Equity

The quote from above was shared with my cohort from an instructor that I had in the credential program. We were discussing IEPs and 504 plans long before any of us actually had students of our own. She was explaining experiences in which teachers have asked her how some accommodations for one student is fair to the others, and this was her response. "Fairness means that everyone gets what they need," and this looks different for every student, every person. I remember these words all the time, and not just about teaching. They echoed through my mind a lot as I taught high school, and a brighter light was shed on them as I worked through this program.

Recently, I was working with an instructor on decreasing attrition in a condensed online course. The number one thing I wanted to add to this course was student-to-student interaction. I wanted to add in discussions and group work to hopefully help the students feel a sense of community and therefore support to continue when the course feels difficult.

I made a suggestion to integrate Flipgrid as means of discussing to allow students to feel that sense of community and bond with their peers by hearing their voices and listening to their stories. Personally, I'd found that despite my reservations about being on camera, it actually was fun to share my story through video with my peers through courses like Humanizing Online Teaching & Learning, and it made me feel connected to my peers because of the vulnerability the process requires as well as getting to hear their stories. I was glad to get feedback that the session ended with less attrition than the last!

The instructor and I discussed some concerns about video versus writing for this assignment before implementing it. Since the instructor didn't like using video personally, there was a bias against its use. This instructor was used to requiring writing because it's what she and the students are used to, and this was the point. Students who do well with written assignments aren't being challenged with any other type of creativity if all they're asked to do is write. More importantly, students who don't consider writing their strong suit aren't ever given the opportunity to shine in a course that only offers writing as the means to demonstrate learning. We have to create equitable experiences for our students, often by breaking out of our own comfort zones.