This presentation focuses on a variety of issues related to the equity of online courses for a variety of audiences. These audiences may differ in their ethnic/cultural backgrounds, native language, gender, technological 'savvy' and the access to which they have access to information technology, especially the Internet and computers. Many of these issues are part of the larger picture known as the 'Digital Divide'...
The current session looks at 'Equitable Education' as a way of meeting the diverse needs of our students in the community colleges, 4-year colleges, and other degree and/or vocational programs. The 'equitable' goal would be to deliver courses that meet the individual student's learning needs in the most appropriate way; this is NOT the same as 'equal education'!
A variety of course settings ranging from the traditional (F2F) classroom through web-enhanced F2F classrooms to those that are dependent upon network delivery of instruction in either hybrid or online classrooms. This continuum provides a set of options that can meet both student and teacher needs in the most appropriate manner. We shall, therefore, focus on:
*The Teacher's Role in the teaching/learning process (and how it must adapt in the different situations; and,
*The Student's Role in the teaching/learning process (and which learning environment best meets their learning needs).
