Using a Social-Ecological Resilience Framework with a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Approach in Learning Experience Design: How Online Faculty Interactions Can Support First-Generation Graduate Students’ Capacity for Resilience

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning continues to be re-evaluated to ensure students’ mental wellness and learning needs are met. The shift to online learning became a fundamental part of higher education and for many students created isolating experiences. Learning experience design (LXD) seeks to design student-centered learning experiences with a focus on human-centered learning design. Resilience frameworks provide a starting point for educators to consider the implications of meeting first-generation graduate students’ social, cultural, and emotional needs in online courses by supporting student agency through intentional protective factors, which could help students engage in social interactions, encourage cultural connections, and display empathy to connect with a community of diverse learners. This conceptual paper uses a social-ecological resilience perspective to support student retention and success in online courses. LXD using a resilience framework with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens has the power to transform marginalized graduate student’s online experiences to be enjoyable, engaging, and interactive, while promoting a student’s capacity for resilience through agency, a sense of community, and wellness.