Teaching social
justice online
with a service
learning
component
Dr. Carmen Mónico, Elon
University
Dalia El-Khoury, PhD
1Student, VCU
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Content
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Why teaching online
Online learning and learners
Teaching social justice
The challenge: The online social justice, summer
course
A tour of the course BB page
Examples of service learning activities
Course assessments
Questions for discussion
Resources
References
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Teaching online
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Online education research highlight building
communities online and enabling social presence
Online learning enhances student’s subject
knowledge, critical thinking, and other learning
outcomes
Online technologies in higher education are
learner-focused and self-directed learning
(heutagogy); enable constructivist pedagogy
Knowledge and meaning is constantly created
through interaction, feedback, collaboration,
group activities, and other learning tools
Instructors become facilitators of the learning
process
Palloff & Pratt, 2003, 2007
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Learners
National Center for
Education Statistics
(2002) on enrollment
on online courses (Dec
31, 1999):
- 65% of 18 y.o. or less
- 57% of 19-23 y.o.
- 56% of 24-29 y.o.
- 63% of 30 y.o. and
above
Palloff & Pratt, 2003
Current Social Work Distance
Education (DE) Program
enrollment: 51
Demographics from this class:
Total Enrollment: 16
Age 23-30: 58%
Age 30-45: 42%
Male: 12.5%
Female: 87.5%
Race/Ethnicity – White: 69%
African-American: 19%
Latino: 12.5%
Geographic Regions:
Charlottesville, Fairfax, VA
beach, Portsmouth,
Mechanicsville, Chesapeake
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Teaching social justice
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Social justice is integral to the identity of social
work as a profession, and to social workers
Diverse definitions:
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Afford to less fortunate, minorities, persecuted,
ostracized, and disadvantaged the same rights,
opportunities, and access to resources (Beverley
& McSweeney, 1987; King, 1995; Swensen, 1998;
Morris, 2002)
Wakefield (1998): distributive justice (fair
minimum) is the key organizing value
Morris (2002): capabilities perspective as a
vehicle to undergird oppression
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Course description and goals
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Social work's historical and current commitment to
social justice as related to oppressed groups in a
multicultural society
Understanding of appreciation for diversity in self
and others
Encourages discussion of ethical dilemmas when
promoting empowerment and advocacy roles
Analyze oppression resulting from persistent social,
educational, political, religious, economic, and
legal inequalities
Study of strengths, needs, and responses of
oppressed groups in the U.S. and abroad
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The challenge
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Instructor’s prior experience teaching online and in
teaching social justice & CTE training (Dr. Mónico)
Same course description and goals but an
adapted curriculum for online instruction
Selected readings and video clippings developed
from prior course & Dr. Liz Cramer syllabus
Test a newly designed course in only 8 weeks
Half of the class wrote 3 short papers as in
classroom course, half elected service learning
option
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Blackboard Course Tour
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Syllabus and course organization
(announcements, units, groups)
Course documents and videos
Weekly discussion board
Introduction, Q& A, and assessment
blogs
Assignment tasks
Additional resources
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Service learning component
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Service learning: Immediate use of knowledge
acquired (90% retention in learning pyramid)
Examples:
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Production of a video with stories about the
experience of transgender communities in Washington
DC
Support for transition from a Dialogue on Race in a
Human Rights Commission in Charlottesville
Preparation of an instructional manual for relative
placement as an alternative to foster care in
Alexandria
Development of a multicultural training curriculum for
volunteers of the Virginia Beach Court Appointed
Special Advocates Program
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Assessments (mid & end point)
When assessing your learning at mid-point or at the end of the
course, please address the following questions:
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What have you learned in this course (so far)?
How that knowledge and skills have been "operationalized"
(put into work) or enhanced in your assignments, service
learning projects, at work or at home?
How that knowledge and skills acquired are grounded in
the social work values?
How do you hope to use them in the future?
Please provide examples, short stories to share with others in
the class!
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Lessons learned
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No prior online teaching experience
required!
Get support from the CTE and colleagues
with prior knowledge
Required: passion for innovation in
pedagogy, “learning by doing,” no fear
to make mistakes!
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Questions for discussion
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Having no prior online teaching experience,
where does one starts?
What are the resources available to do so?
What are some challenges you face when
teaching online?
What are some useful strategies and
effective tools you use in teaching online?
What is the value added of integrating a
service learning component into online
education?
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Resources
Online Teaching and Learning Resource Guide (through
VCU CTE)
http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/OTLRG/index.html
http://www.designingforlearning.info/services/writing/ecoa
ch/tenbest.html
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/implementing-bestpractices-online-learning
http://www.vcu.edu/cte/resources/OTLRG/00_02_WhitePa
per.html
Service-learning at VCU:
http://www.servicelearning.vcu.edu/
Others?
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Bibliography
Beverly, D.P. and McSweeney, E.A. (1987). Social Welfare and
Social Justice. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Morris, P.M. (2002). The capabilities perspective: A framework
for social justice. Families in Society, 83(4), 365-373.
Palloff, R. N. & Pratt, K (2003). The Virtual Student – A profile and
guide to working with online learners. John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.: San Francisco, C.A.
Palloff, R. N. & Pratt, K (2007). Building online learning
communities – Effective strategies for the virtual classroom.
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.: San Francisco, C.A.
Swenson, C. R. (1998). Clinical social work’s contribution to a
social justice perspective. Social Work, 43, 527-537.
Wakefield, J. C. (1988). Psychotherapy, distributive justice, and
social work. Social Service Review, 62(2), 187-210.