Changing Faculty Mindsets and Increasing Student Success through Inclusion

The Humanizing Online STEM Academy is a research-based online professional development program developed with funding from the California Education Learning Lab, shared with an open license and available for institutions using Canvas to adopt. Between 2021 and 2024, a total of 330 participants representing eighteen institutions across California public higher education completed the Academy.
Research shows that the Academy is an an important contributor to creating inclusive learning environments both online and in-person. The Academy is linked with:
- Higher rates of student success among all student groups and across both online and face-to-face classes,
- Significant increases in success among female and Latino students;
- Student belonging, with higher measures reported among Black, Hispanic, Native American, and Pacific Islander students,
- Increased faculty self-efficacy with teaching online,
- Improved faculty perceptions of the role instructors play in improving student achievement and on closing equity gaps,
- Heightened faculty awareness of students’ individual experiences,
- Increased teaching flexibility and instructor approachability,
- Increased instructor-student and student-student interactions
Relationship-rich, Online Professional Development

Working in an asynchronous online environment with a supportive community of peers and “warm demander” (Kleinfeld, 1974) facilitators, participants complete six 1-week modules. Their professional learning is guided with high-touch facilitator interactions (group announcements and reminders, as well as individual check-ins, nudges, and feedback). In the modules, they learn about social psychological factors (stereotype threat, belongingness uncertainty, imposterism) that interfere with a person’s ability to perform to their full potential, and how validation, trust, and care mitigate these threats and cultivate an anti-racist learning environment. Throughout the Academy, participants use humanizing tools (Adobe Express, ScreenPal, Flip, Google Sites, Canva, and YouTube or another video hosting service) to develop eight humanized online teaching elements in one of their existing online courses. To complete the Academy successfully and earn a digital badge, participants submit an openly shared humanizing showcase that includes reflections and video “tours” of their eight elements implemented within their online course.
Inside the Academy
The Academy:
- is six weeks long
- requires about 10 hours of time per week
- is fully asynchronous (no required Zoom sessions)
- is delivered in Canvas
- is not self-paced. One module is released each week containing content and assignments with due dates. Participants engage in asynchronous discussions.
By the completion of the program, participants will:
- Contribute to fostering a culture of learning in STEM teaching by openly sharing a Humanizing Showcase with a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.
- Support the affective dimensions of learning in online STEM courses to eliminate barriers for students from minoritized communities.
- Examine the potential of culturally responsive teaching to support more students through the STEM academic pathway.
- Critically reflect on one’s teaching practices while evaluting culturally responsive teaching pedagogy.
- Apply strategies that minimize stereotype threat and belongingness uncertainty.
- Use digital technologies to convey kindness cues of social inclusion that foster trust and community at a distance.
- Reconfigure an existing online STEM course with eight humanized elements that support the affective dimensions of learning, foster an inclusive course climate, and provide a more equitable learning experience for all students.
The Academy is organized into six, one-week modules comprised of the following topics.
Testimonials

"Think of arriving with an empty tool belt... you'll leave with it full AND the knowledge that goes along with utilizing those tools for our students' benefit! I'm excited to apply all I learned and become a more 'present' instructor/facilitator/supporter in my classes."

"This Humanizing STEM Academy has been a life-changing experience - opening up my eyes in ways that I would have never imagined coming in. I am very grateful for this opportunity."

"The Humanizing Online STEM Academy has completely changed for the better how I teach my online courses. The material was relevant, well supported with examples and evidence of effectiveness, and extremely well structured and enjoyable to learn."

"I received more instructor support, warm feedback and encouragement than I remember ever having in any previous class I have had online. Best professional development ... in eleven years of higher ed teaching!"

"Don’t keep this course a secret! All faculty need a chance to take it! Organized, research-based training like this is pure gold."

"The Humanizing Online STEM Academy allowed me to move past frantically learning new tools to examine my cultural context and teaching philosophy. At the same time, I did learn new and useful online teaching and accessibility tools. And very importantly, the facilitators are excellent role models."

"One of my most valuable takeaways ... is the notion of a compassionate demander. The two concepts are not mutually exclusive - in fact, I think they go well together. By accepting late work and allowing second chances and corrections I put the emphasis on the quality of my students’ work."
Adopt the Academy
The Humanizing Online STEM Academy is available for institutions to download from the Canvas Commons. From the Commons, search for #HumanizingSTEM. Learn more about adopting the Academy.