1 Introduction
Approach and Process for this Work
Led by a team of student research assistants, this framework and guide centres on the student experience of postsecondary education. This work is the result of three phases: 1. a student-led environmental scan of existing resources on humanizing learning, 2. student listening sessions in which students developed a framework for humanizing learning, and 3. a review and expansion of the student-generated framework by instructors and educational developers to provide feedback and examples of what this work can look like in practice.
Note: Humanizing learning throughout this work applies both to in-class and online contexts. Students were very clear that humanized learning is something that needs to be pervasive in both contexts.
1. Environmental Scan
An environmental scan of the resources available on humanizing learning and student-centred learning was performed. Students and faculty scanned the internet for relevant resources to compile a principal list of ideas, inspirations, resources, and references. They performed this scan using keywords and Boolean search methods in various search engines and databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, ERIC and University of Toronto library resources. Keywords included, but were not limited to, “humanizing learning,” “trauma aware/informed teaching,” “pedagogy of kindness/hope/peace/care,” “mental health,” and “higher education.” Peer-reviewed journal articles, books, magazines, blog posts, and other online resources were among the many types of resources found in the scan. Approximately 80 resources in relation to humanizing learning, trauma aware/informed teaching, and the pedagogies of kindness, peace and hope were retrieved (see Appendix A: Environmental Scan Overview).
2. Student Listening Sessions
To ensure a student-centred approach, listening sessions were held to gather input and perspectives from students on existing approaches to humanizing learning. Through a semi-structured interview format, the students critiqued existing structures, explored what worked and didn’t work from their perspectives and their experiences, and prioritized what should be considered when humanizing courses in the future. Students came from a range of disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Forensics, English, Information Technology, Math and Computer Science, Management, Finance, and Visual Art) and a range of years of study. All were undergraduates and some were first-generation students.
3. Instructor and Learning-Designer Contributions to the Student-Generated Framework
Instructors, educational developers, and learning designers engaged with the student-generated framework and contributed their perspectives and ideas about what humanized learning might look like in practice in postsecondary education. Herein we have tried to find common ground between student and instructor perspectives, highlighting both core tenets as well as tangible examples that can be brought into the classroom.
How to Use this Resource
This resource is not an instructor guide or a “how-to” list. Nor is it a list of “best practices,” because what is “best” is highly context dependent. Instead, this resource offers ways of thinking about humanizing learning that are organized around the key pillars that matter to students and instructors alike. It provides ideas for humanizing learning that can be adopted and adapted to different contexts.
In the listening sessions, students repeatedly expressed that doing something is better than nothing. But they also noted that this work will only be meaningful if it is iterative and embedded throughout an instructor’s teaching practice, rather than appearing only once or twice in a term. So, consider as you explore this resource how some of these suggestions could become foundational pieces of your approach to teaching and learning.
“One of my instructors sent all of us a letter at the start of term to tell us her hopes and goals for the course and for us as students. She kept referring back to the letter throughout the course and I really felt like I understood her motivation and why she did things a certain way.” – Second-year science student