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Inequity exists in higher education in many forms. At the community college level, underrepresented and underprepared students taking online courses struggle in many ways. They may not be aware of the jargon of academia. They may be lacking in basic reading or writing skills. They may not have the technology to support online course work thoroughly. They may be lacking in the social and emotional support needed to be a successful first generation college student. Additionally, online students are often working more hours and carrying more life responsibilities such as parenting young children. While the anonymity of online education seems as though it could eliminate or eradicate some stereotypes or micro-aggressions and allow more flexibility in ones schedule, there are lower rates of success for these students. It is vital, therefore, that faculty build online classes that can support students facing such inequity.
Best Practices for Equity
Best Practices for Equity
To remain equitable in an online environment requires instruction to be available in both an accessible format and for a multitude of learners. Instruction formats should vary to better serve a variety of learning styles. Material should have a variety of formats that allow students to use different modalities. In any given class, there should be opportunities to read material and captioning, listen to podcasts and lectures, and watch videos or recorded course content. All of the content should follow accessibility practices. The instruction should also take into account the variety of students that attend community college courses online. Some students may be taking extra courses in between quarters at the UC system while others may returning adult learners with careers and families. The course should have support for those who are in need of more assistance. Students should be set up to succeed from the beginning.
Reflections
Reflections
Where I started
Where I started
When I began teaching online, I did not understand accessibility regulations. I learned that captioning was important and how to caption. I created video lectures and used Dragon software to create transcripts as I recorded videos, then put them together in YouTube. I was not aware of the other practices in accessibility such color contrast and screen readers.
The learning modalities that I used were heavily redundant. Discussion boards every week with written responses and typed announcements formatted like a letter where my go-to style in the online classroom. I did create video lectures using the PowerPoints I show in my classes with my voice.
I was knowledgeable about equity issues, but I was not aware of how to make supportive practices in an online format to ensure that the most fragile student populations did not fall through the cracks.
Where I am.
Where I am.
I have learned how to complete all the required accessibility practices through my training with @One as well as some on-campus resources. I use the transcription and storage through 3C Media, which has been a wonderful way to move my video lectures away from YouTube and get transcription assistance. I am now aware of how screen readers work and have learned to use Headings in Microsoft Word documents to ensure that my documents accessible. Additionally, I am using another Canvas add on that my college has subscribed to called CIDI Labs and this ensures that I am always adhering to accessibility while creating anything in Canvas.
I have also begun to break up my work for students. There is more variety from week to week in my classes that allow students to use different learning modalities.
I have also revised my syllabi to to be more friendly to first generation students that might not be familiar with the jargon of higher education.
Where I'm headed.
Where I'm headed.
I will continue to make gains in creating accessible and meaningful video content and housing it through 3C Media. There are many documents that I need to recreate. These documents are largely outdated PDF's that need to be converted to Word and then revised.
I will continue to work with new technologies such as Flipgrid to better master them. Once I have a semester without errors in management, I would like to think of new ways to add these into my courses.
I am on the Distance Learning Committee and plan to remain in this role to stay abreast of changes to online teaching. Moving all online courses towards accessibility is a focus in this committee, so I am positive I will make more gains in my courses as a direct result. Further, I will host workshops for my department to share some of these skills.
Examples
Examples
My campus has begun using Ally, a system that alerts instructors to any accessibility issues and helpful information to remedy the issue. The green gauges shown in this image are documents that I have made fully accessible.
My online courses have a variety of ways for students to interact. Flipgrid, pictured here, has a been one of the best additions to my classes! Students are able film themselves verbally replying. For students who auditory learners or skillful orators, they have the opportunity to engage in a way that better aligns with their skills. And students engage at a high level. As you can see, I had over 24 hours of engagement across two boards this semester.
I have revised all of my online syllabi to be more inclusive. Changing "Office Hours" to "Student Help Hours" ensures that all students have a clear understanding of when they can get help. Additionally, these documents are now accessible. You can see in this image the use of Headings in the document, ensuring students using screen reading technology get an accurate verbal portrayal of the content.
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