Using Diverse Resources to Promote Equity in Online Courses

Why Are Diverse Resources So Important?

Learners from historically marginalized identity groups frequently feel invisible or excluded in face-to-face and online classrooms. Online courses can increase these feelings of isolation because there are fewer opportunities to create personal connections with the course instructor and peers. This is often true for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and female learners as well as students with disabilities, former foster youth, formerly incarcerated persons, and students experiencing food and housing insecurity, among others.

One of the most effective ways to foster community and equity in an online course is by incorporating diverse resources. Providing opportunities for students to see themselves in the course materials contributes to learners’ academic success and well-being.

Be Transparent About How to Succeed in the Course

What does it take to be successful in the course? You can answer this question by providing:

Campus resources learners may access, such as academic support, mental health resources, and basic needs coordinators
Strategies and best practices on how to: approach the readings/resources, take and organize notes, and prepare and study for exams and quizzes
Models or examples of best practices when possible

Detailing what it takes to succeed does not make the course “too easy” for learners. Instead, it allows them to put their energy into the real challenges present in the course content and learning activities.

Review Assigned Resources With Equity in Mind

The following questions are helpful for examining course readings and resources with equity in mind:

What topics are covered in the course?
Who created the assigned materials?
Do the topics and materials represent established ideas and authorities in the field of study?
Is it possible incorporate more recent ideas and/or content creators challenging the status quo?
Do course materials present learners or people like them as subject matter experts and content creators in the field of study?
What is the financial cost of course materials?

Incorporating non-academic publications, such as videos, podcasts, digital archives, and popular articles, can increase the diversity of presentations and perspectives in a course. When this is not appropriate or possible, it may be worth acknowledging the agendas and historical biases of the field. This can help learners understand why it might be challenging to include a wider variety of writers.

Additionally, note the financial cost of course materials. When possible, integrate Open Educational Resources (OER) such as textbooks, software, and web resources to reduce learners’ financial burden.

Diversifying Images

Course images, like assigned materials, encourage learners to see themselves and people of similar identities as contributors to a field. When possible, select images depicting people of diverse ages, races, genders, and abilities engaged in actions that represent positive contributions to the world. Avoid images that reinforce stereotypes about an identity group.

If you are unsure where to begin, the following resources compiled by librarian Heather Blicher in “Looking for Images that Reflect Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” will help you get started:

All sites include free images, mostly licensed under Creative Commons. Some repositories do not require attribution but linking to the original site is and crediting the image creator is a best practice.

Flexible Assignments

Flexibility is key for promoting student success. To provide flexibility in a course:

Create assignments with variable submission formats (e.g., a research assignment that can be submitted as a paper, video, podcast, digital project, etc.
Offer low-stakes assignments (such as short quizzes).
Provide individualized feedback on a regular basis to encourage learners’ continued improvement.
Encourage learners to connect course content to their own lives and experiences.

None of these practices exchange high expectations for robust student support. Studies have shown that the combination of low expectations with robust support can be as damaging as high expectations with little support! The goal is to provide assessments that challenge learners and affirm learners’ varied learning styles, pacing, and life experiences.

Frequent Feedback

Promoting equity is a process that requires continual reflection and evolution of practice. For this reason, soliciting frequent feedback from learners is a highly effective way to pursue equity in online learning.

Consider providing periodic surveys for learners to weigh in on what is working and what could use improvement. Learners often have helpful insights from their experiences in other courses, too, so it’s worth asking if there’s a practice they’d like to see incorporated in the course. Consider allowing anonymous submission of feedback to reduce any fear of adverse effects on grades.

Finally, let learners know what you’ll do with their feedback. Will the course change in response to their comments? Or will you save their feedback and alter the course next semester? It’s a good idea to commit to a course of action so learners know their feedback is valued and impactful.