Toolkit for Inclusive Online Teaching

Toolkit for Inclusive Online Teaching

Leann Kaiser, Kelly McKenna, Kalpana Gupta, Kayon Murray-Johnson

Toolkit

Inclusive learning practices are important for all students, no matter their age, institution, or area of study. But, there are different and additional considerations needed to ensure an inclusive environment in online learning. In fact, inclusive teaching practices may be particularly critical to utilize in online education because of the learner demographics, differing instructional needs, and unique challenges present for many online learners (Shirky, 2015). This toolkit identifies inclusive teaching as intentional practices designed to eliminate marginalization and exclusion, and to support all learners in accessing and engaging in all aspects of quality education. Inclusive online teaching practices are often synonymous with good online practices, but inclusive practices go a step further with a focus on equity and success for all learners through engagement, representation, and supports. This toolkit is comprised of practices designed to provide designers and instructors of online education applicable ideas they can immediately utilize. Regardless of the context (formal, non-formal), learners (undergraduate, graduate, adults), modality (synchronous, asynchronous), or discipline taught, you can use this toolkit to discover ideas that are beneficial for your inclusive online teaching. If you are newer to teaching online, we suggest you start by exploring the Good Online Practices section. Here you will find an introduction to good practices for anyone teaching online, which in turn form the foundation for inclusive online practices. The inclusive toolkit portion is divided into four main areas: Course Design, Assessments, Discussions, and Interactions and includes associated subtopics in each area. Each subtopic includes specific suggestions and tips as well as additional resources. We encourage you to explore, learn, and use this toolkit! Shirky, C. (2015). The digital revolution in higher education has already happened. No one noticed. Medium. https://medium.com/@cshirky/the-digital-revolution-in-higher-education-has-already- happened-no-one-noticed-78ec0fec16c7

Leann Kaiser, Ph.D. (she/her) has been teaching online and researching online practices for over 20 years. Her expertise in this area has been recognized by her students and fellow educational professionals. She is a 2023 Fellow of the Colorado State University Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence and co-owner of Creative Instructional Solutions, LLC.

Kelly McKenna, Ph.D. (she/her) is a scholar and practitioner of online teaching and learning who has been recognized for her online teaching acumen. She has designed and facilitated courses focused on diversity and equity and her research is centered on developing community through the creation of inclusive online learning spaces. She completed the Colorado State University Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence in 2023.

Leann Kaiser

Kelly McKenna

Kalpana Gupta, Ed.D. (she/her) has brrn eotking in training and development for more than 20 years at several institutions of higher education. She specializes in faculty development, program development, instructional design, and online delivery. She is a 2017 graduate of the Colorado State University Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence and co-owner of Creative Instructional Solutions, LLC.

Kayon Murray-Johnson, Ph.D. (she/her) has been training and facilitating diverse adult learners for more than 15 years in the United States and Caribbean. Her work includes professional development, instructional design, and curriculum development with a culturally responsive lens as foundation. Her scholarship focuses on facilitating difficult dialogues on race and racism and she has earned accolades for her work in diversity and inclusion.

Kayon Murray-Johnson

Kalpana Gupta

Good Online Practices

Course Design

Interactions

Learner to Learner Learnet to Content Learner to Instructor Instructor Presence Learning Community

Creating and Inclusive Syllabus Diverse Voices and Materials Accessible Course Materials and Design Course Material Access and Equity Engagement Expectations

Course Organization Clear and Detailed Communication Active Learning

Discussions

Assessments

Additional Resources

Modeling NetiquetteFull ParticipationMonitor Discussion

Flexible Due Dates Flexible Assessment Formats Formative and Scaffolded Assessments

Websites Books Articles

The learning management system is where and how learners participate in class. If it doesn’t make sense or isn’t easy to use and navigate, learners may struggle to complete course requirements, their learning may be negatively affected, or they may not participate at all. By following these tips, you can create an organized online course that will help alleviate these issues.

Course Organization

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In online learning(particularly in asynchronous formats) there is less opportunity for learners to directly interact or receive information. Learners may also be more hesitant to reach out to you at a distance. Thus, class communication needs to be clear and detailed to prevent student confusion and frustration.

Good Online Practices

Clear and Detailed Communication

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Online learning can be an isolating experience for learners. As well, the default learning activities can often be individual and static in nature (for example, readings, lectures, and quizzes/exams). But, if active learning approaches are used, they can help to address these issues.

Active Learning

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Resources

1. Course Mechanics Considerations - Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning (See section on “Provide Students With Clear Guidance on Course Mechanics”)

The learning management system is where and how learners participate in class. If it doesn’t make sense or isn’t easy to use and navigate, learners may struggle to complete course requirements, their learning may be negatively affected, or they may not participate at all. By following these tips, you can create an organized online course that will help alleviate these issues.

Course Organization

2. Example Courses - University of Oklahoma Office of Digital Learning

3. Six Best Practices for Organizing Online Courses - Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences

4. Example of Course Navigation - Colorado State University Institute for Learning and Teaching

• Create a “Start Here” module that contains information to help learners get started in a class. This may include the syllabus, details on what to do during the first day(s) of the class, the link to join any synchronous meetings, and other important course documents and links.
• Use modules to organize course material by unit, topic, week, etc.
• Arrange items in modules in the order that learners will need to access them. Begin with an overview of the module contents. This should include a “to do” list that students can use to check that they’ve completed the module requirements.
• Ensure that all items needed to complete a module are included in that module (readings, videos, discussions, websites, assignment dropboxes, etc.)
• Use consistent structures and naming conventions for course items.
• Once a course has begun, make minimal to no changes. If changes must be made, have a single place where you notify students of those adjustments (for example, in course announcements).
• Limit the number of items that need to be revised in a class that is taught multiple times. For example, don’t mention due dates in recorded lectures. It can be difficult to remember what changes need to be made and outdated information can be confusing for students.
• When a class is copied and used multiple times, check to ensure that links are all working and current and any dates you did include (for example, assignment due dates) are updated.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

In online learning (particularly in asynchronous formats) there is less opportunity for learners to directly interact or receive information. Learners may also be more hesitant to reach out to you at a distance. Thus, class communication needs to be clear and detailed to prevent student confusion and frustration.

Clear and Detailed Communication

1. Best Practices for Communicating with Students Online - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

2. Communicating With Students Online - Concordia University Irvine

3. Defining Effective Online Communication - University of Connecticut

• Connect with students before class even begins through an introductory message. Include information about the class and yourself.
• Provide clear details on where and how to access all needed information and items for a course. Consider creating a navigation video that walks learners through the online learning platform and how you have organized the class.
• Set expectations for when and how you will communicate with learners and how they should communicate with you (email, virtual office hours, individual appointments). Respond to students in a timely manner.
• Provide set times when learners can synchronously connect with you and other students in class. Also provide opportunities to individually meet outside of these set times.
• Stay in frequent contact with learners. This could include posting weekly announcements (written or video), topic summaries, or reminders of upcoming assignments. This not only ensures learners are up-to-date with what is occurring in class, but it also establishes your presence and connection, making it easier for learners to reach out, if needed.
• Provide a closed caption video and written transcript that goes over the purpose, expectations, and evaluation criteria for assignments (including the grading rubric if one is used). This video can be revisited by the learners as often as needed.
• Share exemplar assignments and explain why they are exemplars.
• Provide a dedicated area in class where learners can ask questions about the course.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Active Learning

Online learning can be an isolating experience for learners. As well, the default learning activities can often be individual and static in nature (for example, readings, lectures, and quizzes/exams). But, if active learning approaches are used, they can help to address these issues.

1. Active Learning Tools - Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

2. How to Structure Active Online Learning - Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation

3. Addressing Active Learning Challenges - University of Minnesota Center for Educational Innovation

• Incorporate activities that enable learners to “leave their computer”. For example, learners can visit organizations in their communities that engage in work and topics related to the class.
• In synchronous online courses use a flipped classroom model where meeting time is used for discussions, work on projects, or problem solving activities rather than lectures or other passive activities.

• In synchronous online courses, incorporate tools that require learners to react and interact. These could include the use of polls, breakout rooms, and back channel chats. Also, don’t forget to give breaks during longer synchronous sessions.
• Use a resource (such as the list of active learning tools in the Resources section) and replace one of your current class approaches with one of these activities. For example, if you usually have learners listen to a recorded lecture and take a quiz to check for understanding, instead have them share a point they didn’t understand or would like to further explore from the lecture in a class discussion. Or, check student understanding through a game (e.g. create Jeopardy-like questions).
• Have online learners facilitate the learning of a particular topic for their peers.
• Integrate “field trips” to virtual spaces and then have learners present on the experience or content.
• Provide various types of resources on course topics (videos, podcasts, articles, blogs). Encourage learners to share their own resources on topics as well.

Tips and Suggestions

Class culture and norms can be challenging to create in online settings where individuals do not interact face-to-face and possibly not even in real-time. Yet, these items need to be carefully planned for to engender an inclusive learning environment. Creating an inclusive syllabus is one of the tools available to you to set the tone for the class and expectations for the class community. As well, distance learners may be less aware of the resources available to them as they are not physically on campus to visit offices and other services. Including these details in the syllabus ensures learners have immediate access to this information.

Creating an Inclusive Syllabus

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It is important that learners see themselves, their backgrounds, and their experiences in the materials being used in a class to help them connect to what they are learning. As well, providing a diversity of voices in class materials helps to ensure that a single culture or worldview is not dominating. While this is important in all learning settings, it is imperative online where learners are often representing a wide variety of cultural, racial, geographic, and other backgrounds.

Diverse Voices and Materials

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Course Design

Accessible Course Materials and Design

All materials in online learning settings are shared virtually, including readings, videos, synchronous meetings, documents, websites, and the learning management system itself. It is crucial that all learners are able to access and utilize course materials regardless of any limitations or learning challenges they may have.

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In most online learning environments what learners need to succeed in a class they largely need to provide for themselves (readings, materials, technology). They likely do not have access to items like on-campus computer labs, classroom laboratories, etc. Some may only be able to access your course through mobile devices. Thus, it is important to ensure that learners have access to what is required to participate in class and that it is not overly prohibitive for them to do so.

Course Material Access and Equity

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Online learners will come from diverse backgrounds and will not all have the same viewpoint regarding how they should engage in a class. Sharing clear expectations will both ensure all learners know what they need to do to succeed and that you are not making assumptions they all have had the same educational experiences. Also, it is important to clearly share these expectations as it’s not always as easy for learners to clarify questions or concerns with an instructor at a distance.

Engagement Expectations

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Resources

Class culture and norms can be challenging to create in online settings where individuals do not interact face-to-face and possibly not even in real-time. Yet, these items need to be carefully planned for to engender an inclusive learning environment. Creating an inclusive syllabus is one of the tools available to you to set the tone for the class and expectations for the class community. As well, distance learners may be less aware of the resources available to them as they are not physically on campus to visit offices and other services. Including these details in the syllabus ensures learners have immediate access to this information.

Creating an Inclusive Syllabus

1. Comprehensive Guide for Designing and Inclusive Syllabus - Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning

2. Accessible Syllabus - Tulane University

3. Diversity and Inclusion Syllabus Statements - Brown University Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning

4. Syllabus Review Guide - University of Southern California, Center for Urban Education

5. How to Make Your Solid Syllabus Liquid - Carnegie Math Pathways

6. Alternative Syllabus Formats That Promote Equity - Every Learner Everywhere

• Include inclusive syllabi statements for items such as:
• a statement on what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you and how you specifically foster, embody, and promote these aspects in your teaching
• a process for sharing pronouns and preferred names
• land acknowledgements
• how in your teaching you support neurodivergent learners
• Share with learners the support services available at a distance such as:
• writing centers
• mental health resources
• disability support services
• English language services
• free software downloads
• educational webinars
• Consider inviting people from offices on your campus (library, financial aid, disability services, tutoring services, etc.) to prepare videos or documents about what they provide and how they work with online learners.
• Share a list of the roles and responsibilities of learners and the roles and responsibilities of the instructor.
• Conduct a review of your course syllabus to become aware of language and policies to promote equity minded practices. For example, use first person language (“you” rather than “student”), write to the learner rather than the university, validate learner ability to succeed, etc.
• Consider using a liquid syllabus (see Resources below) to increase engagement, build community, better meet the needs of your learners, and provide socio-emotional support.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Diverse Voices and Materials

It is important that learners see themselves, their backgrounds, and their experiences in the materials being used in a class to help them connect to what they are learning. As well, providing a diversity of voices in class materials helps to ensure that a single culture or worldview is not dominating. While this is important in all learning settings, it is imperative online where learners are often representing a wide variety of cultural, racial, geographic, and other backgrounds.

1. Interculturalizing the Curriculum - Kwantlen Polytechnic University Intercultural Teaching Program

2. Incorporating Diverse Voices in Mathematics Teaching and Learning - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

3. Ideas on How to Represent Diverse Voices - University of Toronto Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation

• Include course readings and other resources from people of various genders, cultures, ethnicities, etc. This may include inviting virtua guest speakers to class.

• When possible, include a photo of the person(s) who authored a resource.

• Ask learners to share resources with the class on particular topics. In doing this, encourage them to look for resources that reflect their backgrounds and identities and/or ones that differ from them. These resources should not reflect a deficit in the voices represented nor set the expectation that students need to speak for a particular group. Rather, they should be used to increase the variation in ways of knowing and seeing the world.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

All materials in online learning settings are shared virtually, including readings, videos, synchronous meetings, documents, websites, and the learning management system itself. It is crucial that all learners are able to access and utilize course materials regardless of any limitations or learning challenges they may have.

Accessible Course Materials and Design

1.Creating Accessible Content and Checking for Accessibility - Colorado State University Assistive Technology Resource Center

2. Accessibility Toolkit - Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

3. What, Why, and How of Accessibility - Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning

4. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines - CAST

5. The Importance of Universal Design for Learning - Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Many programs have built-in accessibility checkers (Word, Powerpoint, many learning management systems, etc.). Ensure that you run materials through the checkers and use their suggestions to revise materials to be accessible. You don’t need to be an accessibility expert to effectively use these checkers.

• Ensure that technology and tools used are accessible. For example, use presentation platforms allow for closed captions and are accessible for screen readers.

• Many institutions have instructional designers and accessibility experts available who can help you design or redesign aspects of your online course to be accessible.

• If you are new to accessibility, chose an item or two to revise for each class you teach. In doing so, soon you will find that creating and using accessible materials becomes automatic and simple. Some examples of items to start with:

• Add captions to videos (use a video capture system that creates relatively accurate automatic captions so you only need to go back and correct errors).

• Add alt-text to all images.

• Run presentations and other visuals through a color contrast checker.

• Use descriptive wording for hyperlinks.

• Use headings and paragraph style features.d syllabus (see Resources below) to increase engagement, build community, better meet the needs of your learners, and provide socio-emotional support.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Course Material Access and Equity

In most online learning environments what learners need to succeed in a class they largely need to provide for themselves (readings, materials, technology). They likely do not have access to items like on-campus computer labs, classroom laboratories, etc. Some may only be able to access your course through mobile devices. Thus, it is important to ensure that learners have access to what is required to participate in class and that it is not overly prohibitive for them to do so.

1.Equity Considerations - Washington University in St. Louis Center for Teaching and Learning (See “Design Your Course With Accessibility and Equity in Mind” section)

2. Directory of Open Access Journals

3. What, Why, and How of Accessibility - Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning

• As much as possible, provide open educational resources (OER) for class readings and other course materials. These are resources available to everyone at no cost. Librarians can often provide information about how to find and use OERs or how to develop your own. There are also OER lists in the Resources below.
• Do not require the use of software or websites that will incur additional costs for learners. Use the tools already provided within the learning management system and by your educational institution.
• Assess learner access to the necessary technology for a class. For example, if video meetings are required, does the learner have a web cam? Include information on the syllabus or introductory course page about technology requirements for the class and the alternative options if a learner does not have access to the necessary technology.
• Review if your course and related materials are able to be accessed from a mobile device.
• Investigate the privacy policies and data ownership of technology and tools used in your online course, particularly if you require learners to use them.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Online learners will come from diverse backgrounds and will not all have the same viewpoint regarding how they should engage in a class. Sharing clear expectations will both ensure all learners know what they need to do to succeed and that you are not making assumptions they all have had the same educational experiences. Also, it is important to clearly share these expectations as it’s not always as easy for learners to clarify questions or concerns with an instructor at a distance.

Engagement Expectations

1. What is ‘Swift Trust,’ and Why Do I Want it in My Classes? | Faculty Focus

2. 9 Tips for Creating an Engaging Virtual Learning Experience - Brookes Blog

• Clarify what the expectations are for engaging with the content and learners in the course. Do they need to rely on other learners for their success in the course or can they solely engage with the instructor and content?
• Who or what is a learner’s first point of contact when they have questions or concerns?
• Learners are good at doing what instructors ask. If your expectations include that they need to post a response to a discussion question and then respond to two other posts, research shows this is what they’ll do. But, they might not be reading any other posts and as such are missing out on the valuable expertise of the other learners. Consider an expectation of engaging with the other learners throughout the discussion and building on ideas posted rather than requiring a set number of posts and responses.
• Provide examples of what a good discussion post might be. Make note that simply posting "I agree" or "nice post" is not adding value to a a discussion.
• Learners may not be confident that they have the knowledge or background to constructively add to a discussion. Provide suggestions of various ways they can contribute (directly respond to a prompt, give a real-life example, share a relevant resource, ask a follow up question, summarize the conversation).

Tips and Suggestions

Online learning attracts a diverse learner population as it can often be more accessible in terms of time and location. However, due to the geographic distance it can feel very isolating. So, it’s extremely important to create community in an online environment and to facilitate learner engagement to combat feelings of being alone in the distance environment. Focusing on the creation of a learning community also recognizes the importance of each learners' unique contributions to the space and highlights the diverse experiences and perspectives of each learner.

Learner to Learner

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In the online learning environment content needs to be effectively delivered because the modality makes it more difficult to gain clarity or correction in a timely manner. If content isn’t accessible or is confusing, particularly for the distance learning population which is comprised of diverse learners with varied experiences and backgrounds, it becomes more difficult for the learners to be successful as frustration may set in.

Learner to Content

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Interactions

Learner satisfaction in online courses is closely connected to their relationship with the course instructor. Feeling connected to the instructor can help to combat feelings of isolation for the diverse online learning population. Also, interactions between learners and instructors create opportunities to address positionality.

Learner to Instructor

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Online learning can feel isolating so it is important for the instructor to be present in the course and in the learning. This presence ensures the instructor is relatable so the learners can connect with them as a resource and as someone they can reach out to if they are experiencing challenges. Instructor presence also helps to establish course norms and expectations that guide appropriate course behaviors and interactions.

Instructor Presence

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Creating a learning community to support all learners in successfully navigating online learning and diminish the isolation that can occur online is very important to a learners success and satisfaction. The creation of community is necessary in an online learning space to support co-learning.

Learning Community

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Resources

Online learning attracts a diverse learner population as it can often be more accessible in terms of time and location. However, due to the geographic distance it can feel very isolating. So, it’s extremely important to create community in an online environment and to facilitate learner engagement to combat feelings of being alone in the distance environment. Focusing on the creation of a learning community also recognizes the importance of each learners' unique contributions to the space and highlights the diverse experiences and perspectives of each learner.

1. Student Interaction Online | Teaching and Learning Resource Center (osu.edu)

Learner to Learner

2. What College Students Wish Professors Knew About Inclusive Online Teaching | EdSurge News

3. Fostering Student-to-Student Connections (illinois.edu)

4. What is ‘Swift Trust,’ and Why Do I Want it in My Classes? | Faculty Focus

• Create informal social spaces for learners to connect. Also, encourage learners to design and/or utilize informal spaces for connection. You might have a discussion thread for off topic discussion, or a discussion solely created for learner interactions without instructor access. Identifying spaces solely for learner engagement recognizes the power balance and positionality between learners and instructors.
• Integrate multiple ways for learners to engage with one another throughout the duration of the course. Allow access for learner-to-learner messaging and create groups within the LMS for learners that may be collaborating on an activity or have a common experience. Multiple learner engagement opportunities and experiences may diminish power distance between learners due to age, gender, ability etc.
• Design collaborative learning opportunities with a focus on social knowledge construction. Highlighting social knowledge construction recognizes the need for diverse learner perspectives and the importance of all contributions. This can be achieved through the use of discussion boards, group work, peer review, presentations, shared projects, and student facilitated activities.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

In the online learning environment content needs to be effectively delivered because the modality makes it more difficult to gain clarity or correction in a timely manner. If content isn’t accessible or is confusing, particularly for the distance learning population which is comprised of diverse learners with varied experiences and backgrounds, it becomes more difficult for the learners to be successful as frustration may set in.

1. Interactions and Online Learning - YouTube

Learner to Content

2. Interaction | Structured Student Interactions in Online Distance Learning (merelearning.ca)

3. Choose Asynchronous Strategies Intentionally - Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

• Creating accessible recordings of any synchronous content supports equitable access for a diverse learner population that may not be available to participate at a particular time for a variety of reasons, including access issues and other overlapping commitments. It also creates a resource for learners to revisit at a later time for review or to clarify confusing or difficult content.
• Always request permission to record synchronous sessions and be cognizant of when to stop recording (breakout rooms).
• Utilize content that represents diverse contributors and perspectives.

• Integrate content that is delivered in a variety of modalities (video, written, visual etc.). Allow and create opportunities for learners to respond to or engage with the content in multi-modal ways. This diverse interaction is beneficial for differing abilities. For example, have students create a visual image as a way to reflect on material, or have them participate in an asynchronous discussion by recording an informal video.
• Utilize reflection activities in multimodal ways. Learners may have a written reflection journal or they might create video or audio reflections. They might choose to engage in reflection via poetry, drawing, photography, a concept map, or capturing thought from a conversation.
• Incorporate tools that are intuitive and beneficial to the learning objectives. Remember technology alone cannot replace good pedagogy/andragogy.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

1. What College Students Wish Professors Knew About Inclusive Online Teaching | EdSurge News

Learner satisfaction in online courses is closely connected to their relationship with the course instructor. Feeling connected to the instructor can help to combat feelings of isolation for the diverse online learning population. Also, interactions between learners and instructors create opportunities to address positionality.

Learner to Instructor

2. elearn Magazine: A Messaging Framework for Online Educators (acm.org)

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwklhZ7GACw

4. Interaction | Structured Student Interactions in Online Distance Learning (merelearning.ca)

• Communicate with learners early, often, and in a variety of ways. This can initially be achieved by having all learners introduce themselves (to you and/or the class) and then individually responding to each learner. Within these early interactions an instructor has the opportunity to address any accommodations necessary for a learner's success.
• Introduce yourself to learners by sharing who you are as an instructor, how they can address you, and a little about you as an individual. Consider including a picture of yourself or creating a welcome video. This may create an opportunity for a diverse learner to connect with various aspects of an instructor (gender, race, ethnicity, ability...)
• Check in with learners to understand what concerns they may have about the class. This includes discussing how to support them in being successful in the course and to improve their learning. For example, learners might be required to send a message at the beginning of the course identifying what may hinder their success in the course. Then have learners again message the instructor at the midpoint of the course to identify what has gone well, items they can modify to ensure their continued success or course correct, and suggest what the instructor might modify for an improved learning experience.
• Provide constructive feedback for learners that highlights their strengths as well as opportunities for improvement. Assuming learners know how to correct something without clear suggestions can further isolate and cause frustration for online learners. This might be achieved by creating a video with the feedback information to alleviate miscommunication and potentially may better support a learner accommodation.
• Feedback should be completed early and often in the online environment.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Online learning can feel isolating so it is important for the instructor to be present in the course and in the learning. This presence ensures the instructor is relatable so the learners can connect with them as a resource and as someone they can reach out to if they are experiencing challenges. Instructor presence also helps to establish course norms and expectations that guide appropriate course behaviors and interactions.

Instructor Presence

1. Recommendations to Increase Student Engagement in Online Courses | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning | Northern Illinois University (niu.edu)

• You should be present and promptly address any concerns that arise (e.g. inappropriate language, comments, microaggressions). Often these issues may be solved by discussing the concern with a learner and potentially deleting inappropriate posts.
• Do not dominate discussions or activities, but allow learner-to-learner engagement. Do not respond to every post. Allow learners to respond to each other. Significant instructor posting can lead to diminished learner-to-learner interaction and can cease interactions when the instructor is seen as the final authority. Participate to redirect, introduce a subject, and to wrap up an activity or discussion.
• Establish a presence through frequent class check-ins, such as weekly announcements or introductions to each new module or topic. Consider posting these via video (closed captioned with a written transcript).
• In all communication with students, encourage them to ask questions and reach out to you with any concerns.
• Share ideas, life experiences, critical reflections and personal perspectives as they connect to class topics. Encourage learners to do the same.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Creating a learning community to support all learners in successfully navigating online learning and diminish the isolation that can occur online is very important to a learners success and satisfaction. The creation of community is necessary in an online learning space to support co-learning.

1. Student Interaction Online | Teaching and Learning Resource Center (osu.edu)

Learning Community

2. Recommendations to Increase Student Engagement in Online Courses | Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning | Northern Illinois University (niu.edu)

• Facilitate the introduction of all learners. Encourage them to introduce themselves with person first or identity first introductions. One way to do this is to have everyone share the story of their name (first name, last name, nickname, etc.). This allows people to get to know each other’s names and also a little about their background and history.
• Introductions can be achieved through video, poems, written narrative, visualizations, etc.
• Require “real” engagement between learners. Make it clear that the experiences of all the learners in the class are beneficial and offer learning opportunities. Create participation expectations that lead to real engagement and valuing of peers rather than perfunctory engagement in discussions and activities. For example, identifying a specific number of required posts in a discussion often lends itself to perfunctory participation.
• In asynchronous online classes, include videos of yourself and encourage learners to do so as well. Videos of this nature should be created for each current class, rather than recycling videos from past classes. These videos allow the distance created through online learning to be overcome a bit and for learners to see the instructor and fellow learners as real people. If learners are not comfortable sharing their face on a recorded video, use technology that allows audio sharing with an associated image.
• Have learners share how they are feeling about a particular topic through a meme, a song, or a movie quote.
• Create opportunities for learners to support and learn from each other. Have learners facilitate the learning for an identified topic.
• Integrate or encourage buddies or partners who would benefit from connecting and collaborating. This might be done simply as a buddy system for the class or through collaborative activities.
• In asynchronous courses provide opportunities for learners to interact in real-time. For example set up weekly informal video chats or pair learners together as peer-mentors.
• Plan in opportunities for students to share about themselves, their perspectives, and their backgrounds. Don’t just offer these activities at the beginning of class as it takes time for a group to get to know and trust each other.

Tips and Suggestions

Learners from differing cultures and communities may have diverse communication norms. In addition, learners may be new to online learning and/or unfamiliar with online discussion behavior expectations so demonstrating equitable and inclusive discussion behaviors provides an exemplar for what you want learners to utilize in online discussions.

Modeling

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Discussions

Establishing and communicating ground rules, guidelines, and expectations for online discussions that are respectful and inclusive of all participants is necessary for successful discussion board integration. These can be created by the instructor or with input from learners.

Netiquette

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Full Participatiion

Asynchronous online discussions allow for all voices to be heard rather than being dominated by select voices as is often common during in-person discussions. Often marginalized voices are the ones that are overshadowed, so online discussions have the potential to better support participation by all learners, through the sharing of ideas and experiences.

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Monitoring discussion helps to ensure inclusive, welcoming, and safe learning spaces. Continually observing discussions ensures they support participation by all learners and that any inappropriate and/or discriminatory behavior and exclusionary or offensive language in a discussion is identified and corrected.

Monitor Discussion

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Resources

Modeling

Learners from differing cultures and communities may have diverse communication norms. In addition, learners may be new to online learning and/or unfamiliar with online discussion behavior expectations so demonstrating equitable and inclusive discussion behaviors provides an exemplar for what you want learners to utilize in online discussions.

1. Facilitating asynchronous online discussions – Online Teaching at the University of Michigan

2. Five Tips for Respecting Diversity in Asynchronous Discussion Forums - Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

• Whenever communicating with, responding to a learner, or referencing them in your post, it’s beneficial to utilize their preferred name. This is a way to recognize the learner and encourages all learners to do the same when participating in a discussion board.
• Ensuring you are familiar with learners' correct pronouns and utilizing these in discussion posts and conversations demonstrates this expectation for the class a whole. Also identify your pronouns when introducing yourself at the start of the course.
• Utilizing inclusive language and content that supports all learners is necessary for creating a safe and supportive discussion space. Be aware of modeling practices that make assumptions. For example, consider the examples that you share in the course (refer to course breaks at the end of the year as semester or winter break rather than referring to a holiday.)
• Recognize and acknowledge when you have made a mistake (e.g. an unintentional microaggression or incorrect pronoun usage) and learn from the mistake. This creates an opportunity for learners to see you as a real person and models expectations for inclusive participation by everyone.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Netiquette

Establishing and communicating ground rules, guidelines, and expectations for online discussions that are respectful and inclusive of all participants is necessary for successful discussion board integration. These can be created by the instructor or with input from learners.

1. Self-Evaluation Checklist for Inclusive Discussions - University of North Texas

2. Facilitating Asynchronous Online Discussions – Online Teaching at the University of Michigan

3. How to Make Your Virtual Discussions Engaging, Effective, and Equitable in Eight Steps | Faculty Focus

• In a synchronous discussion you might require learners to raise their hand to speak. This creates space for all learners to participate by minimizing the dominance of a few learners and supporting all learners in engaging regardless of cultural or personal reticence.
• Consider including multiple ways to participate in a discussion such as utilizing chat or breaking into small groups. This approach takes diverse learner cultures and abilities into account.
• It may be necessary to explicitly identify that no personal attacks will be permitted in any discussions. Then consider including examples or educating learners on microaggressions.
• Using “yes, and…” language rather than, “but…” can be one way to support all view points and help avoid negative or confrontational discussions. Share examples of what a successful contentious discussion may look like.
• Consider allowing learners the ability to edit their responses. This will help support an inclusive and equitable learning-filled discussion and provides visual representations of potential growth and learning.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Full Participation

Asynchronous online discussions allow for all voices to be heard rather than being dominated by select voices as is often common during in-person discussions. Often marginalized voices are the ones that are overshadowed, so online discussions have the potential to better support participation by all learners, through the sharing of ideas and experiences.

1.How to Make Your Virtual Discussions Engaging, Effective, and Equitable in Eight Steps | Faculty Focus

2. Facilitating Asynchronous Online Discussions – Online Teaching at the University of Michigan

3. Should Class Participation be Graded? - Inside Higher Ed

• Creating discussions as a required activity will encourage participation and the inclusion of diverse voices.
• In synchronous online discussions, utilizing the “grid” or “galley view” rather than a spotlight view can support participation by all learners and the sharing of all voices.
• Utilize prompts and inclusive open-ended questions designed to support diverse experiences and ideas rather than a singular correct response.
• Reiterate that online discussion boards are informal engaging spaces, much like a discussion in the classroom. This idea may better support participation by all learners if they feel as though their posts don't need to be completed perfectly. Alignment of discussions with conversations will better support learners who may otherwise feel that they need to spend significant time preparing their posts formally as is often seen with international learners. The intention of the discussion is to share authentic voices.
• Provide options for different learner roles in class discussions. For example, if a learner is not comfortable engaging in a conversation early and putting forth new ideas, they can instead summarize the main points of the discussion or ask a question.
• Allow learners to engage in a discussion through various modalities (written, audio, video, creating a visual, etc.)

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Monitor Discussion

Monitoring discussion helps to ensure inclusive, welcoming, and safe learning spaces. Continually observing discussions ensures they support participation by all learners and that any inappropriate and/or discriminatory behavior and exclusionary or offensive language in a discussion is identified and corrected.

1. Five Tips for Respecting Diversity in Asynchronous Discussion Forums - Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning

2. Facilitating Asynchronous Online Discussions – Online Teaching at the Universiyt of Michigan

• Ensure there are established discussion board guidelines such as inclusive practices, and expect learners to adhere to these.
• In an asynchronous online discussion there is potential for inappropriate posts that do not support diverse learners in feeling supported and safe to participate authentically. You need to ensure that you are regularly reading discussion boards to recognize any such posts. Consider informing learners that you may correct or delete any exclusionary posts. In addition, the post may lead to a situation that requires you to intervene on the discussion board by discussing the situation and/or directly contacting a learner regarding their discussion participation.
• There can also be inappropriate comments made in synchronous online discussions. Utilize strategies to respond to bias such as interrupting, pivoting, advocating, addressing the issue in the moment, or addressing the issue individually with the students involved.

Tips and Suggestions

Learners of diverse backgrounds may have reasons they cannot submit an assessment by a particular due date (religious observances, taking care of a sick family member, access issues, work obligations etc.) Providing flexible due dates addresses unforeseen technology issues learners may encounter but that should not affect their ability to succeed (internet connectivity, hardware malfunction, assignment due when help desk isn’t available, etc.). Finally, learners who are new to online education and/or a particular learning management system may not yet have the knowledge to navigate a course or properly utilize assignment submission tools. Providing flexibility in due dates ensures learners are not penalized because they are learning how to use an online system. All of these examples are common among online learners, particularly when those learners may have additional challenges that call for recognition of inclusive practices such as first generation, low-income, lack of prior online learning experience, disabilities, etc.

Flexible Due Dates

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Assessments

Geographic boundaries for participation are not a factor in online learning thus there is an increased possibility of working with a greater diversity of learners (e.g. people from a variety of cultures, religions, ethnic backgrounds, family situations, learning abilities, etc.). Not all learners effectively demonstrate their learning in the same way, if there is a larger diversity of learners, the possibility of needing a variety of assessment formats increases. Learners should have the opportunity to be equitably assessed, which may not need to be based on their ability to express themselves through one format.

Flexible Assessment Formats

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Online learners may have less frequent and direct contact with the instructor. Issues or problems may go undetected unless there is a way for the instructor to check on learner progress on a regular basis. While this is a good practice for any learner, it is a particularly important to consider for inclusivity as it can help to address challenges faced by learners with processing challenges, neurodivergence, or life situations faced by online learners who are often non-traditional age (family commitments, full-time job, health issues).

Formative and Scaffolded Assessments

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Resources

Flexible Due Dates

Learners of diverse backgrounds may have reasons they cannot submit an assessment by a particular due date (religious observances, taking care of a sick family member, access issues, work obligations etc.) Providing flexible due dates addresses unforeseen technology issues learners may encounter but that should not affect their ability to succeed (internet connectivity, hardware malfunction, assignment due when help desk isn’t available, etc.). Finally, learners who are new to online education and/or a particular learning management system may not yet have the knowledge to navigate a course or properly utilize assignment submission tools. Providing flexibility in due dates ensures learners are not penalized because they are learning how to use an online system. All of these examples are common among online learners, particularly when those learners may have additional challenges that call for recognition of inclusive practices such as first generation, low-income, lack of prior online learning experience, disabilities, etc.

1.Revising Late Policies for Online Students - California Virtual Campus Online Network of Educators

• Offer a “life happens” pass. A learner can turn in an assignment after the due date by simply using their pass. This is a good option for learners that may not be comfortable disclosing why their work was late.
• Tell learners if they communicate with you before an assignment is due, you are willing to negotiate an alternate due date that is reasonable for both you and the learner.
• Reach directly out to any learner that does not submit an assignment by the due date. In that communication ask if they experienced any challenges with the assignment and how you might help them to be successful. This encourages learners who might feel they need to drop out of class because of late work to realize they can still succeed.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Flexible Assessment Formats

Geographic boundaries for participation are not a factor in online learning thus there is an increased possibility of working with a greater diversity of learners (e.g. people from a variety of cultures, religions, ethnic backgrounds, family situations, learning abilities, etc.). Not all learners effectively demonstrate their learning in the same way, if there is a larger diversity of learners, the possibility of needing a variety of assessment formats increases. Learners should have the opportunity to be equitably assessed, which may not need to be based on their ability to express themselves through one format.

1 .Equity and Assessment - Center for Professional Education of Teachers

2. Ideas for Remote Assessments - Iowa State University Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

3. Creating Inclusive Assignments and Assessments - University of Michigan

4. Alternatives for Final Assessments - Cal Poly Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology

5. Why Digital Assessments Should Go Beyond Recall and Be Inclusive - eLearn Magazine

• Clearly define what learners need to be able to do or know as a result of your course. Then, offer several ways for learners to show what they have learned. For example, if learners need to be able to explain how blood moves through the circulatory system of a human they could write an essay, draw a diagram or verbally explain the process. This might also include engaging learners in a discussion or activity that helps them to identify how they can best express they've met the learning objective.

• Consider alternatives to a traditional or proctored exams. These types of exams given at a distance can have many drawbacks including additional stress for learners, lack of appropriate technology to use the distance proctoring services, substantial planning by the instructor, and learner privacy concerns. In lieu of a proctored exam you might assess learning through a multimedia presentation, a game, an open book exam, or learner-developed exam questions.

• Unless the goal of the learning is to demonstrate the ability to accomplish something within a specific timeframe or on the first try, allow learners additional time and opportunities to revise and resubmit work. This will allows learners to demonstrate what they actually know and can do, not how fast or how accurately they can do it on the first try.

Tips and Suggestions

Resources

Formative Scaffolded Assessments

Online learners may have less frequent and direct contact with the instructor. Issues or problems may go undetected unless there is a way for the instructor to check on learner progress on a regular basis. While this is a good practice for any learner, it is a particularly important to consider for inclusivity as it can help to address challenges faced by learners with processing challenges, neurodivergence, or life situations faced by online learners who are often non-traditional age (family commitments, full-time job, health issues).

1.Student Centered Formative Assessments - San Diego State University Center for Teaching and Learning

2. Low Stakes Assignments - DePaul Teaching Commons

3. Examples of Low Stakes and Formative Assessments - Washington State University Global Campus

4. Scaffolding Assignments - How and Why - The University of Melbourne

• Provide smaller and more frequent formative/low-stakes assessments (e.g. quizzes on readings or discussions, weekly reflections). In doing this you can catch any issues or areas where more work is needed before the class progresses too far. As well these types of assessments are less stressful for learners than if their grade is only dependent on a couple of large assessments. Many of these can also be easily administered and automatically graded (or self-graded) in online platforms.
• Have each assessment build on previous assessments. This provides a scaffolded approach to learning where the learner does not need to learn and remember a great deal of information and report it all back in a single exam or assignment. Rather, they can learn one concept, then add another concept, etc. By the end of a class, this scaffolded approach will result in a full body of knowledge, but without the pressure of having to perform on a single high stakes assessment.

Tips and Suggestions

Websites

Additional Resources

Books

Articles

Websites

Fostering an Inclusive Online Environment When Developing Online Courses – Arizona State University

Online Equity Training - Peralta Community College District

Bibliography of Equity Resources - Peralta Community College District

Webinar - Creating an Inclusive Online Environment - Association of College and University Educators

Books

Davidson, C.N., & Katopodis, C. (2022). The new college classroom. Harvard University Press. Hogan, K.A. & Sathy, V. (2022). Inclusive teaching: Strategies for promoting equity in the college classroom. West Virginia University Press. Marcella Addy, T., Dube, D., Mitchell, K.A., & SoRelle, M.E. (2021). What inclusive instructors do: Principles and practices for excellence in college teaching. Stylus. Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2018). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective differentiated instruction (6th ed.). Pearson. Oleson, K.C. (2020). Promoting inclusive classroom dynamics in higher education: A research-based pedagogical guide for faculty. Stylus.

Articles

Buelow, J.R., Barry, T.A. & Rich, L.E. (2018). Supporting learning engagement with online students. Online Learning, 22(4). doi: 10.24059/olj.v22i4.1384 Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring student engagement in the online course: The Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE). Online Learning, 19(4). doi: 10.24059/olj.v19i4.561. Gebhardt, K., & McKenna, K. (2019). A messaging framework for online educators. eLearn Magazine, Special Issue: Paradigm Shifts in Global Higher Education and eLearning, 2019(5). doi: 10.1145/3329488.3331175 https://elearnmag.acm.org/archive.cfm?aid=3331175 Hoey, R. (2017). Examining the characteristics and content of instructor discussion interaction upon student outcomes in an online course. Online Learning, 21(4), 263-281. doi: 10.24059/olj.v21i4.1075 Kumar, S., Martin, F., Budhrani, K., & Ritzhaupt, A. (2019). Award-winning faculty online teaching practices: Elements of award-winning courses. Online Learning, 23(4), 160-180. doi:10.24059/olj.v23i4.2077 McKenna, K., Gebhardt, K., & Altringer, L. (2019). Exploring community in discussion board activities. Online Journal of Distance Education and eLearning, 7(3), 185-198. https://www.tojdel.net/journals/tojdel/articles/v07i03/v07i0304.pdf Sun, A., & Chen, X. (2016). Online education and its effective practice: A research review. Journal of Infor-mation Technology Education: Research, 15, 157-190. http://www.informingscience.org/Publications/3502

This toolkit was developed by Dr. Kelly McKenna and Dr. Leann Kaiser. We are fortunate to have worked with two mentors, Dr. Kalpana Gupta and Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson, to help us to view our toolkit through varied lenses of expertise, identities, and lived experiences. We (Kelly and Leann) also attempted to utilize resources from a diverse audience as we developed this toolkit. We acknowledge that any mistakes made our fully ours and that we likely have not represented all identities in these inclusive practices. As we “know better” we will continue to revise and develop this toolkit to “do better”.

This toolkit was developed by Dr. Kelly McKenna and Dr. Leann Kaiser. We are fortunate to have worked with two mentors, Dr. Kalpana Gupta and Dr. Kayon Murray-Johnson, to help us to view our toolkit through varied lenses of expertise, identities, and lived experiences. We (Kelly and Leann) also attempted to utilize resources from a diverse audience as we developed this toolkit. We acknowledge that any mistakes made our fully ours and that we likely have not represented all identities in these inclusive practices. As we “know better” we will continue to revise and develop this toolkit to “do better”.