Howard & Newman: Using Feminist Pedagogy to Design Learner-Centered Learning Experiences Online

Feminist pedagogy is a form of liberatory pedagogy. Facilitators will share an introduction to feminist pedagogy, including practical examples from their teaching. Participants will actively workshop an aspect of their course (syllabus, assessment) around feminist pedagogy tenets of humanizing online learning, creating cultures of care, and fostering embodiment in online learning.Session Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

Identify key tenets of feminist pedagogy for online learning and teaching.
Explain how specific feminist pedagogy tenets are relevant to their online courses.
Apply feminist pedagogy tenets to their elements of their course.

Feminist pedagogy, like other forms of liberatory pedagogies, seeks to promote equity and inclusion in learning environments by centering on learners, recognizing their contributions, and prioritizing their learning goals and needs. Liberatory pedagogies offer a way to engage online learners in ways that honor and uplift their lived experiences and knowledges to positively impact their learning experiences and outcomes. Feminist pedagogy, tenets, such as recognizing learners as agentic co-educators and building equity, mutual respect, and support in the learning process, are needed in today’s increasingly complex learning environments.

This session will review the tenets of feminist pedagogy, focusing on those that are of particular use in the online learning space, and will provide the opportunity for participants to consider a revision to their online course incorporating selected feminist pedagogy tenets, independently and with colleagues.

The session will review:

Humanizing online learning and teaching.
Creating cultures of care in the online learning space.
Disembodiment in online learning and teaching.

Each of these three aspects of the session will provide participants with knowledge about the feminist pedagogy tenet, examples of how to incorporate the tenet into an online course shared by the facilitators, and the opportunity to consider specific changes to an aspect of participants’ own online courses. The facilitators will use polls, open discussion, and question and answer to engage both the virtual and in-person session attendees as part of this process. Learning about a new concept and engaging with colleagues to consider how to apply something new in one’s own context will provide session participants with opportunity to make a substantive change in a supportive environment, with resources and information to continue the work beyond the end of the session and event.

Session Resources:
The Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online guide is an open access resource that was developed by educators at Tulane, and in subsequent collaboration with colleagues from across the US. It is openly available to all and will be shared with Summit participants.
https://feminists-teach-online.tulane.edu/
https://feminists-teach-online.tulane.edu/social-justice-issues/

Dr. Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Administrative Assistant Professor of Technology & Women’s History, Newcomb Institute, Tulane University
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Dr. Liv Newman is Administrative Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching at Tulane University and adjunct faculty for Loyola University New Orleans.