Spotlighting Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Higher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction

The ongoing pandemic has brought unprecedented changes and challenges upon the field of higher education. Just a few difficulties include the transition to online learning at breakneck pace; personal struggles in both mental and physical health faced by learners, instructors, and other higher education stakeholders; and ongoing inequalities in meeting learner needs. However, there is growing evidence that the pandemic has also brought positive change in educational arenas, as well. Higher education communities, for example, have increased virtual programming and resources, have changed mindsets about how to better serve students, and have renewed focus on equity for all students (Baston, 2021). Increased attention on equity serves as the primary focus of this chapter, though the other changes brought forth during the pandemic play an inextricable role in enabling success for all students.

Prior to the pandemic, instructors at higher education institutions had been putting renewed focus and attention on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, the pandemic thrust a spotlight on these issues as inequities in education access and opportunity became more apparent (Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities, 2020). An increasing area of importance related to these issues is the idea of belonging. Students must feel that they belong at their school and in the classroom in order to have a full educational experience.

Ongoing and emerging research suggests that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives undergird student success and should be a priority of higher education institutions. Fostering these areas includes several approaches and initiatives in the classroom in traditional, hybrid, and fully online settings, as well as at the institutional and community levels. The goal is to enhance all students’ likelihood of success, but especially students of marginalized groups who tend to face the greatest barriers to a full and complete educational experience (Fermín-González, 2019). Proponents of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging argue that instructors should incorporate more diverse content in curriculum that is representative of an array of people from different backgrounds and experiences (Barnett, 2020; Fermin-González, 2019).

Additionally, campus communities, from student peers to faculty to administrators and leadership, need to model diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in everyday interactions and in decision-making and communication (Ashraf & Uzair-ul-Hassan, 2020; Barnett, 2020; Kezar & Fries-Britt, 2020; Klonoski et al., 2017; Thornton et al., 2020). This includes ensuring that everyone has a seat at the table where decision-making is being made with buy-in from all stakeholders, including students (Clauson & McKnight, 2018; Kezar & Fries-Britt, 2020). Belonging, which is increasingly recognized as an important addition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, is a final factor in ensuring student success (Sims et al., 2020; Tice et al., 2021). Belonging involves helping students feel that they belong at their school, in great part through interpersonal connections among peers and faculty in and outside of the classroom.

In response to these findings, this chapter seeks to illuminate how outcomes from the pandemic may help higher education stakeholders better address the needs of students, particularly through renewed attention on equity and inclusion strategies as essential to student success. The question guiding this chapter asks, how can we use challenges and opportunities of the pandemic to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in higher education? To begin to answer this question, the authors have identified barriers to and solutions for fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in higher education. In what follows, they provide practical pedagogical and institutional strategies that can enable a more inclusive student experience in higher education.