because they don't have to talk) and continuously provide them with feedback and an opportunity to contribute ( extroverts love these because they can talk) by walking through the quiz with them. Same quiz, same topic yet you get feedback from students directly or indirectly.

One thing I found helpful is connecting with student and parents to develop a bond.This opens us to use tools require for teaching.if we can't connect how can we correct.

To make online teaching inclusive and enjoyable, you must understand the needs of your students! First, you should ensure that everyone is familiar with the tools used on the online platform. Second, plan your lesson in such a way that all learners will understand and achieve their learning outcomes. Third, encourage collaborative learning and support those who need more support online. Finally, check to ensure that everyone is happy and knows what they are doing through questioning.

Teaching online requires prompt communication and specific, actionable feedback. Learners must know that you genuinely care about their success. Providing consistent feedback that guides them toward that success demonstrates your commitment to helping them reach their goals.