Humanized Online Teaching

Moving higher education from a “weed out” culture to a culture of care

Changing Faculty Mindsets and Increasing Student Success through Inclusion

This 3-minute video features STEM faculty from California Community College and Cal State Universities reflecting on their experiences in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy.
Humanize Online STEM badge

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

app on phone

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:

  1. Contribute to fostering a culture of learning in STEM teaching by openly sharing a Humanizing Showcase with a CC-BY-NC 4.0 license.
  2. Support the affective dimensions of learning in online STEM courses to eliminate barriers for students from minoritized communities.
  3. Examine the potential of culturally responsive teaching to support more students through the STEM academic pathway. 
  4. Critically reflect on one’s teaching practices while evaluting culturally responsive teaching pedagogy.
  5. Apply strategies that minimize stereotype threat and belongingness uncertainty.
  6. Use digital technologies to convey kindness cues of social inclusion that foster trust and community at a distance.
  7. 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.

How can supporting the affective dimensions of learning improve the STEM academic pathway for all students?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Evaluate data that demonstrates how STEM disproportionately impacts Black, Latinx, Indigenous and women students.
  2. Identify the role that culture, emotions, and cognitive underminers play in a student’s ability to achieve their full academic potential.
  3. Evaluate your course through the lens of students from minoritized communities.
  4. Create a course card that sends a cue of inclusion to students often marginalized in the course discipline/field.
  5. Create a visually appealing course homepage (with an accessible course banner) that serves as a kindness cue of social inclusion for students at the start of your course.

Why is your imperfect human presence so important to your online students’ learning?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Reflect on the opportunities that your imperfect, human presence provides for establishing psychological trust at the start of your online course.
  2. Increase your instructor presence by demonstrating a workflow for creating accessible videos on a mobile device.
  3. Humanize pre-course contact with a Liquid Syllabus to foster trust and model yourself as a learning partner.

How does warm demander pedagogy encourage students to apply themselves at a higher level and build intellectual capacity?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Employ a survey to identify high opportunity students who will benefit most from high-touch interactions.
  2. Prepare your online course to support warm demander pedagogy.
  3. Reflect on the components of warm, wise feedback for diverse students and consider how they will impact your future teaching.
  4. Provide warm, actionable feedback on a peer’s Liquid Syllabus.

How can student-student interactions be used to mitigate threat and build community?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Improve your Liquid Syllabus by applying peer feedback.
  2. Examine opportunities for integrating student-student interactions in STEM courses.
  3. Design two assignments that foster connections among students, encourage metacognition, and improve students’ internal narratives about their abilities.
  4. Identify a person who has taken at least one online asynchronous course that you will interview in Module 5.

How can brief instructional videos be used to foster your teaching presence and support the learning needs of more students?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Identify the essential tools and equipment for recording and hosting effective videos.
  2. Create an Adobe Express video and discuss two key findings from an interview with online students and reflect on the findings of your peers.
  3. Create a brief, imperfect welcome video that greets students and shares your personal warmth.
  4. Create a course bumper video that is less than 3-minutes and serves one clear, instructional purpose in your course.

What have you learned over the past six weeks and how will your online course change?

To interrogate this guiding question, participants will:

  1. Create a microlecture video that is less than 10-minutes and is aligned with at least one measurable learning objective in your course.
  2. Develop a showcase of your eight humanized online teaching elements and share it with an open license.
  3. Reflect on your professional growth throughout the Humanized Online STEM Academy.
  4. Provide feedback to improve future Academy offerings.

Testimonials

Samya McCleave

"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."

Sumaya McCleave
Saddleback College, Mathematics
Gilbert Ayuk

"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!"

Gilbert Ayuk
Bakersfield College, Physics
Kimberly White

"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."

Kimberly White
Cal Poly Humboldt, Chemistry
Baba Kofi

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

Baba Kofi Weusijana
Foothill College, Computer Science
Geri Lamble

"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."

Geri Lamble
Foothill College, Computer Science
Hillary Tejada

"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."

Hillary Tejada
CSU Channel Islands, Chemistry
Jenni White

"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."

Jenni Long
Modesto Junior College, Mathematics

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.