Embracing inclusion: Decolonizing online higher education

Concurrent Session 5

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

As we enroll global learners in our online classrooms, we need to acknowledge that online learning spaces are not value neutral. We need to recognize the colonization of education and make create equity by decolonizing our online learning spaces. This session explores how we can decolonize our online classrooms.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Anita Samuel, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences (USU)

Anita Samuel, Ph.D., is currently Assistant Professor in the Health Professions Education program at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland. She received her doctorate in Adult and Continuing Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she now teaches courses on distance learning, instructional technology, and organizational change. She has also worked, for more than a decade, in Malaysia serving an international student population. Her current research interests include faculty experiences in online learning, faculty development, online education in health professions, and instructional design.

Extended Abstract

A key attraction of online education, especially online higher education, has been the flexibility of anytime, anywhere education. This flexibility has benefited students, instructors, and institutions. Students gain access to global educators and courses; instructors can work with students across the globe; and institutions can recruit from a far larger pool of students. This global reach, in addition to the possibilities, also brings responsibilities. 

As more people take to online education from around the world and we actively encourage the global reach of our courses, we need to pay attention to the power structures that are at play. We need to acknowledge that online learning spaces are not neutral and not the democratizing force they were considered to be.[1] As we acknowledge the lands that we occupy and how we have benefited from colonization, we need to recognize the colonization of education and make a concerted effort to decolonize our online learning spaces. 

In this session, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the non-neutral landscape of online learning

  • Define decolonization

  • Identify 2-3 colonial influences on online education

  • Identify strategies to decolonize their online education environments

Colonization of education

The Western educational model draws from the ancient Greek models of Socratic dialogue, Plato’s ideas of objective thought, and the dissociation of mind and emotions. Colonization began with the appropriation of land and resources but it also created a primacy of Western thought and conceptualization of the world.[2] Adding to this hegemony of Western thought and knowledge was the silencing of local languages which were replaced by the languages of the colonizers. In the 21st century, it is intellectual, conceptual, and linguistic colonization that is at play as the internet predominantly contains content in English, created in Western/European countries. 

Decolonization

In the context of modern education, decolonization can be seen as “decolonization of the mind from the colonizer's ideas – ideas that made the colonized seem inferior”[3]. Curriculum and pedagogy play a key role in this since curriculum and pedagogy can validate or marginalize other systems of learning and knowledge production.[4] As students from around the world enroll in online courses, we need to be sensitive to the messages that are implicitly conveyed through our curricular and pedagogical choices. 

Colonial influences on online education

An important first step in decolonizing online learning is identifying how our online courses perpetuate the hegemony of the colonizer. 

Example 1 - Content selection: when we include resources from Western publishers and high-impact, peer reviewed academic journals, we exclude a multitude of voices that have other stories to share. We are also tacitly reinforcing the supremacy of one form of knowledge over others. 

Example 2 - Participation strategies - Many online courses require assertive and active participation in discussion boards or synchronous sessions. Participants are penalized for silence. But this overlooks the fact that certain cultures value silence. And silence cannot be taken to mean disinterest or non-comprehension. 

These are two out of many examples of the effects of colonization on online learning. 

Decolonization strategies

Decolonizing the online classroom does not mean an overhaul of everything we do. Rather, it is a way of “making room for alternatives”[4]. As educators, we work under two key constraints:

  1. When we serve a global population, it is difficult to cater to individual student contexts

  2. International students enroll in online courses offered by Western universities because they want to be exposed to Western educational styles. 

Working within these frameworks, it is still possible to decolonize our education. 

For example, we can create activities for learners to share knowledge from their communities, even if this knowledge has not been peer-reviewed. Teaching discussion and critical thinking skills are important. But this can be done by providing sufficient scaffolds for success thereby creating equitable learning environments.

We can begin decolonizing our learning spaces in small steps by asking ourselves questions such as: What voices are included in the curriculum and therefore, what ideas are being conveyed? As online education wrestles with providing equitable learning opportunities for all and creating accessible learning environments, we should also consider inclusion through the lens of decolonization.

Session organization

This interactive session will be structured as follows:

7 mins - Presentation on the non-neutral online learning environment

5 mins - Examples of colonial influences on online education

7 min interaction - Discussion on how participants see colonization enacted in their online learning environments

10 mins - Presentation on defining decolonization and identifying strategies to decolonize online educational environments

10 mins - Group activity - Exploring strategies to decolonize online learning environments

References

  1. Woodford, E. (2022). A Path to Decolonizing the Online Classroom. Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 17(1), 4.

  2. Merriam, S. B., & Kim, Y. S. (2011). Non-Western perspectives on learning and knowing. The Jossey-Bass reader on contemporary issues in adult education, 378-389.

  3. Keele University. (2018). Keele decolonising the curriculum network: Why is my curriculum White? https://www.keele.ac.uk/equalitydiversity/equalityframeworksandactivities/equalityawardsandreports/equalityawards/raceequalitycharter/keeledecolonisingthecurriculumnetwork/#keele-manifesto-for-decolonising-the-curriculum

  4. Shahjahan, R. A., Estera, A. L., Surla, K. L., & Edwards, K. T. (2021). “Decolonizing” curriculum and pedagogy: A comparative review across disciplines and global higher education contexts. Review of Educational Research, 00346543211042423.