Encouraging Student Success through Equity in the Online Classroom

Presented by: Monica Ambalal & Adoria Williams

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Thank you to Dean Amboy, Merritt College

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Today’s Goals

• Student access
• Multiple means of presenting material
• Connecting with students
• Rethinking syllabi
• Rethinking testing
• Considering those who are new to online
• Recreating Face-To-Face

1. Student Access

Do students have the tools to complete the work?

*Fact: 37% of Elmhurst students w/o Internet access at home

• Which devices do your students have access to?
• How consistent and reliable is their Internet connection?
• Consider the laptop lending program
• Research Internet hotspots

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Student Access: Design for Accessibility

• Do the videos you assign have closed captions? If not, find alternatives or create your own videos and add closed captions in YouTube.
• See our captioning videos to help you
• Consider Films on Demand (built into our Canvas)
• Do the audio files you assign (e.g., Podcasts, interviews, sound bytes) have transcripts?
• Use speech-to-text programs
• Students can draft transcripts for extra credit.
• Make sure your materials (e.g., documents, presentation slides, texts) are accessible Make Your Google Docs More Accessible & Make your document or presentation more accessible & Creating an accessible word doc)
• Check social media for resources: Online Teaching and Accessibility Twitter Thread

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Student Access: Alt text

II. Multiple Means of Presenting/Learning

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• Images (infographics, memes, graphics, photos, cartoons, comics)
• Audio (podcasts, audio recordings, sound bytes, Soundcite)
• Videos (live action, animation, documentary, streaming)
• Films on Demand LTI
• Multimodal Tools (e.g., Prezi, interactive timelines - Knight Lab Storytelling Tools)

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Multiple Means of Participation

• Students may write in a forum
• They may use the video/audio tools embedded in Canvas
• Consider LTIs like Flip
• Consider handwritten assignments that can be scanned into Canvas submission area
• Equatio for math courses (interaction on live spreadsheets)
• 5-minute oral presentations via Zoom
• Group projects via Google docs

III. Connecting With Students

• Zoom
• Jitsi, House Party, Discord
• Flipgrid (LTI in Canvas)
• Marco Polo
• Google Hangouts
• Big Blue Button
• Canvas/email
• Gaming platforms

Connecting: Some Ideas

• Here’s a fun follow-up/check-in form, featuring baby yoda, that you can use.
• Go to this link to make a copy
• Send short video Announcements
• Have a consistent office hour
• Send a fun YouTube clip
• Social media: Instagram, What’sApp, Twitter, WeChat

IV. Rethinking the Syllabus: Use Open Educational Resources (OER)

There are thousands of free open educational resources (OERS), including eBooks, digital tutorials, videos, audio files, primary sources, presentation slides, and more available online that you can use to create multimodal learning experiences for your students without having to start from scratch:

• Mason OER Metafinder
• OER Commons
• OASIS
• Smithsonian Open Access

Rethinking the Syllabus: Be Consistent

• Suggestion: Have it ready on the first day?
• Your contact information, virtual office hours on the front page
• Keep it consistent to ensure routine
• Have meeting times set for synchronous meetings
• Any new language for policies regarding online learning?

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V. Rethinking Online Testing

What does testing look like online? (Here is our Online Integrity Help Page)

• Changing formats to encourage critical thinking and creative responses vs. a generalized multiple choice
• How much time is enough? Do you need a timed test?
• Can a test be a project? Essays? Video responses? Zoom testing?
• Repeated attempts
• How to use proctoring software responsibly:
• Consider privacy/FERPA concerns
• Is the test encouraging or preventing success?
• Currently looking at Respondus, Proctorio
• Turnitin as an encouraging LTI

VI. Considering New Online Students

Putting students first:

• Consider a small survey at the beginning of the semester
• Zoom poll or Doodle poll, EasyPolls
• How long have you used Canvas?
• How comfortable are you with technology?
• What kind of Internet access do you have for your success?
• Do you feel ready to be learning online?
• How many students sharing 1 computer at home?
• Students without access: homeless, living abroad, no resources?
• Barriers: language, living situations, computer literacy, work/home life

Help Your New Online Students

• Remember student level of comfort with technology varies
• Provide students with multiple options for engaging with, and learning, the content so they can succeed
• Use the Universal Design for Learning Principles (CAST, Inc., 2018) as a guide.

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Helping New Online Students: Data

Advice for New Online Students

• Encourage students to create a routine
• Send them the Student Resource Pages
• Provide links so they can download Canvas/Zoom on phone
• Model ideas of how you complete online tasks
• Encourage breaks and walks
• Ask them to check in (Student/instructor contact - AP4105)
• Provide all resources for students ahead of time
• Vary your media/mediums
• Avoid info overload
• Practice, practice, practice

VII. Recreating Your Physical Classroom

• What is possible?
• Rethink creative ways to imitate some semblance of a classroom environment
• Challenging instructor/student to learn new methodologies and pedagogies
• What is missing?
• Physical connection
• Senses: hearing, speaking, interaction in a shared space
• Presence
• Speaking in a dynamic and shifting environment
• Consider group breakout rooms or group Google docs
• What can we do?
• Research!
• Rethink
• Reimagine

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Comments & Questions

• Thank you everyone!
• Write to Monica F. Ambalal mambalal@peralta.edu
• Distance Education Coordinator at Merritt, Peralta Equity Team
• Please share with Peralta constituents!

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