Poster

         Education and Outreach

METHODS ON INCLUSION OF BIPOC AND LGBTQ+ STUDENTS IN AN ONLINE BOTANY COLLEGE COURSE

Presenting Author
Keri Maricle
Description
Social identity threat is a psychological concept that states some people can feel they may be treated differently because of their identity in certain environments. Some of this can be explained by situational cues that can indicate to individuals of a particular race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, or sexual orientation that they may or may not be subject to prejudice. In some cases, long term health is influenced by repeated social situations that cause stress (i.e., minority stress theory), which has been indicated to be a major cause of mental health issues in the United States. Among groups most susceptible to these risks are BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. Educational institutions can serve as a tool to combat these issues through innovative and inclusive curriculum modifications. The methods presented here are centered around psychological approaches to fostering inclusion of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students through application of situational cues in an online classroom that facilitate a sense of belonging. This involves updates to curriculum and presentation to indicate to students they are welcomed and can see themselves adequately represented in instructional materials. Specific methods used in this study include a preliminary student survey to inquire about student goals and identity, course instructor information including preferred name and pronouns, highlighting scientists from historically marginalized groups, and updating visual aids to include inclusive imagery. An online classroom setting was used to facilitate these updates to curriculum with student feedback being used to gauge response. Having an online classroom allowed for a more diverse sample size including students with disabilities and representation of students living in different areas across the United States. Overall, student feedback was positive with comments made specifically about having a sense of belonging even in an online setting. This preliminary work has facilitated the advancement of more psychological research with emphasis shifting toward campus climate and differences in inclusive practices between courses in the sciences and humanities.