"What if bell hooks made a learning management system?"
-Sean Michael Morris (2016 talk at the University of Mary Washington)

The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed urgent reevaluation of pedagogical practices, foregrounding two critical needs: integration of online teaching modalities and adoption of culturally responsive pedagogy. Despite decades in online learning and community formation, educators confronted unique challenges during this educational crisis. This crisis necessitated a focus on critical digital pedagogy to humanize digital spaces, countering the sterilizing effects imposed by LMS software, addressing digital student surveillance via Respondus and TurnItIn, and a lack of authentic student engagement. This presentation reflects on digital divides and the formation of digital communities at CSU, Dominguez Hills, both during and after the pandemic. It examines how these experiences continue to shape our approach to digital education and pedagogy. I illustrate the initiatives of our campus's Workforce Integration Network (WIN) project, titled "Closing the Digital Divide with CSUDH-WIN." Funded by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, this two-year works to address the digital disparities faced by our students while simultaneously fostering community learning, bridging divides within South Los Angeles communities. Through these initiatives, our campus strives to create more inclusive, connected, and responsive spaces

In order for students to get the most out of their learning, they must first be engaged in the content material and be an active participant. Instructors need to be able to engage their students’ learning by delivering the course content in an interactive approach that fosters psychological safety. Teaching an asynchronous class can provide challenges to instructors on how to deliver the content in a manner that effectively fosters student’s sense of belonging. Additionally, teaching in person in a classroom environment also has difficulties in being able determine effective methods to use that promote student engagement, connection with the course material, and active learning. Using the You, Y’all, We, active approach addresses the issue of lack of student engagement while promoting active learning and creating an environment of psychological safety and belonging. This approach can be used in synchronous, asynchronous, and in person modality class settings.

This study analyzes the Information Systems students' and faculty's perceptions of lectures. 46% of the students and 72% of the faculty considered the asynchronous format slightly or much better. Only the faculty (61%) believed in-person lectures are somewhat better than online lectures. Online lectures' sound and video quality are significant for students (mean = 4.53) and faculty (mean = 4.61). 41% of the students and 44% of the faculty agree that problems occur on the instructor's side. Over half of the students (48.6%) and faculty (61.1%) slightly or strongly agreed that problems often occur on the student end. Students (93%) and faculty (94%) in asynchronous courses prefer to dedicate more time to activities other than lectures. Almost 60% of the students and 50% of the faculty prefer shorter recorded lectures. Seeing the instructor and the instructor's enthusiasm and responsiveness during online lectures is important for at least 50% of the students and 61% of the faculty. Students disagree (43%) with the importance of breakout rooms for their learning, while 50% of the faculty thinks otherwise. Finally, at least 57% of the students and faculty agree on the importance of Polls in online lectures.

Online education options have expanded rapidly, yet empirical knowledge of students’ adoption choices remains relatively limited. Within higher education, it is important for both instructors and administrators to understand what students value in online courses in order to provide a quality learning experience and manage enrollment demands. The current work applies and expands on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to examine factors involved in course modality choices. A large sample of CSU students (N = 1257) in a wide range of disciplines was recruited to examine adoption intentions. Performance expectancies, hedonic motivation, and flexibility emerged as the most substantial factors in student decisions about course modality. Overall, our model explained 74% of variance in students' adoption intentions. The results also reveal shifts in online course perceptions over time, including larger shifts for students with no prior online course experience. Students from underrepresented groups were equally likely to be interested in online classes, but underrepresented students believed online classes require more effort while expecting to receive lower grades (relative to non-underrepresented students). These findings expand current understanding of why students choose to take (or avoid) online courses, particularly concerning the role of flexibility in enrollment decisions.