Humanizing Online Learning:

Michelle Pacansky-Brock

brocansky.com • @brocansky • brocansky@gmail.com

Henry Ford College • �Inclusive Teaching During Uncertain Times

Leveraging Relationships �to Fuel Engagement & Rigor

Photo by Hazel Marie on Flickr, CC-BY-NC

Like a glass, a human can �only hold so much.

Reflect now on what you are holding in your your glass.

Photo by Nolan Simmons on Unsplash

How full is your glass?

Please respond in the chat.

Photo by Nolan Simmons on Unsplash

Equality = Equity

Equality: Treat all students the same

Equity: ensure all students have what they need to succeed

Without intentional efforts, there are barriers in your teaching that prevent students from achieving their full potential.

Online Course Success Rates

California Community Colleges (CCCs) 2016-17

Online Course Success Rates

California Community Colleges (CCCs) 2016-17

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.

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-Alexander den Heijer

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Inclusive teaching is intentionally engineered to remove barriers.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

“... emotions are not just messy toddlers in a china shop, running around breaking and obscuring delicate cognitive glassware. Instead, they are more like the shelves underlying the glassware; without them cognition has less support.”

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Mary Helen Immordino-Yang & Antonio Demasio

We Feel, Therefore We Learn: The Relevance of Affective Social Neuroscience to Education

Photo by DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash. Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Relationships Before Pedagogy

(Palacios & Wood, 2015; Wood & Harris III, 2015; Rendón, 1994)

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• When an instructor took time to learn my name.
• When an instructor said, “You can do this, and I am going to help you.”
• When an instructor became a partner in my learning
• When faculty encouraged student to support each other

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Munoz, S. & Rendón, L. (2011). Revisiting validation theory: Theoretical foundations, applications, and extensions. Enrollment Management Journal. 5. 12-33.

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Validation Theory

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“I don’t think I can do this.”

“I’ve got this!”

What course design features influences online community college student performance most?

Jaggars, S. S. & Xu, D. (2016). How do online course design features influence student performance? Computers & Education, 95, April 2016, 270-284.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

(Quality = an instructor who cares)

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

“Because of the negative effects of poverty and racism, millions of people in the United States are unable to access their complete brain capacity to learn and contribute to their full potential.”

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-Cia Verschelden, author of Bandwidth Recovery

Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

Education is not neutral.

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Classroom studies document the fact that underserved English learners, poor students, and students of color routinely receive less instruction in higher order skills development than other students (Allington and McGill-Franzen, 1989; Darling-Hammond, 2001; Oakes, 2005). [This] denies students the opportunity to engage in what neuroscientists call productive struggle that actually grows our brain power (Means & Knapp, 1991; Ritchhart, 2002). As a result, a disproportionate number of culturally and linguistically diverse students are dependent learners.

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Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, pp. 12-13.

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Hammond, Z. L. (2014). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Corwin Publishers.

Warm Demander Pedagogy�

• Starts with cultivating positive instructor-student relationships

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• Leverages positive instructor-student relationships to increase academic performance�
• Requires learning to be a reciprocal responsibility between student and teacher

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• The instructor pushes back on negative stereotypes�
• Push and care results in students challenging themselves beyond their perceived ability and achieving their potential

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Rigor through Empathy

Kleinfeld, J. (1972). Effective Teachers of Indian and Eskimo High School Students. Institute of Social, Economic and Government Research, University of Alaska

Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. School Review, 83, 301–344.

Dependent

Learner

Independent

Learner

“Instructor-student relationships lie at the heart of humanized” online courses, “serving as the connective tissue between

students, engagement, and rigor.”

Photo by Michel Paz on Unsplash

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, Vincent-Layton (2020)

Pacansky-Brock, M., Smedshammer, M., & Vincent-Layton, K. (2020). Humanizing Online Teaching to Equitize Higher Education. Current Issues in Education, 21(2).

Photo by Nikita Taparia on Unsplash

Culture Informs Teaching and Learning

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Cultural Differences

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Halverson, C. B. (1993). Cultural-context Inventory: The Effects of Culture on Behavior and Work Style. In Pfeiffer, J. W. (ed.)., Annual: Developing Human Resources, Pfeiffer and Company, San Diego, CA.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

• Context (situation, people, nonverbal elements) is more important than words
• Relationships build slowly and depend on trust
• Groups are preferred for learning

• Context (situation, people, nonverbal elements) is less important than words
• Relationships begin and end quickly
• Learning occurs by following the directions and explanations of others

Culture influences how you communicate and how your students interpret your communications.

White dominant �culture

African culture

Mexican �culture

CVC-OEI/@ONE, CC-BY

start at :50

What is resonating with you right now?

How does this student feel?

Please wait until the timer stops to share in the chat.

An online class is an experience.

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Experiences send cues that either include or exclude a person.

How does this student feel?

What cue did this student receive?

How does this student feel?

Please share your answer in the chat.

“There have been many times that I have had to shut my camera off in class, have a good cry, and come back. We are living through unprecedented times, and now more than ever it is important to have empathy, kindness, and patience.”

• Megan Corieri, California community college student

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Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

Read Megan’s Article

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Threat

Macro Aggression

Micro Aggression

• Obvious or blatant racism, discrimination, prejudice, hate, rejection

• Subtle or ambiguous cues of racism, discrimination, prejudice, hate, rejection

Kindness Cue

Macro Affirmation

Micro Affirmation

• Obvious or blatant acts of social inclusion in community and respect for dignity

• Subtle or ambiguous acts of social inclusion in community and respect for dignity

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Estrada, M., Eroy-Reveles, A. & Matsui J., (2018). The influence of affirming kindness and community on broadening participation in STEM career pathways. Social Issues and Policy Review, 12(1), 258-297.

Humanized Online Teaching Elements

Created with funds from the California Education Learning Lab. Shared with a CC-BY-NC License. Please attribute Pacansky-Brock, M., Smedshammer, M., & Vincent-Layton, K. (2020) in any re-use.

Weeks 0-1 are a high opportunity zone.

CVC-OEI/@ONE, CC-BY

How does this student feel?

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82.

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Estrada, M., Eroy-Reveles, A., & Matsui, J. (2018). The Influence of Affirming Kindness and Community on Broadening Participation in STEM Career Pathways. Social issues and policy review, 12(1), 258–297. doi:10.1111/sipr.12046

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Liquid Syllabus

• Created with a website tool (Google Sites)
• Public
• Phone-friendly
• Accessible (alt-text, color contrast, headings/subheadings, lists)
• Components:
• Starts with a captioned brief, imperfect welcome video
• Written with welcoming, hopeful language
• Tips for success
• Learning pact
• Inclusive images

Kindness Cue: “I trust you. I am here for you.”

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Pacansky-Brock, (2014) and Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, Vincent-Layton, (2020)

Example by Sarah Williams, Foothill College.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Liquid Syllabus

• Sarah Williams, Math, Foothill College
• Brent Wedge, Computer Science, Modesto Junior College

Learn how to create your own Liquid Syllabus!

Examples

Example by Sarah Williams, Foothill College.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Pacansky-Brock, (2014) and Pacansky-Brock, Smedshammer, Vincent-Layton, (2020)

Create a Learning Pact

Kindness Cue: “ I am a partner in your learning”

1. I will treat you with dignity and respect and be flexible to support your individual needs.
2. I will provide you with a clear, organized course that is designed to ensure you meet our course outcomes in a meaningful manner.
3. I will provide a variety of assignments to ensure your learning needs are met.
4. I will be actively present in your learning.
5. I will provide a supportive environment for you to share and discuss ideas with your peers.
6. I will reach out to you when I sense that you need support.
7. I won't be perfect. I am human and will make mistakes at times. I will view mistakes as an opportunity to learn and grow.
8. Is there anything else you’d like to add to this list?

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What you can expect from me:

• You will strive to be an active participant in this course and strive to meet due dates.
• You will maintain and open line of communication with me so I understand how to support you.
• You will contact me if you have a concern with meeting a due date.
• You will treat your peers and me with dignity and respect.
• You will do your best to have patience with technology. There will be hiccups, expect them. We will get through them together.
• You will give yourself grace. Expect to make mistakes. You are human who is learning and growing.
• Is there anything else you would like to add to this list?
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What I will expect from you:

This learning pact by Michelle Pacansky-Brock is shared in the public domain. You are free to adapt as you wish for your own teaching without permission.

Kindness Cue: “You are welcome here.”

A Humanized Homepage

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Getting to Know You Survey

Kindness Cue: “I want to know how I can support you.”

• What are your preferred pronouns?
• I will leave you feedback in video format. Does that work for you?
• Yes, sounds great.
• No, thanks. I prefer written feedback.
• In one word, describe how you are feeling about this class.
• Please share one thing that may interfere with your success in this class.

See a Google Forms sample: brocansky.com/humanizing/student-info

Import from the Canvas Commons: Search for #HumanizingSTEM

Adapt Your Teaching

Sends the cue: “I believe in you.”

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• Take notes about what you learn from the survey. �
• Track activity and performance.�
• Reach out directly before it’s too late.�

Humanizing Element

• Record voice and video feedback in the gradebook for high opportunity students.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Self-Affirming Ice Breaker

Kindness Cue: “Your values and experiences matter.”

Spitzer, B. and Aronson, J. (2015). Minding and mending the gap: Social psychological interventions to reduce educational disparities. The British Psychological Society, 85, 1-18.

Contributed by Fabiola Torres

Self-Affirming Ice Breaker

What will you hold onto forever?�

Contributed by Denise Maduli-Williams

Registration

Liquid Syllabus

Homepage, Getting to Know You Survey, Self-affirming Ice Breaker

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82.

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“Wisdom Wall” Assignment(s)

Metacognition • Growth Mindset • Self-Efficacy

Pacansky-Brock, M. (2017). Best practices for teaching with emerging technologies (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Bumper Videos

Kindness Cue: “I am here to help you learn.”

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Brief, Visually Oriented Video: Clarify a sticky topic or introduce a module/assignment

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Matt Mooney, Santa Barbara Community College. Made with Adobe Spark.

Microlectures

Kindness Cue: “I am here to help you learn.”�

Focused and brief instructional videos.

Slide by Michelle Pacansky-Brock, CC-BY-NC

Contributed by Sarah Williams, Calculus, Foothill College. Made with MS OneNote & Zoom or Screencast-O-Matic

Brief, imperfect videos�

Contributed by Fabiola Torres, Glendale Community College and @ONE Humanizing Course Facilitator

Video postcards

Contributed by Michelle Pacansky-Brock

Brief, imperfect videos�

Let’s get real series

Humanized Online Teaching Elements

Created with funds from the California Education Learning Lab. Shared with a CC-BY-NC License. Please attribute Pacansky-Brock, M., Smedshammer, M., & Vincent-Layton, K. (2020) in any re-use.

Get the (new) infographic!

brocansky.com/humanizing/infographic2

Relationships start with psychological safety and creating psychological safety requires us to take off our emotional armor and be vulnerable.

Brené Brown

https://brocansky.com/humanizing/infographic2

References & Resources

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• Estrada, M., Burnett, M., Campbell, A. G., Campbell, P. B., Denetclaw, W. F., Gutiérrez, C. G., ... Zavala, M. (2016). Improving underrepresented minority student persistence in STEM. CBE Life Sciences Education, 15 (3).
• Estrada, M., Eroy-Reveles, A., & Matsui, J. (2018). The Influence of Affirming Kindness and Community on Broadening Participation in STEM Career Pathways. Social issues and policy review, 12(1), 258–297. doi:10.1111/sipr.12046
• Jaggars, S. S., & Xu, D. (2014). Performance gaps between online and face-to-face courses: Differences across types of students and academic subject areas. Journal of Higher Education, 85(5), 633-659.
• Jaggars, S. S. & Xu, D. (2016). How do online course design features influence student performance? Computers & Education, 95, April 2016, 270-284.
• Halverson, C. B. (1993). Cultural-context Inventory: The Effects of Culture on Behavior and Work Style. In Pfeiffer, J. W. (ed.)., Annual: Developing Human Resources, Pfeiffer and Company, San Diego, CA.

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• Hammond, Z. L. (2014). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Corwin Publishers.
• Hart, C. M. D., Friedmann, E., & Hill, M. (2018). Online course-taking and student outcomes in California community colleges,Education Finance and Policy, 13(1), 42-71.https://doi.org/10.1162/edfp_a_00218
• Immordino-Yang, M. H. & Damasio, A. (2007). We feel, therefore we learn: The relevance of affective and social neuroscience to education, Mind Brain and Education, 1(1), 3-10.

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• Kleinfeld, J. (1972). Effective Teachers of Indian and Eskimo High School Students. Institute of Social, Economic and Government Research, University of Alaska

References & Resources

• Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. School Review, 83, 301–344.
• Munoz, S. & Rendón, L. (2011). Revisiting validation theory: Theoretical foundations, applications, and extensions. Enrollment Management Journal. 5. 12-33.
• Pacansky-Brock, M. (2017). Best practices for teaching with emerging technologies (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Pacansky-Brock, M. (2014, August 13). The Liquid Syllabus: Are you ready?, [blog post].
• Pacansky-Brock, M., Smedshammer, M., & Vincent-Layton, K. (2020). Humanizing Online Teaching to Equitize Higher Education. Current Issues in Education, 21(2).
• Rendón, L. I. (1994). Validating culturally diverse students: Toward a new model of learning and student development, Innovative Higher Education, 19 (1), 33-51.
• Rendón, L. (2009) Sentipensante (Sensing/Thinking) Pedagogy, Stylus Publishing.
• Riegle-Crumb, C., King, B., & Irizarry, Y. (2019). Does STEM Stand Out? Examining Racial/Ethnic Gaps in Persistence Across Postsecondary Fields. Educational Researcher, 48(3), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X19831006
• Spitzer, B. and Aronson, J. (2015). Minding and mending the gap: Social psychological interventions to reduce educational disparities. The British Psychological Society, 85, 1-18.
• Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 82.

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