Charting a Learner-Driven Future for Online Learning: A Student Panel on Centering Humanization and Care

Leadership

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Brief Abstract

In this plenary panel, we will close the virtual conference week and transition into the onsite conference with a compelling amplification of the voices of our students, gleaning their perspectives and ideas for the future of online learning that centers quality, equity, and care. Weaving together the emergent themes from the conference as well as diverse narratives of the lived-in experiences of our featured students, this panel will leverage the wisdom of our students in collectively charting a path from the pandemic into a new reality where access to quality education within online, blended, and digital learning is open to all learners, anytime and anywhere.

Student panelists:

  • Kiara Williams, ELE Student Fellow - moderator
  • Mark Lannaman - ELE Student Fellow
  • Mika Odaira - ELE Student Fellow

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Kiara Williams, Braven

Kiara Williams has been a strong leader and passionate voice in student-centered spaces for as long as she can remember. In 2017, she was awarded the Goizueta Foundation Endowment Scholarship, which awarded her a full ride to Georgia State University and memories to last a lifetime. As a proud graduate of Georgia State University, she received her degree in Human Learning and Development with focuses on Family & Community Advocacy, Psychology, and working with multilingual populations. Kiara has served as a teacher, mentor, scholar, world adventurer, university ambassador, student fellow, and is now taking on the nonprofit field! Kiara currently works with Braven as the Program Manager of their Career and Leadership Accelerator, an experiential course that inspires, develops, and supports underrepresented college students as they work towards securing strong first jobs and living their legacies. Before Braven, Kiara worked at Apple where she was able to serve as a student liaison with Apple’s College Inclusion & Diversity team, work hands on with Apple’s Diversity Network Associations, and connect with Apple leaders during her experience as a team manager, all while supporting the larger population of Apple users around the globe. In 2020, she received the Fall Applecare Excellence Award for her hardwork and dedication to Apple support. In 2021, Kiara entered the education, equity, and online learning space when she was chosen to be a part of Every Learner Everywhere’s Inaugural Student Fellowship cohort. This work allowed her to share her unique identity and experiences with an extensive network of higher education leaders, researchers, and major stakeholders in the student learning journey. In her continued work with Every Learner and the overall WICHE network, she was able to support network recruitment, content management, and most importantly, the organization’s student-centered endeavors. Kiara strives to ensure that student voices do not go unheard when and where it matters the most. She has a passion for education, impact, and growth, and believes that if she can share her light with at least one individual, then it will all be worth it. Above all, Kiara is an avid life-liver, joy-seeker, and music enthusiast.

Extended Abstract

In much of our work in support of students in digital learning environments, our learners are relegated to the sidelines of the design, delivery, and continuous improvement process. As a means of leading with the best practice of humanizing the digital learning environment, numerous educators, administrators and designers have worked hard to center student voice as a driver for creating learning experiences that center engagement, rigor, and care. In this plenary panel, we will close the virtual conference week and transition into the onsite conference with a compelling amplification of the voices of our students, gleaning their perspectives and ideas for the future of online learning that centers quality, equity, and care. Weaving together the emergent themes from the conference as well as diverse narratives of the lived-in experiences of our featured students, this panel will leverage the wisdom of our students in collectively charting a path from the pandemic into a new reality where access to quality education within online, blended, and digital learning is open to all students.