This week is all about inclusivity and diversity. For me, I always think online learning is more inclusive than in-person learning. It is not that professors and classmates are mean in schools, it is that we don’t have the time and space for everyone to express themselves in learning. Traditional class time in University is one hour or two hours, and my experience is that teachers talk for one or two hours straight, even with Q&A questions, I did not feel like I truly participated in the class.

Last week, our online activities used to complete Assignment 2 made me realize that participation is about contributing, it is not enough just to sit at the table, we must raise our voices in order to be perceived as participation. The UDL guidelines also stressed the importance of participation, engagement, working with the online resources and create conversations with others. In online learning, students are not just taking notes of what teacher said, but they are criticially engaging in the topic and making a difference.

Moreover, in traditional lectures, we don’t have a record to record our conversation, whereas in online learning, we can reply to ideas that being previously said, and we can contribute in anytime we want. For example, in Cronin’s chapter, the author said that being “open” means students can: “access education…collaborate with others….create and co-create knowledge openly and integrate formal and informal learning practices, networks, and identities”(Conin, 2019, p. 3). An ongoing conversation where everyone can participate is what I think inclusivity and diversity mean. I truly believe that learning is rooted in interaction; in the past, we have storytelling tradition to pass the knowledge, and now we have more tools to start conversation and communicate our knowledge.

References:

Cronin. C. (2019). Open education: Walking a critical path. In D. Conrad, & P. Prinsloo (Eds.), Open(ing) Education: Theory and Practice. Leiden: Brill. Open Access Version – http://eprints.teachingandlearning.ie/4345/

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Review: http://udlguidelines.cast.org/