Come One! Come All! Making Online Classes Inviting, Accessible, and Effective

Audience Level: 
All
Institutional Level: 
Higher Ed
Special Session: 
Community College/TAACCCT
Diversity & Inclusion
Abstract: 

Faculty, instructional designers, and online program administrators are all responsible for creating a culture of inclusion, accessibility and student success. How can we commit to equity and accessibility, while also creating classes that are both rigorous and inviting, both challenging and supportive?

There are three ways to be present in an online class: cognitively, instructionally, and socially. In this session, I will share concrete ways for you to enhance online classes, making them inviting, accessible and effective, for one and all.

Extended Abstract: 
Course Design (Cognitive Presence)
  • You know elements in a course have to be accessible and ADA-compliant, but what does it mean to make them inclusive as well?
  • How can lesson structure, learning objects, and things like videos and reading assignments reinforce or break down biases and obstacles?
  • Can teaching methods be adjusted to make the space more inviting? In what ways can you vary assessment techniques to capture learning in more than one way?
  • Are there institutional or administrative practices in place to ensure that all courses are accessible, equitable, inclusive, and dynamic?
Feedback + Interaction (Instructional Presence)
  • When is it vital to spend the extra time giving deep, rich feedback? Where do you get the time to interact and provide feedback?
  • When is it more important to engage through inquiry, to join discussions, to post announcements, or to email follow ups?
  • What kinds of feedback most help students learn, and what kinds of feedback do students tend to ignore?
Communication (Social Presence)
  • Research is clear – students are more likely to succeed if they feel like they belong. So what can we do to make online students feel that way?
  • What are course-level, lesson-level, and student-level methods for communicating kindly, academically, and inclusively?
  • How do administrators create a culture that values student experience as much as student success?
  • How can online learning leaders value and promote the idea that online courses should be supportive and welcoming to students?
Conference Track: 
Teaching and Learning Effectiveness
Session Type: 
Education Session
Intended Audience: 
Administrators
Design Thinkers
Faculty
Instructional Support
Training Professionals
Technologists
Researchers