Supporting Faculty in Culturally Responsive Online Teaching

Abstract

Only recently have we begun to ask what it means for online educators to work at proactively establishing culturally responsive pedagogy and learning experiences in their online classrooms. This chapter contributes to this dialogue by focusing on upon the work of those charged with supporting faculty: faculty developers, including instructional designers. After examining the current state of faculty development in the area of culturally responsive pedagogy online and the challenges therein, the authors offer an institutional case study illustrating several mechanisms through which one substantial Hispanic-serving institution has supported faculty in this critical, challenging work. Although faculty development regarding cultural responsiveness is fraught with challenges, this chapter illustrates manners in which the intersection of online professional development and cultural responsiveness brings powerful opportunities to engage and empower both faculty and students, and shares recommendations for doing so.