The document discusses the importance of inclusive pedagogy and diverse student experiences in online education, emphasizing the evaluation of retention rates and academic success factors for diverse students. It highlights the demographics of online learners and the impact of factors like small-group learning and instructor presence on student motivation and engagement. Recommendations for enhancing academic success include diverse program designs, individualized feedback, and fostering peer connections.

2. THE PRESENTERS
Faculty and Director,
Online MSW Program
Beverly Araujo MSW, Ph.D.
CoFounder and CAO
at iDesign
Whitney Kilgore, Ph.D.

3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
PARTICIPANTS WILL:
• Evaluate the retention rates of diverse students in distance education
• Synthesize the factors that contribute to academic success among diverse students
• Apply the course design methods and resources that can positively contribute to the
inclusion of diverse online student populations’ learning experiences

4. RELEVANT TERMS
A student-centered approach to teaching in which educators create an
inviting and engaging learning environment for all students with varied
backgrounds, learning styles, and physical and cognitive abilities.
INCLUSIVE PEDAGOGY
An approach to teaching that makes meaningful connections between what
students learn in schools and their cultures, languages, and life experiences.
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING

5. The University of Michigan’s Chief Diversity Officer, Robert Sellers
often has emphasized the importance of considering all three topics
– diversity, equity and inclusion – which he likened to various
aspects of attending a dance:
• Diversity is where everyone is invited to the party
• Equity means that everyone gets to contribute to the playlist
• Inclusion means that everyone has the opportunity to dance

6. COVID Impacts to Enrollment - Undergraduate
https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/

7. COVID Impacts to Enrollment - Graduate
https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/

8. COVID Impacts to Enrollment by credential type
https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/

9. COVID Enrollment at Primarily Online Institutions (POI)
https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/

10. COVID Enrollment Changes by level and gender at POI
https://nscresearchcenter.org/stay-informed/

11. WHO ARE OUR
ONLINE
STUDENTS?
• Average age of online learners is 34.
• Gender make-up is 53% female and 47% male
• Racial identification of students is: 46.6% white, 24.8% black,
29.8% Hispanic, 3.2% Asian, and 4.6% others
• 74.3% make less than $40,000, 32% receive financial aid,
38% receive employer aid, and 79% take out student loans
• The majority are employed (81%) and undergraduates (82%);
14% are graduate students
• 84% are “new-traditional” students
https://www.onlineuniversities.com/articles/educators/investigating-the-online-student-body/

12. Six Year Outcomes
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/04/26/college-completion-rates-vary-race-and-ethnicity-report-finds

13. What are the experiences of
BIPOC students in online
learning environments?

14. The importance of the residency experience

15. Tapanes, Smith, and White (2009) investigated students’ perceptions of
online courses and found that students with a collectivist cultural
background were less motivated to participate in an asynchronous
learning network than students with an individualist cultural background.
Tapanes, M. A., Smith, G. G., & White, J. A. (2009). Cultural diversity in online learning: A study of the
perceived effects of dissonance in levels of individualism/collectivism and tolerance of ambiguity. The
Internet and Higher Education, 12(1), 26-34.
Motivation and cultural backgrounds

16. “Participants reported that small-group learning activities
provided a sense of confidence and motivation to contribute to
discussions because of the small number of students in the
groups.”
38(4), 337-345.
Ku mi-Yeboah, A., Yuan, G., & Dogbey, J. (2017). Online collaborative learning activities:
The perceptions of culturally diverse graduate students. Online Learning, 21(4), 5-28.
“They claimed that small-group activities allowed them to
function better as their comments and responses are
recognized. It also allowed them to share their cultural and
educational experiences with other members to facilitate
cross-cultural understanding.”
The benefits of small groups

17. Working in groups and connecting with peers online

18. “Participants reported various obligations that did not
allow for scheduling that aligned with meaningful
communication and connection with online instructors.
38(4), 337-345.
Plotts, C. (2018). Latino/a cultural perspectives of social presence: a case study.
International Journal of Educational Technology, 5(1), 29-36.
“Moreover, Latino/a participants reported they did not
often trust the process of online learning or their
relationship with the instructor because of the lack of face-
to-face interaction. ”
Trust and meaningful connections

19. Feedback, engagement, building trust, and encouraging
a civil discourse on challenging topics.

21. “When you categorize the learning as instructor,
cognitive, & social presence, just putting those into those
very simplistic categories really made me think areas
where my own online courses were really lacking.
And then trying to figure out realistic ways to improve
them maybe with some small steps so that I could have
more instructor presence, so that I could engage ... Get
my students to engage with each other more socially.”
-An online instructor who participated in HumanMOOC

22. • Synthesize the factors that contribute to
academic success among diverse students
Inclusive design is "design that considers the full range of
human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture,
gender, age, and other forms of human difference."
https://legacy.idrc.ocadu.ca/resources/idrc-online/49-articles-and-papers/443-whatisinclusivedesign

28. The Chloe Report from Quality Matters and Eduventures
“When faculty are compelled to work
with instructional designers on
development of their online courses,
students have better outcomes.”

29. Efforts to increase marginalized students’ sense of social belonging or
competence lead to increases in both academic success and well-being among
those students (Walton & Cohen, 2011), and these benefits can last years
(Cohen et al., 2009). Furthermore, techniques that help improve the academic
performance of students in marginalized groups (e.g., active learning, regular
opportunities to practice new skills, etc.) tend to benefit other students, too
(Eddy & Hogan, 2014, Haak et al., 2011).
Georgetown University Teaching Commons:
https://commons.georgetown.edu/teaching/design/inclusive-pedagogy/#evidence
What factors contribute to the academic success of
marginalized students in online learning environments?

30. Recommendations
• Small group discussions
• Group projects
• Class sizes
• All-day Advising
• Peer Mentors
• Diversity in instructors
Program Design
• Virtual office hours
• Individualized feedback
• Timeliness of feedback
Course Design Facilitation

31. Selected References
Ku mi-Yeboah, A., Yuan, G., & Dogbey, J. (2017). Online collaborative learning activities: The perceptions
of culturally diverse graduate students. Online Learning, 21(4), 5-28.
Plotts, C. (2018). Latino/a cultural perspectives of social presence: a case study. International Journal of
Educational Technology, 5(1), 29-36.
Tapanes, M. A., Smith, G. G., & White, J. A. (2009). Cultural diversity in online learning: A study of the
perceived effects of dissonance in levels of individualism/collectivism and tolerance of ambiguity. The
Internet and Higher Education, 12(1), 26-34.

32. baraujo@adelphi.edu
whitney.kilgore@idesignedu.org
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