JUST PONDERING: DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI) IN TEACHING DURING ERA OF CORVID-19
I have been pondering about students attaining learning outcomes based on how I create an iCloud instructional environment in which they learn in this period of CORVID-19 pandemic. My immediate thoughts as I ponder online teaching: synchronous, asynchronous, and ‘syn/asynchronous’! I have found that not every college student has access to Wi-Fi all the time. Surprised! A couple of days ago I complained to colleagues how some students are not responding to messages I sent through the college LMS – How am I supposed to engage them in online teaching and learning? Then reality set in when one of the students who had not responded got back to me:
Good morning, I apologize for the delayed response. My house had not had Wi-Fi until today so
it was hard for me to read these emails. My phone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. Please let me know if
there are any other steps you wish me to take. Thank you for your time.”
I teared down reading the above lines in the email sent to me. I had assumed all my students were receiving my messages and some did not just care to respond! Here goes my implicit bias despite the numerous workshops I have engaged in throughout the semester related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and teaching excellence.
I currently have the mobile phone number for 18 out of 24 students (75%) enrolled in one of my courses that must go online. I was determined to embed synchronous teaching using tools like ZOOM until learning from colleagues about possible technology glitches during zoom sessions. I am now thinking a mix of synchronous and asynchronous model and exploring tools towards syn/asynchronous instruction. I am worried about missing students’ engagement that ensues during face-to-face instruction enhancing both teaching and learning. How do I get some of that energy through online teaching, a completely new horse in my teaching craft? Can I benefit from tools that will allow closer connect with students through their mobile phone? I have created a WhatsApp group and eager to see how that goes with student engagement.
The assumptions we make about our students: For example, that every college student has a SMART phone; that they have unlimited access to WI-FI; and that they will be online at a given point to participate in a discussion! I need to think different. We could not have a better time than this period of CORVID-19 to assess our ability in translating DEI theories into practice as we consider our online instruction. Whether you have been a guru in online teaching or as na?ve like me, the challenges are enormous.
How do I create an online learning environment with DEI in mind? How do I create an environment that will engage all my students (long distance) using a technology that is not readily accessible to all and knowing that ‘one size does not fit all’? Before I get more recommendations to add to the myriad lists from various sources, especially kind-hearted vendors providing online resources free, let me state here that this is a very different context. The CORVID-19 is bringing in many factors that impact instruction and learning in significant ways. It is not business as usual with teaching or learning irrespective of format or structure of online teaching. It is time for faculty to think out of the box. No one can and should claim expertise at this moment. We should all be humble and be in a learning mode sharing our experiences, knowledge, and challenges while making real time modifications irrespective of our comfort level with online education. I have modified my course syllabi and expectations numerous times within this week based on factors within and beyond my control. Teaching and learning cannot be business as usual. Let us get intentional in learning how to teach towards optimal learning experience for students. I continue to be reminded by issues of DEI, which I profess are at the core of teaching excellence for all my students. It is indeed a challenging period for all in academia but with intentionality, irrespective of where we are in the learning curve on online education, we will emerge champions.