Equal Opportunities and Protection Against Discrimination in Digital Education
The general contact restrictions due to the covid-19 pandemic and the associated challenges for society as a whole affect all areas of Leuphana University Lüneburg: research, teaching, studies, science-related counseling, services and administration - changes can be seen everywhere, affecting and influencing people in different ways depending on their life situation. One example is university members with family and nursing responsibilities, who work or study at home and take on additional care work due to closed schools and care facilities. The additional burden for these university members is high.
The aim of this guide is to draw attention to challenges in digital teaching from a gender equality perspective and with a focus on equal opportunities, compatibility, diversity and protection against discrimination. Since the lockdown due to the corona pandemic, teachers and students are requested to familiarize themselves with digital formats and their possible applications within a short period of time. It is important to set boundaries as quickly as possible and to adapt to new forms of communication, teaching and learning conditions.
At Leuphana, teaching is mainly done with the video communications software Zoom. The instructions for the basic functions have already been written by the teaching service of Leuphana and training courses are also offered.
Cooperative Design of Teaching - Communication, Participation and Transparency
Here you will find a brief outline of agreement with participants at the beginning of the course.
Proactively point out to the students that there are possibilities of taking a semester off, part-time study and compensating for disadvantages, which can also be taken advantage of if students find themselves in stressful life situations, e.g. due to multiple burdens and increased supervision/care costs. Students who belong to the so-called risk group should be given opportunities to protect themselves without having to explain their situation in detail.
Offer students in special situations and students who belong to the so-called risk group alternative forms of participation, service provision within the framework of compensation for disadvantages and consultation hours. You should proactively point out these possibilities. Look for individual solutions together with students who are currently unable to make use of (student) assistance or interpreters.
It is important for digital teaching-learning formats to take into account the diverse needs and reduce possible barriers in order to enable participation for all.
The following handbook from the University of Hamburg gives you important information on what you need to consider for "students in special circumstances as participants in online courses".
Make sure that your materials (texts, presentations, videos, assignments, etc.) are accessible to all. It is important to format the documents, insert alternative texts, structure the content well and name links clearly, to name but a few aspects. In Word it is possible to test the document for accessibility. A manual from the TU Dresden (in German) and an online course from the University of Rostock are helpful to create accessible documents and materials.
The German Association of Blind and Visually Impaired People in Study and Work (DVBS) has compiled information about the most frequently used tools for telephone and video conferencing and their ease of use for blind and visually impaired people (in German). According to this, Zoom Meetings are probably the most accessible solution.
Accessible teaching (in German): find materials from universities, the Information and Advice Centre for Studies and Disability (IBS) of the German Student Services and others on the accessible design of digitalized teaching and learning offerings as well as web offerings.
This is another handbook on 'Accessibility in online teaching' by the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung. Some of the issues mentioned are the methods, communication, materials and others. There will also be more links for further reading.
Should you still experience (permanent) disturbance in your digital course, you can report this at various sites at the Leuphana.
Dr. Kathrin van Riesen
Office for Equal Opportunities
Phone +49.4131.677-1061
gleichstellung@leuphana.de
Ombudsperson for Students
Thies Reinck, M.A.
Phone +49.4131.677-1087
thies.reinck@leuphana.de
Teaching Service
Student Support Team for digital teaching
stud.digi-support@leuphana.de
IT-Service for Students
Fon +49 4131 677-1222
it-tutor@leuphana.de
External Sites
- Hassmelden: Nationwide site for hate speech (in German),
- The Association RIAS can be contacted and documents antisemitic incidents,
- What to do if I encounter hate speech as a site moderator (in German),
- Teaching – Protection against discrimination in digital teaching and studies (University of Göttingen).
References
- Zoom tips for teachers (in German),
- tips for digital education (in German),
- Handout Zoom for teachers: RWTH Aachen University.