Over the past few weeks, faculty at Lewis and Clark have been called upon to make radical changes to their teaching. Nearly all of us have designed our courses for in-person, traditional classroom meetings; but now, we must move them to an entirely online format, and fast. For some of us, including some students, these changes may feel uncomfortable, and even disturbing. Even those who feel comfortable with online tools have had to adjust to using those tools exclusively. We are all learning together what technologies can serve our learning objectives and match our teaching style and we are trying to become versant with them. This is all good, and necessary.
However, as many of us have begun to realize, the use of technology for teaching and learning requires that we and our students have access to technology in the first place. Our campus is set up to offer that access to all of our students and faculty, but when teaching is removed from campus and dispersed to locations far and wide, we no longer know what kind of access our students, or even our faculty, have to technology. Some may live in households without wifi. The public places where free wifi is available (libraries, coffee houses, restaurants) are for the most part closed. Some may have cellular plans with limited data; some may have no data at all and limit their phone use to locations with wifi. In addition, some students and faculty alike may be working in environments where interruptions and distractions (from children, pets, ambient noise, etc.) are unavoidable.
As we move forward with our planning, therefore, we need to remember this fundamental reality: the use of technology is premised on access to technology, and that access should not be assumed or taken for granted. We have included below some ideas and recommendations that we hope will be useful. However, the first and most crucial element in addressing the potential problem of access is to be aware of it, and to communicate this awareness to your students. For reasons of equity, students need to hear from us that we don’t assume that everyone has the same access to technology in this situation, and that we stand ready to assist them in finding solutions to their challenges.
Here are a few ideas about how to keep equity and inclusion in mind as we transition to delivering our curriculum online:
- If you do nothing else, ask your students if they have access to technology that will allow them to use video conferencing, check email and course websites, and anything else you will be asking them to do online. Several service providers are offering free or reduced subscriptions (see additional information about Learning Remotely compiled by our Office of Information Technology).
In your asking, strive to normalize the possibility that access may be challenging to some. If they do let you know of some challenges, get the details you need to help them find solutions. If you don’t know what the solutions are, call upon our many wonderful resource people on campus or consult the Digital Resilience resources that have been compiled by our Office of Information Technology. Chances are, we can find a solution.
- Now more than ever, think about transparency. Consider what you assume students know--about assignments, technology, expectations--and add clarification. This is especially important for big assignments that carry a lot of weight in the course grade. For those, it’s worth thinking through some of the issues in this template for transparent assignments.
- Identify the most important learning objective(s) for assignments and consider if you can accomplish your goal(s) by using a variety of modalities. For example, if you had planned to assign presentations, what is your main goal for the assignment (oral performance, conveying information, making an argument, incorporating audience perspectives)? Different goals will allow for different modalities: in addition to presenting by video conference, perhaps a video or audio recording, or even a written script could meet your objectives.
- Incorporate some asynchronous assignments to give students flexibility to adapt--to time zones, to shared internet, to limited access to a quiet work space. Likewise, think about how you might capture live interactions. If you decide to record class discussions, please be mindful of FERPA guidelines for ensuring that any recording that could identify a student as a member of your class is only available to other members of that class (you can find more details at the CAS FAQ under lnstruction/Faculty Resources). A “record” of class discussion can take many forms: for example, you could have students create a written summary that not only crystalizes key ideas for them, but also makes a record available to those who are in transit or have to miss something that happens in real time.
- When possible, give students options. This can give them a sense of control, which is especially important now. For those students for whom access or work environment are challenging, having various options to accomplish their work will help them feel included.
- Open up a line of communication with students and encourage them to let you know of limitations or problems they are experiencing with access. Be mindful of student privacy. Explicitly invite them to let you know privately of any issues, instead of, or in addition to, simply querying the large group verbally (i.e., “Is everyone OK with this?”). Reassure them that you care and want to know how they are coping.
- Review student accommodations. Students with disabilities and cognitive differences may have distinctive challenges in accessing online instruction. Now is a good time to retrieve the notifications of accommodations you received earlier in the semester (and Student Support Services can help you retrieve this information if you need assistance). For example, as you think about options for online exams, don’t forget to factor in students who get extra time or who take exams in a distraction free testing space.
- Consider using some low-tech solutions that can meet your learning objectives. Instead of holding all discussions in video-conferencing, mix it up. Some possibilities:
- Hold some discussions live but hold some in a forum or chat space.
- Break students into small groups, ask them to decide on their best modality for interacting, give them a task, and ask them to post to a forum the results of their discussion.
- Create a written assignment that involves a pro-con paper or scripting a discussion that represents multiple points of view.
- We may discover that the principles of Universal Design for Learning apply here as well: we create low-tech solutions for reasons of equity, but then discover that there are many benefits to adding variability to our activities (for example, giving ourselves a break from video-conferencing!).
Finally, it may be comforting to remember that a move to online instruction affects access and equity in complex and multi-faceted ways. While the change may raise challenges for some students and faculty, it may actually help others with challenges that they experience in the traditional classroom. (For example, students who feel anxious about “on the spot” participation might benefit from the multifaceted ways of participating that technology brings.) In other words, this transition will change how equity plays out in our teaching, in ways both challenging and beneficial. Who knows? We may even learn some new skills that will serve us well -- students and faculty alike -- in our future classrooms.
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