Program Overview
The Humanizing Online STEM Academy is a six-week professional development program designed to help faculty create a more inclusive and equitable online learning environment, particularly in STEM fields. Developed with support from the California Education Learning Lab, the academy addresses critical equity gaps by focusing on eight key humanizing elements. These elements, along with culturally responsive “warm demander” pedagogy, equip educators with strategies to foster a welcoming and supportive classroom for students of diverse backgrounds. The academy is grounded in research and aims to enhance student belonging, engagement, and success in online STEM courses.

Through this academy, faculty members, including those from Ventura College, learn to integrate personal presence, empathy, and flexibility into their online courses. Preliminary research indicates that this approach increases a sense of belonging among students from underrepresented backgrounds and improves instructor-student relationships.

My Participation
During my time in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, I developed several resources aimed at creating a more humanized and approachable online learning experience for my students. This included designing a Liquid Syllabus that provides a visually engaging and accessible overview of course essentials, and creating personalized course elements like a “Getting to Know You” survey and a welcoming Course Homepage. These components were structured to build trust and ensure that students feel acknowledged and supported from the beginning of the course.

I also experimented with multimedia tools to enhance my teaching presence. I created introductory videos, such as a Bumper Video explaining foundational concepts in chemistry, and microlectures that visually guide students through complex topics like mole conversions. These media-based resources were developed with the goal of making online learning more interactive and relatable.

What I Learned
Participating in the academy challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and re-evaluate my teaching practices. Initially, I was hesitant to merge personal elements into my professional environment, but I learned that sharing aspects of my personality and experiences could positively impact student engagement. I also discovered effective ways to use media technologies that add value to the educational experience without complicating the learning process.

The academy emphasized the importance of empathy and the role of personal connection in fostering a supportive online classroom. This experience taught me how to balance my expertise in media with humanizing strategies, resulting in a more inclusive and dynamic learning atmosphere for students. Moving forward, I plan to integrate feedback from students to continuously refine and improve these humanizing elements in my courses.

You can also find more detailed examples and reflections in my online showcase website.