WVC Online News – February/March/April 2022

In education, diversity means that we acknowledge, respect, and embrace the differences of individuals within the WVC community, including but not exclusive to differences in age, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender, socio-economic status, life experiences, and backgrounds.

As noted by the American Council on Education in its statement “On the Importance of Diversity in Higher Education”, diversity benefits the college and our students in multiple ways:

• Diversity enriches the educational experience and provides students with the opportunity to interact with others in a safe environment;
• It promotes personal growth and a healthy society by challenging stereotypes and preconceptions;
• It strengthens communities and the workplace by preparing students to become caring citizens with mutual respect for one another;
• By making more effective use of the talents and capabilities of students from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, it enhances our country’s competitiveness.

Equity in education means providing every student with the individual resources and support they need to reach the common goals of their in-person or online course. Key emphasis is on individual! Because we are different from one another, our needs are also varied. So while we may all be given the same bicycle to ride from point A to point B (which would reflect equality), the bicycle for each individual accommodates that individual’s needs (I.e., equity).

Image from betterbikeshare.org

To assist with incorporating equity into our online courses, review Peralta Community College’s Online Equity Rubric. The Rubric is a research-based course evaluation tool to help make online courses more equitable for students. Included in the rubric are criteria that address students’ access to technology and support, visibility of the instructor’s commitment to equity and inclusion, common forms of bias, helping students connect relevance of what is being taught with their own lives, and following universal design principles.

Inclusion in online education means creating an environment that welcomes every student and creates for them a sense of belonging. Research shows that both students with and without disabilities learn more in an inclusive class (“Inclusive Education: What it Means, Proven Strategies and Case Studies”, resilienteducator.com). By learning how to help one another, learning improves. In addition, teachers provide instruction in various modalities which helps all students.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, accessibility is the law! Beyond this being a requirement, incorporating universal design principles into your course and learning materials benefits all students. As just one example, by including captioning of videos, students who are visual learners are able to process the video content in a written format. Thus, providing instruction via a wider range of learning styles benefits students without disabilities as well.

• Use images/clipart that reflect diversity. See, the Free and Diverse Image Collection Guide from @ONE
• Include research/writings of scholars in your field that reflect diversity
• Include a diversity statement in your syllabus. See an example statement on pp. 13-15 of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Online Learning
• Use different teaching methods/strategies to meet learning styles of students (for ex., videos, interactive exercises)
• Provide alternative methods for students to engage with the class and show their learning
• Allow for adaptive technologies & accommodations
• Provide students with the opportunity to provide feedback on an assignment and/or the course
• Follow basic accessibility guidelines for use of fonts, color, headings, alt text and captions

For more on strategies shared by WVC faculty, view the video of Friday WOW! DEIA in Online Courses where faculty have shared easy and simple ways you can promote DEIA in your online courses!