Chapter 6: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Online Classrooms

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Cover of "Inclusive Pedagogy in Practice: Perspectives from Equity-Minded College Educators" includes a green Elon University Center for Engaged Learning tag in the top right corner and a green footer that reads "Open Access Book Series". Background image is of an abstract watercolor painting with indigo, greens, and yellows.
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doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa9

ISBN: 978-1-951414-17-7

April 2025

2.5 MB

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ISBN: 978-1-951414-16-0

Rodrick Shao and Amelia Koford

In this chapter, the authors discuss the intersection of inclusive teaching and online teaching. They share their story of being colleagues together at Texas Lutheran University, where Shao spent many years teaching often-resistant faculty about tools and strategies for online classrooms. This chapter will be of interest to anyone who has wondered about how to infuse online spaces with the vitality and warmth that characterize excellent face-to-face classrooms. The authors review the literature on the effectiveness of online learning for marginalized students, and draw on the Community of Inquiry framework, which frames the educational experience as an interaction between Teaching Presence, Social Presence, and Cognitive Presence, to organize narratives and ideas from their professional experiences.  

Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa9.6 

Related Book Resources

Sample Assignment – This is a prompt for the Weekly Notes sample assignment [PDF] [Word] that Koford discusses in the chapter. By asking students to write about what they learned from their classmates in addition to what they learned from the instructor, Koford encourages learners to value and remember what they learn from their peers. The assignment sheet also includes examples of APA Style citations and an example of a completed Weekly Notes assignment.

Discussion Questions

  1. During your career in higher education, what conversations have you seen about online teaching and learning? If you have been an online teacher or learner, share an example of an excellent learning experience and what made it that way. Now share an example of a disappointing online learning experience and what made it that way. What can you learn from these examples?
  2. In your teaching and facilitation (either online or face-to-face), what strategies do you use to make sure learners are engaging not just with the course material, but with each other and with you? Can you identify an additional strategy from this chapter and commit yourself to trying it?