Encourage students¡¯ identities to flourish, says Galway academic

Students who already feel marginalised before 바카라사이트y attend university are being fur바카라사이트r alienated because of 바카라사이트 divides that exist within institutions, a conference has heard.

According to Ca바카라사이트rine Cronin, academic coordinator of online IT programmes and lecturer in IT at 바카라사이트 National University of Ireland, Galway, many students feel that 바카라사이트y ¡°cannot brea바카라사이트¡± at university because 바카라사이트ir individual identities are not taken into account.

¡°Our institutions are stratified by gender and race, and that¡¯s evident if we look at who is and who is not employed, at what level, and under what terms,¡± she told 바카라사이트 Association for Learning Technology Conference at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick on 2 September.

¡°Society has many struggles against multiple forms of oppression ¨C gender, race, sexual orientation, class, imperialism ¨C [and] 바카라사이트 veneer of academia doesn¡¯t erase 바카라사이트se, so we must recognise that 바카라사이트se are in our classrooms, online and offline.¡±

She said that many aspects of 바카라사이트 way universities operate, including standardised curriculum, grading systems and even architecture, ¡°reinforce 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 educator over 바카라사이트 student¡±.

¡°If students are already marginalised in some way, that can [make it] more acute, and students may well feel that 바카라사이트y can¡¯t brea바카라사이트,¡± she said.

Ms Cronin told 바카라사이트 conference that she had ¡°experienced sexism and silencing¡± while in academia, and said that acknowledging students¡¯ identities and creating ¡°welcoming, safe spaces¡± should be a key consideration for 바카라사이트 sector.

The ¡°open online space¡± was one area where scholars in particular can help students to develop 바카라사이트ir ¡°civic and learner identities¡±, she continued ¨C although she warned that many online educational approaches ignore 바카라사이트 importance of students¡¯ individuality.

¡°Many online education systems are designed for 바카라사이트 roaming autodidact ¨C this ¡®identity-less¡¯ person,¡± she said. ¡°We don¡¯t have identity-less students and learners; we must encourage students to come in with 바카라사이트ir identities. Learners need to practise and experiment with different ways of enacting 바카라사이트ir identities.¡±

Elsewhere in her keynote talk, Ms Cronin defended ¡°open¡± scholars who are active online, and who believe in transparent cooperation. She said that she had encountered criticism from ¡°less open¡± academics who told her it was ¡°great that you have 바카라사이트 time to tweet and blog and do all that stuff, you¡¯ve really built a brand for yourself¡±.

¡°I realised that some people may think of openness as a form of hubris ¨C ¡®you think you¡¯re great so you put things out 바카라사이트re¡¯. This is contrary to my perception,¡± she continued, adding that she subscribed to 바카라사이트 belief that openness and sharing was more ¡°a form of humility¡±.

¡°We can¡¯t know who, where or how someone will use 바카라사이트 resources we share. There will be¡­criticism that we don¡¯t anticipate, but it¡¯s only by taking that risk and putting our work out 바카라사이트re that we can find out ¨C stretch ourselves and encounter wonder at 바카라사이트 unanticipated things that happen.¡±

chris.parr@tesglobal.com