iii. Equity and Access

effects on confidence and belonging) and social impact (access, inclusion, and learners’ subsequent impact on their communities). Developing meaningful metrics will require additional effort: prototyping, evaluating, and iterating teaching and learning experiments. Some examples: • In-classroom and blended teaching and learning experiments. Experiments to determine impacts on learning outcomes must take student differences into account (levels of prior preparation, learning approaches, and participation styles) and recognize that a variety of learning experiences and supports may be needed to achieve excellent outcomes. • Short-form content generation through multiple modalities. Building on the progress during 2020–2021, faculty could develop standalone minicourses and content modules for non-

Harvard teachers to use in their curricula.

• Digital community-gathering and collaboration events. Measurement could begin with several prototype communities to improve our sense of how to run an impact-driven global community online. iii. Equity and Access Inspired by Harvard’s enduring commitment to creating generations of global leaders, and with renewed urgency stemming from the social and racial justice movements that strengthened during the pandemic, the task force maintained a focus on equity and access. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) should be among the key design criteria for all future teaching and learning endeavors. This will mean considering issues of equity and access in the earliest planning phases and throughout program development and deployment. Five priorities should define our commitments: • Participation access: Welcome audiences previously unable to access Harvard’s offerings. current requirement. The success of programs like Harvard Graduate School of

Education’s special admissions cycle for AY21, the Division of Continuing Education’s degree and nondegree programs, Harvard Business School Online’s CORe program, and Harvard’s virtual executive education experiences demonstrate the appeal of Harvard offerings to talented learners unable to relocate to Cambridge for the length of a residential program, and when restrictions induced by the constrained physical capacities of residential offerings are otherwise relaxed.45 In all cases, show that these learners have valuable contributions. Their professional experiences and personal circumstances bring compelling and diverse perspectives to their learning communities. • Content access: Lower content barriers through shallow on-ramps, inclusive classrooms and pedagogies, and reduced frictions around content discoverability. Success looks and feels different to every learner, and each learning trajectory is unique. Harvard has a commitment to ensuring that every student is fully prepared for learning. Pre-matriculation programs that level the playing field by giving all students mastery of prerequisites, classrooms that ensure inclusive participation, and pedagogies ensuring that all students are engaged and challenged are crucial to more-equitable learning. The mix of thorough preparation and vital supports will make it easier for all students to realize their aspirations.

45 Similar issues around participation access pertain to technology bandwidth considerations for relevant populations.