Problematizing the decolonization of digital learning to envision course design and learning in a digital society

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Abstract:

In the ChatGPT era, it’s increasingly critical to examine the literature on digital divide and how much of the literature focuses on unequal access to digital technology and skills. The divide goes beyond access to impact what counts as knowledge and how it is represented and reshaped by power in distance learning modes. This panel addresses questions of technology, design, and digital learning spaces through the lenses of equity and decolonization.

Introduction
When COVID-19 hit, many educational institutions pivoted to emergency remote teaching (ERT), which allowed learners to learn from anywhere at any time; making open, flexible, and distance learning models even more necessary in the education system. However, ERT amplified the digital divide and inequities among learners during the pandemic. Some governments tried to address this gap within their jurisdictions by giving devices to students who needed them but the lack of access to the appropriate supports (i.e., high-speed internet) and quality use of the technology (i.e., knowing how to navigate the technology) still caused disadvantages for students in completing their online work or attending online classes, thus limiting them from sharing their lived experience. In addition, the digital divide is now prevalent in online exam proctoring software, with the software disproportionately targeting marginalized students. There is also a need for caution when selecting and using online meeting tools, such as Zoom, since personal data from users were sent to Facebook and some classes were hacked by trolls posting offensive and hateful content (Peters et al., 2020). These realities highlight that technologies are not neutral in their development and deployment and as a result could cause unexpected disruptions and inequities in education.
This panel aims to problematize decolonization in the context of instructional strategies and course design approaches used to create a more equitable open, flexible, and distance learning environment to minimize the inequities caused by the digital divide. The following section introduces the topics discussed by each panelist. The first author addresses the question of decolonization of digital learning spaces, while the second author discusses equity in course design. The third and fourth author discuss Decolonization of technologies in digital learning and Positionality in the decolonization of digital learning spaces.

References
Biermann, R. (August, 2011). Designing Inter-Organizational Cooperation: The Quest for Autonomy and the Effectiveness-Control Dilemma. Paper presented at the ECPR General Conference.
Dron, J. (2022). Educational technology: what it is and how it works. AI & SOCIETY, 37(1), 155-166.
Mbukusa, N. R. (2017). Overcoming barriers of isolation in distance learning: building a collaborative community in learning. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 4(17).
Meighan, P. J. (2021). Decolonizing the digital landscape: The role of technology in Indigenous language revitalization. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 17(3), 397-405
Peters, M. D., Marnie, C., Tricco, A. C., Pollock, D., Munn, Z., Alexander, L., ... & Khalil, H. (2020). Updated methodological guidance for the conduct of scoping reviews. JBI evidence synthesis, 18(10), 2119-2126.
Phirangee, K., & Malec, A. (2017). Othering in online learning: An examination of social presence, identity, and sense of community. Distance Education, 38(2), 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2017.1322457
Woodford, E. (2022). A Path to Decolonizing the Online Classroom. Northwest Journal of Teacher Education, 17(1), 4.

Sub Unit

• Afrika SIG

Chair

• Rebecca Y Bayeck, Utah State University

Individual Presentations

• Decolonizing digital learning spaces - Rebecca Y Bayeck, Utah State University

• Using an equity lens in course design - Krystle Phirangee, University of Toronto

• Decolonization of technologies in digital learning - Lorne Foster, Institute for Social Research (ISR) York University