Best Practices for Antiracist Education in Virtual Settings

Authors

  • Jandel Crutchfield University of Texas at Arlington
  • Amy Killen Fisher University of Mississippi
  • Sara Plummer Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18060/24962

Keywords:

virtual education, best practices, antiracist, white supremacy

Abstract

In 2020, resources proliferated for 1) teaching in virtual settings in response to educational disruptions; and 2) antiracist education practices. Resources that combined these subjects to suggest antiracist education practices for the virtual setting were comparatively few. In this article, the authors propose ways to connect antiracist practices to virtual education. We begin with an exploration of racism and antiracism. Next, we explore existing literature for how racism shows up in the virtual classroom. Literature suggests instructor bias, course planning, and course delivery practices can work to uphold racism and manifestations of white supremacy in these virtual settings. Drawing from the work of scholars in the area of antiracist pedagogy, we suggest processes educators can engage in for increasing awareness of instructor bias, and for increasing the use of antiracist practices in course planning and delivery to help begin (or continue) the process of implementing antiracist practices in the virtual classroom.

Author Biography

Amy Killen Fisher, University of Mississippi

Amy Killen Fisher is Associate Professor of Social Work. Dr. Fisher received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Mississippi in 1993. After practicing law for the better part of a decade in the areas of civil rights, personal injury, and family law, Dr. Fisher returned to academia to obtain her Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee-Memphis. Ms. Fisher practiced clinical social work with a focus on addiction and recovery in a community setting, although her practice included many other issues affecting college student development and well-being. In 2012, Ms. Fisher joined the Social Work Department at the University of Mississippi, where she has taught across the curriculum and pursued her research interests in both student development and various topics centering on race.

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Published

2022-11-08