This week I read an article from Educational Resources that suggests that the online environment can contribute to creating an environment free of bias.
"Another major benefit of distance learning not immediately apparent is the potential elimination of all biases toward race, age, and physical disability that might occur in the classroom. With all students contributing to the class and interacting solely online, this effectively levels the playing field and creates an automatic equality that wouldn't exist otherwise due to race, age, and physical discrimination. In some ways, interaction with other students and faculty may be increased, as there is much more emailing back-and-forth. The favoritism that might be shown to the youngest, brightest, and physically advantaged students in the classroom will no longer be an issue. Students are judged solely by the output of their minds and intellect, without their status in life or physical characteristics being a factor. "
Of course, this conclusion is a bit simplistic. It also implies that the teacher does not require students to post introductory autobiographies and that a student's name does not give away his/her ethnicity (Jose Rivera? Luong Do? Etienne Marcoux? Sayarath Ingnavonthsa? Herschel Goldstein? Megan O'Reilly? Vladimir Nabokov?). I plan on looking into this further as the semester progresses.
I have always had misgivings about the introductory postings every teacher seems to require at the beginning of every online class. I know people like to know a little about their classmates, but I wonder what interaction would be like if we had no idea about the background of the people we interact with. I would like to experiment with a class where each person selected an avatar, named the avatar and used both the name the student (and teacher) chose throughout the class. I'm not sure how such an experiment could be controlled but it would be interesting.
Reference:
Understanding Distance Learning - Can It Eliminate Classroom Bias?
by Heidi Anspaugh
http://www.degrees.info/online/articles/can-distance-online-learning-eliminate-bias.html
(retrieved March 17, 2009)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow Liz - I would love to see the results of your introductory posting from the class where they use avatars and nicknames. What interesting results would you get?
ReplyDeletePerhaps you could give this a try this summer with one of your classes - just as an experiment - and see who participates.
A dissertation in the works here?
Thanks for a thoughtful posting.
Liz,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what this article says about distance learning actually increasing communication in some cases. I was telling a friend about this program the other day and told her that I feel like I actually get to know people much more, than I think I would, if in a physical setting. Maybe getting a master's degree is different, but I feel like I've gotten to know people MUCH better through this program, than when I got my bachelor's on campus.
I think your idea to experiment with the use of an avatar and chosen name is very interesting! The fact that most people (not you though!) in this program have a picture of themselves next to their name, can lend itself to being judged.
Maybe you can do the experiment, and then at the end, have people reveal their real names and pictures. Then, have people anonymously submit some kind of survey or notes, with their thoughts on the results. Were they suprised, did they make any assumptions before finding out this information that turned out to be true/false/etc.
Just a thought.
Kelly