Framework for Equity in Digital Education

The abrupt shift to remote online learning has challenged educational institutions to reimagine critical components thought to support and engage students through the learning process. The FEDE system deconstructs critical components thought to provide equitable learning environments in brick-and-mortar settings and reframes them for the online learning environment. FEDE supports student engagement by embedding seven key domains proven necessary to support equity across learning environments.

FEDE is a comprehensive student engagement system modeled after the Academic Communities of Engagement (ACE) theoretical framework, which states that when students are working online, there is a need to identify support systems beyond what is provided through the online course (Borup et al., 2020). This requires educators teaching online to reach beyond the virtual space and interact with the individual communities unique to each student to identify learning supports. FEDE expands on this idea from an equity lens by acknowledging that not all students have access to what is needed to engage in learning while online. The FEDE system works to identify those gaps and barriers to learning and then use tools, resources, and community supports to build a learning community that matches the needs of the individual learner.

Contact iDEC to Learn More about the Framework for Equity in Digital Education.