Justice, Equity, Diversity
and Inclusion (JEDI)
For the eLearning Consortium of Colorado 2023, we sent out a call for sessions and workshops on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and we are humbled by the amount of proposals we received. We hope to provide space for more than just a place at the table and instead ensure rightful presence. We would encourage everyone to consider participating in the sessions and workshops below:
Wednesday April 5
9 am MT
Accessibility - The Next Level
Wendeth Rauf and Jessica Alzen
This session will explore accessibility from more than checking your syllabus and PowerPoints, and documents. We will look at how to examine websites, how to come up with alternative activities for students, and discuss how accessibility is not just about documents. We will also cover how to expand your classroom accessibility policy.
You will need access to a computer for this session (mobile device will not be sufficient).
Accessibility - The Next Level
Wendeth Rauf and Jessica Alzen
This session will explore accessibility from more than checking your syllabus and PowerPoints, and documents. We will look at how to examine websites, how to come up with alternative activities for students, and discuss how accessibility is not just about documents. We will also cover how to expand your classroom accessibility policy.
You will need access to a computer for this session (mobile device will not be sufficient).
10 am MT
Digital Citizenship and Racial Justice: How Do They Connect
Leticia Citizen and Sue Thotz
This presentation makes direct connections in digital citizenship (civic learning, SEL, and social media) and work in the field of racial equity. Our students have witnessed police brutality and other racist violence against Black communities and immigrant populations. These issues have a profound impact on our students’ health and well-being, and the effects in online spaces must be addressed.
Digital Citizenship and Racial Justice: How Do They Connect
Leticia Citizen and Sue Thotz
This presentation makes direct connections in digital citizenship (civic learning, SEL, and social media) and work in the field of racial equity. Our students have witnessed police brutality and other racist violence against Black communities and immigrant populations. These issues have a profound impact on our students’ health and well-being, and the effects in online spaces must be addressed.
3 pm MT
Discussion: How to Create Welcoming and Accessible Online Learning Courses for to Neurodiverse Learners
Diana Montealegre Beltran and Bradley Graham, University of Colorado-Boulder
Learning designers from the eLearning Consortium of Colorado discuss practices and experiences in creating digital assets and courses that focus on accessibility with a focus on students who are neurodiverse. This includes looking past a medical model of differently abled students to focus on challenges and strengths. Participants had the opportunities to share tips and learn about resources. This discussion also continued during the Questioning the Paradigms closing session.
Discussion: How to Create Welcoming and Accessible Online Learning Courses for to Neurodiverse Learners
Diana Montealegre Beltran and Bradley Graham, University of Colorado-Boulder
Learning designers from the eLearning Consortium of Colorado discuss practices and experiences in creating digital assets and courses that focus on accessibility with a focus on students who are neurodiverse. This includes looking past a medical model of differently abled students to focus on challenges and strengths. Participants had the opportunities to share tips and learn about resources. This discussion also continued during the Questioning the Paradigms closing session.
Thursday April 6
10 am MT
Neoliberal Ethics, Surveillance Capitalism, Digital Rights and AI
Kae Novak, Chris Luchs and Jerry Buchko
Technology including AI, the Metaverse, and analytics have once again come to the attention of educators, trainers, and of course business. This roundtable will answer the four compass point questions specifically looking at the ethics, data justice, and digital sovereignty issues of this latest round of interest. The discussion will be on the ethics of AI, creating, using, and teaching in the metaverse including discussion of crypto-currency, NFTs, Web3 and first layer blockchain technologies.
Neoliberal Ethics, Surveillance Capitalism, Digital Rights and AI
Kae Novak, Chris Luchs and Jerry Buchko
Technology including AI, the Metaverse, and analytics have once again come to the attention of educators, trainers, and of course business. This roundtable will answer the four compass point questions specifically looking at the ethics, data justice, and digital sovereignty issues of this latest round of interest. The discussion will be on the ethics of AI, creating, using, and teaching in the metaverse including discussion of crypto-currency, NFTs, Web3 and first layer blockchain technologies.
11 am MT
Teaching and Writing and Ethics with ChatGPT
Diane Sieber
Whereas generalized academic panic hit at institutions of higher education this spring with the release of ChatGPT, a number of affordances for the teaching of writing and ethics quickly became apparent to instructors in the Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics and Society. Instead of banning the use of ChatGPT, as was occurring across the university campus, several faculty experimented with a range of approaches for deploying ChatGPT with STEM students. The outcomes of these trials will be presented, with specific examples of methodology, student progress and preliminary best practices.
Teaching and Writing and Ethics with ChatGPT
Diane Sieber
Whereas generalized academic panic hit at institutions of higher education this spring with the release of ChatGPT, a number of affordances for the teaching of writing and ethics quickly became apparent to instructors in the Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics and Society. Instead of banning the use of ChatGPT, as was occurring across the university campus, several faculty experimented with a range of approaches for deploying ChatGPT with STEM students. The outcomes of these trials will be presented, with specific examples of methodology, student progress and preliminary best practices.
11 am MT
Translating Inclusion Instructional Strategies from the In-Person Classroom to Online Learning Activities
Dr. Colleen M. Smith and Christy Jersin Woods
With a growing number of diverse students enrolling in online higher education, inclusion instructional strategies are underutilized in online learning. In this session, facilitators will review research on inclusive instructional strategies and their translation from in-person to online learning. Using the Culturally Sustaining Instructional Design (CSID) model, facilitators will lead a collaborative activity for participants to contribute to a document of inclusion strategies designed for online learning.
Translating Inclusion Instructional Strategies from the In-Person Classroom to Online Learning Activities
Dr. Colleen M. Smith and Christy Jersin Woods
With a growing number of diverse students enrolling in online higher education, inclusion instructional strategies are underutilized in online learning. In this session, facilitators will review research on inclusive instructional strategies and their translation from in-person to online learning. Using the Culturally Sustaining Instructional Design (CSID) model, facilitators will lead a collaborative activity for participants to contribute to a document of inclusion strategies designed for online learning.
2 pm MT
Serving Our Students with Invisible and Visible Disabilities in the Online Classroom
Amanda Joyce and Tracey Garcia
A substantial portion of our students are disabled in some way. Universities work to accommodate those with disabilities, but those accommodations often focus on the environment of the physical classroom or the testing environment (e.g., Gin et al., 2020). Furthermore, the focus of many conversations regarding disability is on outwardly visible disabilities, but the majority of disabilities are invisible (Morgan, 2020). This session offers an opportunity for open discussion of helpful practices for accommodating all students in online learning environments.
Serving Our Students with Invisible and Visible Disabilities in the Online Classroom
Amanda Joyce and Tracey Garcia
A substantial portion of our students are disabled in some way. Universities work to accommodate those with disabilities, but those accommodations often focus on the environment of the physical classroom or the testing environment (e.g., Gin et al., 2020). Furthermore, the focus of many conversations regarding disability is on outwardly visible disabilities, but the majority of disabilities are invisible (Morgan, 2020). This session offers an opportunity for open discussion of helpful practices for accommodating all students in online learning environments.
3 pm MT
Making Online Learning Courses Welcoming And Accessible to Neurodiverse Learners
Sheryl Burgstahler
Many online instructors inadvertently create challenges for the full participation of some students, including those who are neurodivergent and have other types of disabilities. In this session participants will learn about how a universal design framework can be used to guide practices with respect to the organization of a course, the format of digital content, and selection of pedagogy. Participants will have opportunities to share tips and learn about resources for further study.
Making Online Learning Courses Welcoming And Accessible to Neurodiverse Learners
Sheryl Burgstahler
Many online instructors inadvertently create challenges for the full participation of some students, including those who are neurodivergent and have other types of disabilities. In this session participants will learn about how a universal design framework can be used to guide practices with respect to the organization of a course, the format of digital content, and selection of pedagogy. Participants will have opportunities to share tips and learn about resources for further study.
4 pm MT
Beyond Belonging: Creating Online and Blended Spaces for First-Generation Students to Flourish
Stephanie Foote
Although first-generation students – those first in their families to pursue higher education – comprise a sizable portion of gateway (or general education) course enrollment, little, if any, attention has been given to the pedagogical approaches that might be used to meet the needs of this diverse student population (Baldwin et al., 2021). This session will focus on strategies that can be used to go beyond belonging to create inclusive academic experiences for first-generation students.
Beyond Belonging: Creating Online and Blended Spaces for First-Generation Students to Flourish
Stephanie Foote
Although first-generation students – those first in their families to pursue higher education – comprise a sizable portion of gateway (or general education) course enrollment, little, if any, attention has been given to the pedagogical approaches that might be used to meet the needs of this diverse student population (Baldwin et al., 2021). This session will focus on strategies that can be used to go beyond belonging to create inclusive academic experiences for first-generation students.
4 pm MT
Questioning the Paradigms
Brandon Pouillot, Kae Novak, Jerry Bucko and Diana Montealegre Beltran
Please join us for a collaborative session on Questioning the Paradigms. What are our paradigms when it comes to learning and technology? What are the assumptions, ideas and standards that we normally do not question. eLCC Members discussed this a bit and we came up with things like proctoring services, anti-plagiarism platforms, outsourcing course quality standards, Universal Design, Backward design, course automation and of course…for example when it comes to ChatGPT and AI – why not embrace the tech instead of looking to eliminate it? Come to our closing collaborative session to discuss all of this!
Questioning the Paradigms
Brandon Pouillot, Kae Novak, Jerry Bucko and Diana Montealegre Beltran
Please join us for a collaborative session on Questioning the Paradigms. What are our paradigms when it comes to learning and technology? What are the assumptions, ideas and standards that we normally do not question. eLCC Members discussed this a bit and we came up with things like proctoring services, anti-plagiarism platforms, outsourcing course quality standards, Universal Design, Backward design, course automation and of course…for example when it comes to ChatGPT and AI – why not embrace the tech instead of looking to eliminate it? Come to our closing collaborative session to discuss all of this!