Coronavirus Pedagogy in the Zoomoscape

The COVID-19 pandemic emptied universities, colleges, and schools across the United States in March 2020, forcing instructors into an unavoidable culture in which a networked commercial technology mediated teaching and learning. In the tradition of critical pedagogy, this article argues that students and instructors alike engaged through the artificial lenses and screens of Zoom. The “pinhole intimacy” of the Zoomscape is assessed using conscientization, the concept offered by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, to describe most pedagogy as an oppressive apparatus that can be overcome with direct engagement between students and instructors. In such an opticentric context, the Zoomosphere’s intimacy is used to explore how the emancipation proposed by conscientization might be applied to the culture of pedagogy in a college with a diverse student population, including pedagogical interventions to address the challenges associated with teaching Division I athletes. The context of a large communication department at Boston College provides the empirical foundation for the exploration of coronavirus pedagogy.

Disrupting Othering: A Continuum of Age-Integrated Strategies for Gerontology Education

Given the extensive negative impacts of ageism, it is incumbent upon institutions of higher education to lead the charge in promoting age inclusivity and dismantling ageism, particularly in the classroom. Traditional teaching approaches are insufficient to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse student population or our aging post-COVID society. Gerontology classrooms require new, innovative, and purposeful ways of engaging students in course content. This symposium brings together faculty who intentionally promote age inclusivity by immersing students in age-integrated experiences to varying degrees and in different ways. These approaches fundamentally reject the idea of older adults as “other” by promoting an age-inclusive reality in which individuals of all ages are equally valued. Dr. Lyn Holley will describe a new course which requires projection of a future, older self and two systematic life interviews – one of a real US elder and one of an imagined counterpart in a different country; comparative analysis reveals how aging is shaped by society. Dr. Skye Leedahl will discuss challenging ageism by examining existing age-focused policies and programs and having students engage in six intergenerational discussions and reflective writing. Dr. Tina Newsham will describe a newly revised practicum in which immersive, real-world experiences with older adults are incorporated, along with meaningful reflection and the development of an e-portfolio. Finally, Drs. Laura Donorfio and Lisa Borrero will explain the ways “othering” is disrupted when students imagine themselves as older adults, and use creative approaches that demonstrate how to negotiate key aspects of the aging process.

Curriculum Adaptation for Blended Learning in Resource-Scarce Contexts

Drawing on three action research case studies involving several African universities, this article critically explores how academics converted their previously pure classroom-based courses for delivery through blended learning. The case studies reflect resource-scarce contexts where limited access to digital technology and the internet poses unique challenges to universities seeking to scale-up management education to the geographically distant and culturally diverse student population. Results from analyzing the case studies, through the concept of curriculum adaptation, were drawn upon to develop a theoretical framework for use by academics planning to transition from face-to-face to blended learning environments. The article uncovers the difficulties of, and opportunities for, creating learning communities that enable classroom-based, face-to-face teaching to be blended with online learning in ways that foster locally relevant, purposive interactions among academics and students, while scaling-up access to management education. The article concludes with a discussion of opportunities for management educators to introduce online learning in their existing classroom-based management courses.

Academic Collaborative Efforts to Promote STEM Equity in High Needs Schools

America is at risk of facing a shortage of workers in STEM fields in the near future because lack of interest by its youth. It is well known that providing early exposure for P-12 students to engaging science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) experiences can lead to lifelong learning and positively impact future career decisions. This manuscript describes one university’s collective efforts to bring equity to STEM education for an urban high needs school district in the northeastern part of the United States through various STEM initiatives over a five-year period. Through multiple projects and initiatives targeting both P-12 students and their teachers, descriptive results revealed a positive impact while pinpointing areas that still require attention. P-12 students indicated an increase in STEM knowledge and an increased interest in STEM careers following exposure to various STEM lessons and interactive experiences. P-12 teachers specified that Professional Development (PD) they received from university faculty as well as engaging in STEM experiences with their students enhanced their confidence in their ability to incorporate STEM lessons within their classrooms. An urban partner administrator viewed these various STEM initiatives as vital in their quest to bring equity for STEM education to their diverse student population.

A whole provider approach to widening participation: a phenomenographic case study exploring the perceptions and experiences of staff and students working in a widening participation role

The marketisation of higher education (HE) has resulted in an increasingly diverse student population and a need for providers to support students from underrepresented groups to access, succeed in and progress from HE. Embedding widening participation (WP) can pose a challenge to HE providers as it is not only about access, but also about offering support throughout the student cycle to graduate employment or further study. This phenomenographic study explores how a whole provider approach to WP is understood, created and sustained to improve equality of opportunity for underrepresented groups. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff and students involved in the design and delivery of WP initiatives at Kingston University, the institution in which this study took place. A phenomenographic approach to design and analysis was applied. The Office for Students (OfS) encourage providers to outline a whole provider approach within their access and participation plans (APPs) and this paper seeks to contribute to an understanding of this approach in practice. The results of this study revealed that improved channels of communication are needed to increase staff and student awareness of, engagement in and learning from WP practices to achieve a holistic approach.

“If We Don’t Do It, Nobody Is Going to Talk About It”: Indigenous Students Disrupting Latinidad at Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Hispanic and Latinx are terms that conflate ethnicity, race, and nationality and complicate our ability to generalize what it means for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) to serve such a diverse student population. Latinidad has also privileged mestizo narratives that obscure enduring colonialities of power and perpetuate the invisibility of Indigenous Peoples. Conceptually framed by Critical Latinx Indigeneities, this study documents the testimonios of 10 Indigenous Mixtec/Ñuu Savi, Zapotec, and Nahua students at HSIs in California. I highlight issues of racialization and Indigenous misrepresentation within Latinx-centered curricula and programming and the ways participants engaged in fugitive acts of learning to claim new forms of visibility on campus. The findings raise important implications for HSIs, including Latinx programming that disrupts colonial perspectives and creates more nuanced understandings of diasporic Indigeneity within Latinx communities.

Pedagogical Practices in Teaching Students With Disabilities in Inclusive Education

Today's inclusive education settings consist of a diverse student population that needs a different pedagogical approach. Both general education and special education teachers may face difficulties to engage students in meaningful tasks and to promote learning. Teachers may struggle to effectively reach all students with different abilities in an inclusive education setting. Teachers implement several strategies to keep students engage in inclusive education settings. Teachers do multiple tasks, such as teaching students, developing engaging lessons, assessing and tracking students' learning, collaborating with teachers and rehabilitation professionals, implementing evidence-based strategies, and delivering instructions in various formats. Inclusive education needs administrators, related service providers, general education teachers, and special education teachers to optimize students' learning. This chapter aims to highlight pedagogical practices in teaching students with disabilities in inclusive education settings.

Culture and Communication Online

This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities encountered by international and non-native language learners participating in distance education. With the growth of online learning and the internationalization of education, it is necessary to provide literature regarding best practices for educating a diverse student population. Culture and communication play a significant role in how students engage in their learning. This diversity is less evident in the online classroom resulting in potential misinterpretations rather than the valuing of distinctive cultures, experiences, and uniqueness of every individual learner. An exploration of diversity, identity, community, engagement, and linguistics are discussed in relation to international and non-native language speaking online learners.