The Online Learning Consortium recently published an article called “Emotional Safety in Online Learning: A C. A. R. E. Framework for Human-Centered Digital Teaching” by Pierre Einar Wright, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology Counseling and Behavioral Health, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Coppin State University. The author states that; “Learners may enter digital spaces with curiosity, motivation, and relevant life experience, while also carrying uncertainty about expectations, technology, communication, and belonging. Sometimes that uncertainty leads to engagement. Other times, it quietly becomes withdrawal.”
The author additionally explains that a “learning environment built on clarity, trust, and open communication can reduce confusion while supporting responsible technology use. One practical approach is the C.A.R.E. Framework: Clarity, Accessibility, Responsiveness, and Empowerment. These four principles offer educators a simple way to strengthen emotional safety in online course design and facilitation.”
The Instructional Designers in Learning Technologies wanted to explore how faculty can make use of tools and features in Blackboard to utilize the C. A. R. E. Framework in online course design.
Clarity
The author recommends using “weekly overview messages” to improve clarity. Blackboard includes an Announcements tool which you can use to set expectations for your upcoming week or module. Note that Announcements in Blackboard appear as a pop up that students must dismiss the next time they access the class after you have posted a new announcement.
Accessibility
According to Wright, “Accessible online learning anticipates learner variability and reduces unnecessary barriers before they interfere with participation.” This is true for more than just online courses. You can post a variety of content in your Blackboard course shell regardless of course modality. As you add content to your course, be sure to review the content for accessibility using Blackboard Ally. Ally will also help you to resolve many accessibility issues, some right in Blackboard.
Responsiveness
“Online learners benefit from knowing that someone is present and attentive. Responsiveness does not mean instructors must always be available. It means communication is predictable, respectful, and timely enough to help learners stay oriented” stated Wright. Blackboard includes several tools to communicate with your students, from Announcements to Messages to feedback on assessments. The US Department of Education requires that online courses include Regular and Substantive Interaction with students. Each of these tools supports elements of that interaction.
Empowerment
Wright states that “Empowerment recognizes learners as active participants in their own learning. It gives them opportunities to make choices, reflect on progress, connect content to lived or professional experience, and develop confidence as learners.” One excellent example of empowering students to learn in the best way for them is again through the use of Blackboard Ally. Yes, you read that right! There are two sides to Ally. The instructor side identifies accessibility issues and helps instructors to resolve them, while the student side makes available to students alternative formats of the content you have uploaded to your course.
Your students might prefer to listen to content rather than read it on a screen or paper. They can download an audio version of the file. Students may have reading difficulties such as dyslexia. A format called BeeLineReader can help them to keep their place on the page. These alternative formats, though, only work correctly if you ensure that your course content is accessible. The more accessible your content, the better the alternative formats will be. While alternative formats are convenient for all students, they are essential to some students, such as students with certain disabilities.
If you’d like to discuss any of the Blackboard tools featured in this post, please reach out to Learning Technologies for more information.
