TEACHING & LEARNING

HOW TO MAKE ONLINE AND BLENDED TEACHING IN ENLIGHT MORE INCLUSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE

ENLIGHT is committed to deepening collaboration on equal footing, and sharing and promoting European values, diversity, inclusion and equity. We aim at widening all forms of educational cooperation and incorporating virtual and blended international learning into our study programmes. In doing so, it is our goal to develop learning activities that engage all students.

In ENLIGHT courses within and across different disciplines, you will therefore encounter a diverse body of students from different study levels, fields of study and disciplinary socialisation, different nationalities and ethnicities, with different language backgrounds and confidence levels to express themselves, with diverse value systems, studying under diverse conditions and potentially living with health conditions and disabilities. This diversity is at times amplified in an online course environment.

As you develop your ENLIGHT course, please keep in mind that accessibility is essential for some students and has added value for many.

Core elements at course level:

• Teachers and facilitators aim to actively include diverse voices.
• Teaching is structured to include community-building through the early introductory activities and clear ground rules that help everyone feel safe in the online course environment.
• The course setting allows for multiple ways to participate, ensures that online meeting spaces and learning materials are accessible from the start and thus reduces the need for ad-hoc, last-minute individual accommodations.

Trainings available at ENLIGHT universities:

• Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion through Critical Virtual Exchange, Role-Playing Games and Conflict Transformation (ROCKET, Göttingen - Groningen - Uppsala)
• Equipping lecturers: inclusive teaching in diverse classrooms (Groningen)
• The Inclusive Teacher (Groningen)

BEFORE TEACHING

Prior knowledge and language background

Consider your syllabus and reflect: What abilities do students need to participate in your course? What do you already know about your students regarding their prior knowledge, language background as well as any potential access issues? What else could you do to learn more about them as individuals, their strengths, weaknesses and needs?

Accessibility

Check out your local LMS to see which tools are available to support accessibility and diversity-orientation. These may include tools to gather students’ input at the beginning of the course, to collect student feedback in different ways or to analyse students’ performance on assessments.

Make sure your learning materials adhere to the “two-senses principle”, which ensures that all information is presented through at least two senses (e.g. sight and hearing) to enable students, regardless of their sensory limitations to access and understand the information.

Communicate, e.g. in your course syllabus, to your students that you aim for inclusivity, e.g. “As a teacher, I think it is important that my teaching is inclusive and my course materials are fully accessible to you. If you face any difficulties getting started with the material or if you have any tips for me to teach more inclusively, feel free to contact me.”  

Course design

Consider the degree of flexibility in your course design: When and how will students participate (synchronously, asynchronously; individual work or working in teams)? Can students choose what they will focus on in your course? Which material will you make available to them to support their learning and how can they access these materials? How will you assess your students and how will you give them feedback on their progress? – Communicate this to the students before the course begins.

Decide how you would like to design the beginning of each course session. Check-in questions, ice-breaking activities or quick polls can help you positively affect the group dynamic.

Consider the class activities that you ask your students to engage in. How could you ensure that they encourage the acknowledging, sharing, and appreciation of diverse perspectives in a structured way? How could you support students in getting to know each other as individuals?

Assessment

Be explicit about what you expect and consider good standard and provide clear and transparent instructions and assessment criteria so that all students have equal chances of achieving good scores.

Make sure your online form of examination is accessible for all class participants and respond to students seeking modifications due to illness and disability or exceptional circumstances.

Offer your students participation opportunities when determining content-related aspects of assignments, e.g. the focus of a group project in an virtual exchange/COIL.

DURING TEACHING

Take time to get to know each other

Integrate ice-breakers in your sessions to support a positive and productive group dynamic.

Communication and clear expectations

Clarify how you will primarily contact the students in your class (e.g. via e-mail, messages in the LMS, etc.), and how they will be able to contact you outside of class, as this may not be completely straight-forward in an online setting – for international students in particular.

Be very clear about your expectations and give clear instructions on what you want your students to do. Make sure your students are aware of points that may be up for negotiation and those that are not (e.g. your stance on deadlines).

Safe(r) learning space

Maintain an open mind for your students’ voices, needs, and perspectives. Remain sensitive to moments of tension or conflict between the students – you can check in with your group through anonymous feedback or offer online check-in sessions for your students.

Offer support

Direct your students to support services at your university when needed but please be aware that you also have a crucial role in supporting their learning.

Engage all students

Work with the student voice in your course, e.g. assign student facilitators in breakout sessions, and actively integrate discussion rounds. Stimulate reflection on the learning process with and amongst the students.

Language and pace

Try to be as explicit on content as possible and aim for inclusive language. Incorporate “thinking time” in course activities and class discussions.

AFTER TEACHING

Check-out questions for students

Use quick check-outs with your students to help monitor and guide their learning process or adjust classroom dynamic, if necessary, e.g.

• “Were there any words you did not understand?”
• “How do you consider the current atmosphere in class? Was it safe to you?”
• “What was the most important thing you learnt today? / “What do you consider as the muddiest point?”
• “What topic needs more clarification?” / “What is one question you still have about today’s lesson?”

Reflect on your teaching

Take time to reflect on how things are going: What can you (not) do?

Define the qualities of your online classroom as a “safe(r) space”, i.e. a supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable and relatively safe, where they can make mistakes without fear of negative judgement or ridicule, and where they can have open, honest and respectful discussions. Please be aware that structures of discrimination that exist outside the classroom are not eliminated in the online setting. What rules and boundaries may be needed in your shared online space? How can you motivate your students to engage (more) online?

Model the behaviour you would like to see and work on building relationships with your students based on shared values and an acknowledgement of (cultural) differences.

Discuss inclusive teaching and your new syllabus with your colleagues. Which tips can they give you? What advice can they get from you?

Continue to seek other perspectives, reflect on your own viewpoint and frame of reference and engage with others. This could take place in informal settings, through learning communities or perhaps through a further training.