Promoting Equitable Online Learning in California Community Colleges: Lessons From the Pandemic

• In Event: Teaching and Faculty Workload at Community Colleges

Abstract

While many community colleges had significant presence in online learning prior to 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced leaders to reconsider how online learning will change post-pandemic. This qualitative study showcases interviews with 35 Distance Education (DE) leaders in the California Community College (CCC) system to explore the lessons that DE leaders have taken away from the system-wide disruptions caused by the pandemic. DE Leaders signaled that the transition online amplified existing disparities based on socio-economic, racial, and disability lines. Colleges debated how best to deliver courses to minimize these disparities: for instance, whether synchronous or asynchronous course delivery best promoted equity. Leaders anticipate that insights learned during the pandemic will guide and influence distance education going forward.

Authors

• Emily Alonso, University of California - Davis

• Cassandra M.D. Hart, University of California - Davis

• Michael Hill, University of California - Irvine

• Di Xu, University of California - Irvine