Making the Case for Equitable Learning: Using Case-Studies to Support Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Goals
Concurrent Session 4
Brief Abstract
Discover how student-and-faculty-authored case studies are incorporated into the course design of a non-credit to credit pathway program. Explore how cases and associated instructional strategies are used to further Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) goals. Included is a DEIJ framework that can be applied across design contexts.
Extended Abstract
How does a Learning Experience Designer effectively incorporate authentic, relevant educational resources in the design of an online non-credit to credit pathway program, while attending to the diverse needs of global learners? This question was tackled through the use of web-based case studies in an effort to manifest elements of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) in the design of an online program consisting of seven courses and a capstone learning experience. With course topics focusing on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, course faculty brought forward a case-based learning approach to course design. The faculty came to the process with a collection of student- and faculty-authored cases to explore using cases as a new pedagogical approach within the context of Sustainability and Development education. The case content included: shea trees in Mali, farmers adjusting to climate change in India, and waste management in Ethiopia.
Informed by Universal Design for Learning principles, design teams developed unique and innovative strategies surrounding the use of each case study. Strategies included using case studies as the foundation for a peer review assignment, exemplifying agent-based modeling strategies, and creating an applied example to scaffold decision-case writing in the capstone learning experience. A taxonomy, or categories, were developed to better describe and understand how the cases were used in each course. The taxonomy helps describe the degree of complexity of how the cases were integrated into each of the courses, but does not give value to one style of integration over another. Since each style of integration has its own merits, each individual integration style may be considered for use in course design in accordance with the goals of the course, faculty, and design team.
This session will be extremely relevant for anyone interested in using case studies in online education. The platform is open-source, making it possible for instructors and designers across institutions to take advantage of the opportunity to bring authentic, learner centered, and global content to learners. Design teams have the opportunity to use existing cases, or write their own for their own institutional contexts. Beyond the case studies, this session will be useful for all participants who are considering how to make online courses more engaging and relevant for moving forward DEIJ goals. Relevancy and DEIJ goals will be addressed by including different types of engagement strategies that move past textbooks and into real-world scenarios.
Participants should be prepared for session interactivity that includes the read and reflect strategy, discussion prompts, word clouds, and most importantly, robust discussion opportunities with fellow participants. Participants will be asked to think about the DEIJ landscape at their institutions while considering how to move forward DEIJ goals with currently available tools. Then, a DEIJ framework will be shared that helps design teams think through “lenses” of DEIJ. The framework will provide language to be used during the learning design process that is applicable to case-based learning and course design discussions more generally. This language can be used with faculty to help frame and codify tangible DEIJ goals in course design. Lastly, participants will be charged to think about how they might use the DEIJ framework presented in this session to move forward DEIJ goals in their own institutions.