As online learning becomes more commonplace, you may be wondering how best to ensure an equitable and supportive experience for all of your students.
It is possible that not all of your students have access to computers or internet connections at home. LabXchange does not have a mobile app, but the platform can be used on a mobile device or tablet. You may want to see whether institutions in your area have laptops for loan by students in special circumstances.
As for internet, with a connection over 3G, most people worldwide will be able to access LabXchange. The platform was developed to avoid being bandwidth intensive, in order to allow global users with varying internet connectivity the best opportunity to benefit from the platform. YouTube is a helpful benchmark: if someone's internet connection allows YouTube to load, they will easily be able to access LabXchange as well.
LabXchange seeks to understand and respect the unique needs and perspectives of our global learning community, and we are committed to expanding access to all. Try to keep in mind that students may be facing physical, emotional, cognitive, and financial challenges that can affect their learning and performance. When possible, offer students additional flexibility to meet deadlines. Be prepared to address tension, heated moments, or bias in your class discussion forum. You can message individual learners to check in.
Most importantly, your students will be looking to you for guidance, reassurance, and understanding. They will need to know that you are there to support them. You may need to be flexible as you transition to online learning. Our hope is that in spite of these challenges, you will discover that through LabXchange, you are able to more effectively expose students of varying backgrounds to the authentic and engaging experience of scientific discovery.