Ontario Extend program receives diversity and inclusion update

By Lindsay Woodside
Digital Learning Associate

As the Ontario postsecondary sector navigates new transformations in education and digital pedagogy, it is vital that teaching and learning materials support an environment that represents the full range of human diversity. That’s why, following a review and remediation process, eCampusOntario’s professional development program, Ontario Extend, has been updated to integrate principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in teaching and learning across all module content.

According to Audrey Wubbenhorst of ARW Group, who led the update process, the outcomes of this work are highly beneficial for educators engaged with the program’s material. “The program revisions are intended to underscore how to incorporate empathy and engagement into online teaching, taking into consideration the needs of all students,” she says. “The revisions do this by defining issues of access, equity, diversity and intersectionality and how these concepts can enhance instruction and learning.”

The Ontario Extend program framework is built on Simon Bates’ model for the anatomy of the 21st century educator and encompasses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified as foundational skills required to “thrive (and not just survive) in a digital world.”

These new, inclusive additions build on this foundational framework by encouraging educators to ground teaching strategy in a commitment to embrace principles of diversity, equity and inclusion.

To learn more about the Ontario Extend program, which is self-paced, openly licensed and offered in both English and French, click here to contact Lindsay woodside, Digital Learning Associate.