Students Experience Othering in Online Learning

• In Event: Social Presence in Online Learning: Extending the Research Conversation on Definitions, Learning, Conflict, Identity, and Othering

Abstract

Today’s classrooms are highly diverse, encompassing learners from different ethnic, language, educational, and geographic backgrounds. Those who differ from the dominant ideas perpetuated within the online course may be devalued and set apart as the “Other.” We argue that Othering adversely affects learners’ participation within an online course and our research focuses on graduate students’ online learning experiences instances of Othering within online courses. Our definition of the Other draws heavily from Said (as cited in Garner & Hancock, 2014) who describes the Other as a contrast in the images, experiences and understandings between two broad and differing cultures. Here, a dominant culture exerts authority over a less dominant group through manipulation and control in order to maintain the dominant culture’s status or position. Our concept of Other extends beyond notions of broad cultural differences to include professional, academic, and ethnic differences which fall under the culture umbrella.

The results for our study revealed that all participants expressed feeling Othered in some form. Participant comments were analyzed and coded according to three categories of Other: 1) Professional Other, 2) Ethnic Other, and 3) Academic Other. The Professional Other refers to students being Othered based on their work obligations conflicting with their academic obligations. The Academic Other refers to students being Othered because their approach and engagement to the online course discussions differed from their peers. The Ethnic Other refers to students being Othered based on their ethnic origins and experiences differing from the majority of their peers or from what their peers shared. Our findings revealed that online learning has the potential to exclude many types of learners through various types of interactions with both their instructors and their peers. Students in online courses experience disconnection and isolation from their peers, which can limit sense of community (Rovai, 2002a) and may lead to high drop-out rates. Limiting sense of community in online courses is worrisome because learners need to feel as though their identities are accepted, valued, and appreciated (Rovai, 2002b) by their peers in order to socially and emotionally express themselves online (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007; Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997).

Even though none of our participants dropped their online courses, feelings of disconnection were prevalent for each in relation to their specific category of Otherness (Professional, Academic, and Ethnic) and negatively influenced their learning experiences. This research offers new insights as to why some online learners become disconnected and isolated from online courses and allows instructors an opportunity to counter feelings of disconnection and isolation related to Othering. Furthermore these findings provide support for online instructors to foster social presence in their online courses to help ease feelings of disconnection, isolation, and separation (Liu, Magjuka, Bonk, & Lee, 2007), and to encourage “student satisfaction [and] motivation” (McCracken, 2005, p. 304).

Authors

• Krystle Phirangee, University of Toronto

• Alesia Malec, University of Toronto