Bridging the gap: teaching college students during a global pandemic

With colleges closing across the nation, educators are quickly adapting curriculum to an online format to finish out the semester.

Not all students have equitable access to technology that will allow them to keep up with these changes, however. Professors need to account for the resources that all students have including those who are low-income or first-generation students.

Adapting for equitable online learning

The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article on how professors can help students that are at a disadvantage with online learning.

Professors should reach out to the students through email early and on a regular basis. Not all students will be able to connect with Zoom Video Conferencing and will need a more low-tech way of connecting with their professors. Checking in on a regular basis can also help because circumstances for the students may change from week to week or even day to day.

Students returning home may now be living in time zones different from their college. It is important to offer alternate options like a live Zoom call, a recorded lecture and an audio version of the lecture.

While grades are still important to ensure students are learning and getting a quality education, professors should take into consideration that students that might normally have been disadvantaged in their ability to complete coursework find school even more difficult now. These students who normally need extra help from their professors are finding it harder than ever to get that help.

Provide technology to students

For students who do not have a Wifi connection or access to a computer, colleges need to step up to provide these resources or alternatives.

Edscoop compiled a list of education companies that are assisting educators in equipping students with needed software. Acessibyte is offering free access to its cloud platform of apps for blind, low-vision, deaf and reading-impaired students while ClassMaster, a company that digitizes existing paper or computer-based resources, is free for the rest of the academic year.

Yet, the list does not include any options for providing access to the internet or technology itself. Access to software can be really helpful if the student already has an internet connection and a computer device. If not, colleges will need to start funding for Hotspot devices and laptop loaner programs.