Although the challenges for vulnerable, minority and low-income students were substantially impacted during COVID-19, faculty can play a pivotal role in helping these populations overcome barriers to success.
In a session titled “Techniques and Strategies to Support Today’s Student: The Power of Faculty at the Helm,” at REMOTE: The Faculty Connected Summit earlier this month, Tekoya Boykins, Assistant Director of Academic Services and Products at Academic Partnerships, offered way for faculty to create online and blended learning that promote equity and inclusiveness.
“Faculty must be flexible in developing new and non-traditional ways of modality,” Boykins said in the virtual session of higher education leaders from around the world. “It increases retention and success and is a more meaningful identified strategy to support today’s students while ensuring faculty remain at the helm.”
Boykins opened the discussion with an important question faculty need to ask themselves in order to best support all students: “What defines access and what does expanding that access mean today?” While many institutions talk about lack of internet connectivity as a barrier, there is a lot more to creating accessible courses.
“It means every student has the same opportunity to an inclusive and quality education,” she said. “To each and every student, a quality, workforce-relevant education.”
Navigating the past 15 months of the pandemic was a reminder that natural disasters, personal tragedies and other unforeseen circumstances can and will happen, so educational institutions need to be ready to help the most vulnerable populations during these crisis. Boykins said this preparedness includes creating flexible, non-traditional curriculum, the ability to share coursework regardless of circumstances, and to think about access at all times.
So what does it mean to put faculty at the helm of education?
According to Boykins, it means that courses are designed with faculty at the center for facilitating learning and building community.
“You are front and center of the success of your students,” she told the group. Whether it’s traditional or online learning, faculty are responsible for creating community in the classroom, which ultimately leads to increased student engagement and success.
Next Boykins said why it is so important to empower faculty to take the lead. For one, it gives faculty the ability to implement best practices while offering flexibility in course design. It also means that faculty can commit to uninterrupted learning by finding ways to reach students, despite what is happening in the world.
“Faculty in the center of learning makes curriculum more flexible and open to collaboration with other faculty. It also strengthens pedagogical facilitation and assessment,” Boykins said.
One positive that came out of the pandemic is realizing that online learning modalities are a cornerstone to creating equity in the classroom. Online instruction opens the door to leveraging best practices, serving more students and creating one, clear message.
However, she did warn that while faculty should be cognizant of expanding technology and online resources, they should only implement its use for a clear purpose, not just technology for the sake of technology.
“Online faculty are not lecturers, they serve in a supporting role to meet needs of students, and they are also designers of curriculum,” she said. This means that faculty needs to re-conceptualize what resources and integration of these [online] resources mean so that instruction is seamless.”
To create greater access, Boykins recommended using resources and professional development support services when building a course, and to make sure that faculty understands how to best use any new modality before introducing it to the class.
To wrap up her session, Boykins reminded faculty that promoting equity and inclusion is a vital to creating respect in the classroom.
“It increases awareness by allowing for different view points,” she said. Plus, it “promotes problem solving, critical thinking and creativity” in order to build a community that embraces differences.
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