The Social Determinants of Changemakers: A Commitment to Inclusive Teaching and Learning and a Positive Social Change Mission

Introduction

In this edited collection, Walden University has shared its story and process of creating a caring and inclusive teaching and learning environment in an online postsecondary institution. Rather than understanding equity through policy reviews and racially disaggregated data that may have only a short-term impact on educational justice (see Chapter 15: “Equity in the Online Space? A Multi-Systems Perspective”), the authors have explored how this unique online institution, with a mission of positive social change, has built, and continues to build, a space for multiple-stakeholder reflection and engagement using a methodology of person-centered, appreciative inquiry, toward the goal of creating long-term caring and inclusive teaching and learning environments that ultimately lead to our learners actively participating in creating a healthier world (see Chapters 1 and 2: “Developing a Learning Model for Caring, Inclusion & Social Change in an Online Environment” and “Digital Appreciative Inquiry for Inclusion”).

The authors understand that creating equity and educational justice is an inclusive process unique to each institution, specific to its learners and its mission, and urgent for the communities they serve (see Chapters 14 and 11: “Sustainable Strategic Planning for Inclusive Online Teaching and Learning” and “Assessing Institutional Readiness: A Collaboration”). Inclusive teaching and learning at Walden University is an intentional practice that requires that the entire institution and its members develop a conscious awareness of the diverse social, cultural, and community identities and lived experiences of all learners.

Inclusive teaching includes a variety of strategies to fully activate learner strengths, and it occurs in environments that draw relevant, meaningful connections to their lives and the professional dispositions they develop (see Chapters 4, 5, and 12: “Success and Failures in the Development of an Inclusive Online Learning Environment,” “Designing an Inclusive Online Classroom,” and “Developing a Rubric for a Person-Centered Approach to Teaching in Inclusive Online Learning Spaces”). The goal is to ensure learners (1) know that Walden values the inherent worth, humanity, and dignity of every learner engaged in the learning process; (2) will be prepared and empowered to share knowledge and expertise through mutual inquiry that connects each of them with multiple perspectives and ways of thinking; and (3) that their experiences at Walden enhance their ability to take actions that can benefit a variety of communities, cultures, and contexts.

In this space, learners build upon existing knowledge and advance lifelong skills to create positive social change in local, national, and global communities (see Chapters 6 and 7: “Advancing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion through the Transformation of Nursing Education” and “Strategies for Doctoral Student Readiness, Student-Centered Support, and Inclusion). Walden, thus, connects our efforts at building and supporting an inclusive teaching and learning environment with our institutional mission and dedication to drive positive social change more broadly through striving for educational justice (see Chapters 8 and 9: “The Students We Have: Compassionate Grading in Online Courses” and “The SPII Hub and Promoting Online Engagement”) and supporting the benefits that society gains through such justice.