Fostering Education

Education isn’t culturally neutral. Students come to the classroom, online or in-person, with the expectations and assumptions of the culture that raised them. Students from diverse backgrounds have different ideas of what school should accomplish, what content is most relevant, and how students should interact with classmates and instructors. These understandings may not align with traditional classroom norms.

To create an environment that welcomes all learners, CASEPS looks at course design and teacher development through a cultural lens. With CASEPS, educators learn about the societal differences that affect how learners experience school, and how a cultural lens approach enhances the curriculum development process. The result is a more versatile teaching approach that empowers educators to present their content in different ways, depending on the cultural needs of students.

Traditional learning assessments, particularly standardized testing, tend to be grounded in the values and norms of majority groups. Students from minority cultural groups are likely to have different experiences that lead them to different answers than the ones that seem intuitive to educational leaders. CASEPS develops and seeks out assessment methods that are fair and accessible to all learners.

These differences often produce low scores for diverse learners, regardless of their actual skills and knowledge. These scores can keep students out of achievement programs or even lead to incorrect placements in special education. To avoid these disparities and to reduce feelings of failure in minority or non-traditional student groups, CASEPS develops and seeks out assessment methods that are fair and accessible to all learners.

What mindsets about education and career growth surround students when they leave the classroom? Within the classroom and school, how does the educator create a classroom community that feels relevant to all students?

CASEPS provides educators with information about different cultural communities and the influence of ethnic culture on instructional practice and course design. That means the educator enters a classroom more prepared and doesn’t need the student or the student’s family to provide cultural education. The result is better communication and an education that is more relevant to students resulting in positive academic outcomes.

Online courses can be particularly difficult to design for diverse learners, partially because of disparities in accessing content. Marginalized, racialized, and under-represented students might not have the academic support they need to complete out-of-class assessments and assignments, particularly when the content is hosted digitally. CASEPS helps educators to make sure that all material is distributed and presented in a way that allows every student to succeed.

CASEPS also helps educators to create a sense of community in both online and in-person courses. This is especially important for online learning, where community is typically built through real-time and consistent interaction between teacher and student, and among the students themselves. By teaching educators how different cultures define community, CASEPS lets faculty incorporate cultural values when creating an online learning experience.