Ensure inclusive teaching and learning: Moderating behaviour and language in online environments

The online environment presents new and different dynamics for communication and interaction within learning groups and with teaching staff, external speakers and facilitators. Synchronous events can involve multiple channels of formal and informal interaction, chat and messaging, and asynchronous events may also involve use of associated discussion forums or informal sub-group attendance/participation.

Additionally students may be making increased use of social media for course-related communications increasing the potential for online peer-to-peer miscommunications or tensions and/or inappropriate excluding language and behaviours.

Most of the time, online interaction is collegiate and positive, but unfortunately sometimes teaching staff and session leaders will need to be comfortable with ‘uncomfortable conversations’ and confident in setting boundaries, defusing tension and adopting strategies to provide constructive learning in the moment, and/or take the issue aside for separate discussion. 

There are a number of stages to deal with this behaviour: being alert to content that may be sensitive or challenging for groups of students and heighten the risk of triggering inappropriate behaviour and setting good ground rules will help to reduce the chance of it happening. If you do experience this in your teaching/learning event, ‘call it out’ (at the time it happens) and then, if appropriate, ‘call it in’ (find time to deal with it in a separate space). Here is some advice which may help:

• Forewarn students when presenting sensitive or challenging subject matter with ‘content warnings’ or ‘trigger warnings’ shared in writing, verbally or both. 
• Be up front - set ground rules and gain agreement on these. See link with suggestions here.

• Adopt a learning approach - move towards questions and deeper understanding rather than shaming mistakes.
• In the moment - pause and defuse tension e.g. “I would like to ask you to rephrase or withdraw that comment please” (allow for the fact clumsy wording may contribute - enable an apology).
• Ask questions e.g. “let’s look at that issue more closely” (it is advisable not to try this if the situation is heated).
• Address the behaviour not the person e.g. “can we move on from that topic now as we need to look at this issue more widely to understand it”.
• Suggest a solution or desired change e.g. “the discussion will be much better if we are all involved/if we focus on the issues in this seminar etc”.
• Avoid focusing on students with protected characteristics for their view - you are affected and take responsibility.

• Make sure student(s) who have been affected are supported - follow up and check that the student(s) on the receiving end is(are) OK and that they are empowered to take things further if that is what they want.
• Take ‘offline’ as appropriate to reinforce the message with the perpetrator - if necessary involve another colleague in supporting you with this.

Live now:

• Resources on race and anti-racism webpage
• To note also that for everyone, but especially thinking of online only students, the Black History Month programme of events for October is available. These events are also promoted through the main events page. 
• A Skill Boosters elearning module on Understanding race bias
• ‘Challenging behaviour’ module is also available along with other Skill Booster short courses

Coming up:

• 'Conversations on Race, Racism and Anti-Racism’, a series of weekly webinars in Semester 1 and 2 are being organised by the Anti-Racism Action Group. These short sessions led by a range of Brookes colleagues will be useful for awareness, support and confidence for teaching staff.
  Written by Sara Hannam and Jane Butcher, September 2020.