Knowing and responding to your students’ diverse needs
I teach both undergraduate and postgraduate students, and my job is to impart Computer Science skills to mostly students from arts backgrounds, which itself is quite challenging. Additionally, the class comprises students from various parts of the globe, bringing a mix of opportunities and challenges. The classroom thrives with rich cultural and diverse educational backgrounds, which is interesting in many ways but also overwhelming to provide customized attention to individuals given limitations such as class size, timing, and language barriers.
I would like to deliberate on a few observations from my class in terms of What are they? What did I do? Did it work well? There is this unit, “Critical Data Representation and Analysis,” which included essays as part of the formative assessments leading to summative assessments. I decided to provide one essay topic per week for submission within a deadline. Some students requested a time extension, which I granted to the entire class. The next day, another set of students complained about the perceived unfairness, prompting me to schedule one-on-one tutorials to understand their concerns.
These were their justifications: 1. What is the respect for students who pushed beyond their limits to meet the deadline? 2. What is the penalty for students who were lazy? 3. If this task is not their priority, is it fair to grant them extensions?
This is where I would like to quote what Zakrajsek says, “Whereas equality is giving everyone the same thing, equity is giving individuals what they need” (Zakrajsek, 2021).
Though at first sight, the students had a point, there were some facts of which they were unaware. It is not their fault either. This incident taught me valuable lessons, and I formulated a few ideas to prevent similar situations from arising again. These were the follow-up actions carried out in the subsequent class:
- Opened up the issue to the whole class for transparent discussion.
- Advised to listen to each other’s views without prejudice.
- Made a conclusion about accepting or revoking the deadline extension.
The discussion was positive, and students who initially complained now understood their peers’ perspectives and became empathetic towards each other. This incident reinforced the importance of transparency and fostering a healthy culture in the class.
As per my definition of “fairness,” the extension of time was provided to the entire cohort. However, it is crucial to pay attention to various diverse needs and opinions of each student. Official procedures like Extenuating Circumstances (ECs) are for summative assessments, but it is equally important to consider casual and ungraded submissions, as they also contribute to students’ impressions.
The lessons learned are:
- There is no big or small problem; a problem is a problem and must be addressed.
- Involve students in all possible discussions as they are important stakeholders.
- Simple solutions can yield significant benefits.
In conclusion, I am confident that these experiences will guide me to make the right choices. “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference” (Covey, 1989).
References:
Covey, S. R. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Free Press.
Zakrajsek, T. (2021) Do we need equity or equality to make things ‘fair’? Actually, we need both. Times Higher Education [Online], 16 March 2024. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/do-we-need-equity-or-equality-make-things-fair-actually-we-need-both