Through interactive dialogue and storytelling, the Appalachian panelists share how their diverse experiences help facilitate student success for a unique population. At the intersection of culture, ethnicity, race, class, and gender are a cadre of individuals using universal design for learning and personal vulnerability to mitigate bias against Appalachian students.
With the entire state in which we reside being fully nestled within Appalachia, the terrain, history, culture, economic status, and identity is closely associated with the mountains that envelope our region. As a research institution with a median student age of 28, our demographic is largely culturally homogenous and predominantly Caucasian. Even though most are non-traditional, our students arrive on campus or to an online program with a unique set of needs that affect student support. Almost 80% of the student body comes to us from county school systems that struggle with periodic state education scrutiny, and homes where the average median household income consistently hovers at (or below) national poverty levels. As a PASI (Predominantly Appalachian Serving Institution), our faculty and staff are compelled to consider those socioeconomic striations, student comfort with and access to technology, and the experience of a first generation college student. Additionally, the opioid epidemic has far-reaching implications that have exposed many of our students to trauma.
A cadre of individuals associated with distance education at our institution reflect the composition of the local region in that most are natives or transplants; however, each person is also diverse in ways that ensure that an intersectional approach to student support and learning is imperative. Our own cultural, ethnic, racial, economic, place-based, and gender-based experiences provide an arsenal from which we leverage the means to humanize student support efforts that are tailored to our population. Likewise, those of us who are on both side of the teaching-learning experience parley our approach to support faculty and staff needs with course development and training. In many instances, a member of our team may be the first person “not like them” they will have encountered. While the “others” usually endure microaggressions on a regular basis, we believe that by rendering ourselves sometimes vulnerable in a personal way is affective to making ourselves relatable and can benefit the rest of the “others.”
Interactivity –
“…whatever human beings are, we are storytellers. It is our stories that give a light to the future.” --Nikki Giovanni
Our conditions, upbringing, and biological characteristics are critical components to how we relate to the world—namely in how we interact with our colleagues and students. In the spirit of our Appalachian roots, we will use storytelling to convey our experiences to the audiences, describing specific instances in which our intersectionality bore positive results. In a panel discussion format, we will encourage audience participation and solicit contributions on the ways others have deployed similar techniques to support the teaching-learning process. While a PASI is not a Federally-recognized designation eligible for Title 3 funding, colleagues from institutions serving recognized populations may share similar characteristics.
Takeaways—
Through interactive dialogue, our team will seek commonalities through other colleagues relating to serving unique populations. Sharing these experiences may aid others in developing techniques for relating to diverse populations. Likewise, it may help others relate to homogenous or disadvantaged populations. Our ultimate goal is to enhance our methods for serving students while exposing them to diverse communities, and expose our online learning colleagues to creative ways to navigate student populations that come with educational and economic disadvantages through a platform that begins with universal design for learning.