Online courses can improve access, equity and diversity
A conversation with Rene Kizilcec (Mar 2, 2021)
By John Mitchell and Maxwell Bigman (Decade Ahead Project)
Sitting in his home office against a backdrop of furniture shipped from his family’s old furniture store in Germany, Rene Kizilcec reflects on what cognitive psychology might tell us about the lasting implications of the pandemic: “We all really need to take time for individual reflection, to think about what we liked and disliked from this period so that we can make intentional choices going forward.” An expert in behavioral psychology, Kizilcec reminds us that “behavior change must be an intentional process.” In our conversation on his lessons from the pandemic, the Director of the Future of Learning Lab at Cornell offers hope for the democratization of educational access — as well as challenges and obstacles that must be overcome to achieve this dream. “Online learning has really struck a chord at this moment in time,” he says. The exogenous shock of the pandemic can set us on a path that allows a greater diversity of learners to build new skills through online courses. How could creative use of online learning improve access, equity and diversity of education in the decade ahead?
How could creative use of online learning improve access, equity and diversity of education in the decade ahead?
An early researcher of the MOOC Movement, Rene has a unique perspective on what we know now about online courses that we did not appreciate in 2012–15. Rather than simply recording lectures, today’s effective online courses are designed for diverse learners across broad audiences, and offer a scaffolded environment with student flexibility and student support. We’ve seen online pedagogy evolve over the past year, bringing greater awareness to phenomena previously known only to a relatively small number of learning scientists and instructional designers. More people have measurably shown interest in online learning in 2020 than previous years. If broader segments of the population continue to find time for learning, this opens the door to broader access to effective education.
In talking about the challenges and successes of online learning, Rene points to three of his recent studies. The first, based on online courses designed and deployed pre-pandemic, shows that online courses can provide equivalent learning to in-person instruction. The second, however, shows that for courses hastily created during the pandemic, students felt better supported by instructors but less by their peers. Measurably, these sample courses studied at the onset of the pandemic also did not produce equivalent gains in critical thinking to the pre-pandemic in-person courses; they were not as good as their in-person versions. Together, these two studies show that online courses can do as well as in-person, but only with appropriate attention to course design and student support. Against this background, Rene’s third study shows equivalent enrollment in online courses across varying demographics, suggesting that online courses can be effective in supporting more equitable access across diverse populations.
Research Findings
Digging a little deeper on each of these papers, the first study was a multisite randomized controlled trial in Russia. Two foundational engineering courses developed by the top engineering school were evaluated in three resource-strapped Russian universities. The study found that online and blended instruction produce comparable student learning outcomes to traditional in-person instruction at substantially lower costs. This clearly supports a model in which leading universities provide successful online courses to other institutions in the same state or system.
The second study built on a study of five large lecture courses at Cornell that was in progress prior to the onset of the pandemic. When the pandemic struck unexpectedly, the study in progress was able to capture the shifts in student attitudes as these courses rapidly moved online. The study found that students experienced better support from instructors after this shift but less support from their peers. Students felt isolated and struggled to stay motivated. “Nobody was inviting them to go to the library [to study],” Rene explains.
In the third study we discussed over Zoom, Kizilcec showed a causal effect associated with professional learners signing up on the Datacamp online course platform. When non-essential businesses closed down across the country, demand for online learning surged. There was a 38% increase in new users and a 6% increase in engagement among existing users. Analyzing individual engagement between October 2019 and September 2020, Kizilcec was able to identify the causal effect at the neighborhood level. The increases in activity were proportional across higher and lower income neighborhoods and neighborhoods with a high or low portion of Black residents. This demonstrates the potential for online platforms to democratize access to knowledge and skills that are in high demand, with potential benefits for job security and facilitates social mobility.
What’s amazing, Kizilcec shares, “is that we see a pretty democratizing effect.” “With more time [for learners to engage], online learning can be more equitable.”
Students have struggled, in many ways. Rene explains that “It is just so difficult to get students to feel community” in these online classes. While some loss of connection could be attributed to asynchronous use of recorded video, Kizilcec has struggled to build community for his students even in synchronous courses: “Group projects don’t do the trick.” At the same time, Rene tells us that research on remote education shows that for students to succeed, they will need to nurture their self regulation skills. “A lot of that social regulation on college campuses gets lost when you go home.” Fortunately, students see the importance of remote learning skills for their future careers, as well as the value in flexibility. This matches the World Economic Forum prediction that future jobs will require resilience, stress tolerance and flexibility.
“Online learning can be more equitable.”
Finally, Kizilcec leaves us with an important message about designing for equity. Remote students at all levels, including university and professionals, face vastly differing challenges online, in ways that instructors and institutions are only beginning to comprehend. As the three studies Rene describes show, online learning can be a democratizing force: a diverse set of learners are choosing online courses that can be made successful with appropriate attention. Fortunately for all of us, Rene Kizilcec and other leading researchers are developing and rigorously evaluating methods that will increase learning success across diverse populations.
