Inclusive Communication Practices

In asynchronous, hybrid, and multimodal learning environments, strong communication practices greatly aid student engagement and satisfaction (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). Faculty may develop an exceptional course in terms of goals, content, and design, but without proper communication and feedback, the course experience will be significantly diminished.

In general, the primary methods of communication in an online course space will be announcements, learning management system (LMS) inbox messages (or email), assignment feedback, discussions, and synchronous video meetings. When developing the best communication routines for your course, focusing on inclusivity should be a top priority. Inclusive communication aims to convey information in ways that are responsive to learners' diverse backgrounds, abilities, and preferences. To this end, instructors should ensure that any information passed between themselves and students is clear, sensitive, and accessible.

In the following sections, we give a general description of these three aspects of inclusive communication, followed by some best practices instructors can incorporate into their courses.

The first aspect of inclusive communication is clear expectations, which ensures that students are participating in the course on an equal footing. Clear expectations will provide a touchstone for any communication with students and increase student confidence should they need to reach out to or respond to you.

• Provide clear information about what students should call you and how they should contact you. Sometimes, something as simple as not knowing whether to call an instructor "Doctor," "Professor," or "Susan" can cause students to hesitate in reaching out.
• State in your syllabus how long students should expect to wait for an email response to a course question. Similarly, set a clear and realistic time frame in which you will provide assignment feedback. Then, stick to these time commitments.
• Set clear expectations about all assignment deadlines and late policies. Consider using rubrics on assignments, which help to make your expectations clear and increase equity and inclusion.
• Communicate any changes to assignments or due dates promptly to all students, preferably via an announcement and email to the whole class.

The second aspect of inclusive communication is sensitivity. Students are diverse, especially in asynchronous online education, where many students are "nontraditional," balancing work, family, and health-related issues as they progress through a program that they hope can fit into their busy schedules. In addition, students vary widely by age, ability, race, gender, and socioeconomic standing, and they may fear that showing struggles with the material or a need for support will bolster negative stereotypes about their identity. Therefore, communication with students should combat “stereotype threat” and be sensitive and respectful to student backgrounds, limitations, and preferences (American Psychological Association, 2023).

• Simplify complex language for non-native English speakers. This practice applies to course content generally but is especially applicable to announcements, emails, and feedback. Reduce the use of regional, national, and language-specific idioms and expressions.
• Remove entirely any insensitive stereotypes and non-inclusive language. This practice includes removing exclusionary phrases such as "hey guys" or ableist terms such as "crazy" or "insane." Read our piece on inclusive language for more information.
• Do not perpetuate inaccurate and inequitable tropes, such as always portraying the main agent in an example as White (e.g., the doctor, the lawyer, the CEO).

A third aspect of inclusive communication is accessibility. Communication will be ineffective if it does not consider the diverse needs of students and the myriad ways in which they engage with course content. For communication to be inclusive, it must be accessible. Following Universal Design for Learning's second principle, multiple modes of representation, it is imperative to account for potential student needs when selecting communication formats and practices. Read our piece on Universal Design for Learning for more information.

• Provide a text-based alternative for any audio or video communications.
• Ensure that any colors used in your communications have a high enough contrast to be visible to students with visual impairments.
• Include alt text for any images uploaded to the course space. This practice allows those utilizing screen readers to more fully engage with the content.
• In addition to asynchronous interactions, offer flexible synchronous times to meet. Setting a rigid time for synchronous meetings means many students will simply not be able to benefit from the offering.
• When providing links to external sites or documents, confirm that the resources are not behind a paywall and ensure that links are anchored with descriptive text. For more information on proper linking practices, see our Hyperlink Dos and Don’ts piece.

Inclusive communication is an immediate and tangible way to show students that they are valued, allowing them to confidently participate in the course space. By ensuring that all communication with students is clear, sensitive, and accessible, instructors can reduce anxiety and extend the tact and concern expected in face-to-face instruction into the online environment.

American Psychological Association. (2023). Stereotype threat. In APA dictionary of psychology.

Martin, F., & Bolliger, D. U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning, 22(1), 205–222.