Chapter 7: Fostering Healthy, Equitable, and Inclusive Digital Communities

Table of Contents

1. Community-Building
2. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
3. Cultivating Educator Well-Being
4. Digital Citizenship
5. Integrating Frameworks for Digital Citizenship

While Chapter 2 focuses on structural equity, meaning the systems, tools, and supports that make digital learning accessible, this chapter focuses on equity in relationships and participation, or how learners experience digital spaces once they are enrolled. Every learning experience takes place within the broader context of a person’s life. Social connections, cultural background, prior educational experiences, and current circumstances all shape how adults participate and engage. When digital environments are designed with these factors in mind, they can build connection, support social and emotional growth, and help learners navigate online spaces with confidence. This chapter presents strategies for creating inclusive, community-centered learning environments in adult education.

Community-Building

A healthy, inclusive community is the foundation of meaningful collaboration in online spaces. Digital course communities do not form automatically; they require intentional design that welcomes all learners and supports connection. This involves building relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging among adults who may be geographically dispersed and balancing different responsibilities.

Community-building is especially important in distance learning programs, where learners may study from home and experience greater isolation. Research shows that online learners are more likely to persist when they feel connected to peers and instructors in a supportive environment.[1]

The concept known as “communities of practice,” theorized by Etienne Wenger, is based on the idea that learning happens not only through independent study but also through informal shared activities, knowledge exchange, and identity-building within a group. For example, in an online ESL class, learners may begin meeting outside of class to share resources, practice vocabulary, and address challenges together. These interactions extend learning beyond a single course and contribute to a sense of belonging.

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework adds another perspective, focusing on three elements: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. These elements illustrate how purposeful design and facilitation help learners feel connected and supported online. For example, instructors can build social presence by starting the term with introductions that invite learners to share their goals and experiences. They can reinforce teaching presence by providing clear navigation in the LMS, timely feedback on assignments, and regular announcements that guide learners through each module. Cognitive presence can be supported through discussion prompts or projects that ask learners to apply new concepts to familiar settings, such as work, family, or community contexts.

Strategies for community-building in digital and distance learning can include:

• Encourage personal connections. Create opportunities for learners to connect around shared goals or experiences, such as short introductions, peer “talking partners,” or brief breakout discussions. These interactions build familiarity and trust in online spaces.
• Foster collaboration. Design structured group work—like peer-to-peer tech help, small projects, or ongoing study teams—that lets learners contribute and learn from one another. Collaboration develops both academic and digital communication skills.
• Design for asynchronous connection. Use discussion boards, peer feedback tools, or shared workspaces so learners can engage on their own schedules while still contributing to a shared community.
• Make inclusion visible. Invite learners to express their identities through name pronunciations, languages, or short personal profiles. Use multilingual tools and provide captions or transcripts so everyone can participate fully and revisit shared content.
• Keep course design predictable. Use consistent schedules, layouts, and communication patterns to reduce cognitive load and make participation straightforward. Predictability helps learners focus on connection rather than navigation.
• Ensure accessibility. Choose tools and platforms that support screen readers, captions, alt text, and keyboard navigation so all learners can participate equitably.
• Highlight learner voice. Feature contributions through shared whiteboards, collaborative polls, or multimedia submissions. Approaches such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) reinforce that everyone’s input shapes the learning community.
• Share digital expertise. Dedicate short segments for learners to demonstrate a tool, shortcut, or strategy they use. Peer-led sharing builds confidence and normalizes collaborative problem-solving.
• Model digital citizenship. Demonstrate respectful communication, inclusive discussion norms, and constructive online interaction. These practices help learners see how digital platforms can support learning and professional collaboration.

Community-building also depends on program structures that help learners find support when they need it. Programs can support the community by making digital resources easy to find and use. Creating program-managed spaces such as an orientation portal, help desk, or central communication hub helps learners know where to go for assistance. Clear entry points reduce confusion, lower stigma around seeking help, and make programs feel approachable. When support is visible and accessible, learners are more likely to persist and engage fully in the community.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) refers to developing skills that support understanding and managing emotions, building relationships, making constructive decisions, and participating effectively in school, work, and community life. In adult education, these skills can contribute to persistence and support learners in applying what they learn in practical settings.

Research from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) identifies five competencies that apply across all ages:[2]

• Self-awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions, values, and strengths, and understanding how they shape behavior.
• Self-management: Regulating emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to manage stress, stay motivated, and achieve goals.
• Social awareness: Demonstrating empathy, respect, and perspective-taking across different cultures and backgrounds.
• Relationship skills: Building and maintaining healthy connections through communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
• Responsible decision-making: Making ethical, constructive choices that consider the well-being of oneself and others.

Reentering education can bring both motivation and stress for adults. Competing responsibilities, limited prior exposure to technology, or past school experiences may affect participation. Integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into digital and blended instruction helps learners manage these challenges, build supportive relationships, and persist through challenges. Practices include:

• Applying adult learning theories to design experiences that respect autonomy and connect to learners’ lived contexts.
• Involving learners in goal-setting and self-monitoring through tools such as digital surveys, reflection journals, or progress trackers.
• Providing opportunities for peer connection through group work, discussion forums, study partners, or breakout rooms, including both academic and informal interactions.
• Offering leadership opportunities where learners facilitate short discussions, lead peer tutorials in breakout rooms, or organize study groups in messaging apps. These roles build confidence, communication skills, and a sense of ownership in the learning community.
• Using digital tools to support perspective-taking and cross-cultural empathy, such as comparing two news articles on the same event, discussing differences in framing, or participating in simple virtual exchange activities with peers in other communities.

SEL also appears in advising and administrative practice. For example, career navigators may use short online goal-setting forms and revisit them in advising sessions, and administrators can schedule professional development focused on culturally responsive and trauma-informed teaching in digital environments.

SEL can also support digital resilience by helping learners persist when technology feels challenging. Practices include:

• Keeping short reflective logs after completing digital tasks to note strategies that worked.
• Providing practice with authentic systems such as online forms, applications, or portals so learners build confidence through use.
• Celebrating frequent “small wins,” such as logging in successfully, uploading a file, or completing a survey, to reinforce progress.

These routines give learners practical ways to apply SEL skills such as self-awareness and responsible decision-making while building persistence and confidence in digital environments. Additional examples and extensions can be found in the EdTech Integration Strategy Toolkit from World Education.

In addition to individual classroom strategies, programs can draw on broader frameworks and shared resources that provide structure for SEL. Transformative SEL emphasizes identity, agency, and equity, making SEL relevant for adults whose experiences are shaped by systemic inequities. Programs can apply this perspective by incorporating issues from learners’ communities into projects or by creating opportunities for adults to set and pursue personal goals. Practices such as the National Equity Project’s Constructivist Listening offer structured routines for building empathy and understanding through guided peer conversations and reflection activities.

These program-level approaches can be reflected in digital classroom practice. One option is to create a rotating activity where each week one learner posts a short audio or video reflection on a personal experience connected to the course theme, such as a challenge at work, a cultural tradition, or a community issue. Classmates respond in writing or audio with questions or affirmations. This practice uses technology to amplify learner voices, promote empathy, and build community across diverse experiences.

Cultivating Educator Well-Being

Supporting learner growth is closely connected to supporting educator well-being. Research on social and emotional learning indicates that when educators are calm, self-aware, and positive, they help create classroom climates that are inclusive and supportive.[3] Educators who manage stress effectively are better able to model problem-solving and healthy communication, which learners can apply in academic and professional settings.

In adult education, well-being is relevant across roles, including instructors, career navigators, administrators, and support staff. Digital formats offer new opportunities but also new challenges. Without supportive structures, managing technology platforms, providing feedback in multiple formats, and addressing learner needs remotely can increase workload and contribute to fatigue.

Educators also benefit from applying SEL practices in their own work. Routines such as journaling about classroom experiences, problem-solving with colleagues, or planning short breaks to manage digital fatigue can support well-being. Making these practices visible to learners models constructive ways to manage stress and maintain balance in digital environments. Additional self-reflection prompts for educators are available through CASEL’s personal SEL reflection resources.

Programs can take concrete steps to promote educator well-being:

• Gather staff input through surveys, feedback sessions, or informal check-ins to identify stressors and needs.
• Encourage peer support by creating spaces such as online communities of practice or scheduled collaboration time where staff can share strategies and reduce isolation.
• Balance workload expectations by recognizing that digital teaching often requires additional preparation and communication. Programs can adjust class sizes, provide technical support, or allocate planning time to support sustainability.
• Address digital fatigue by limiting extended screen time. Helpful strategies include short, predictable breaks; camera-optional participation; and concise synchronous sessions. Shorter online segments can be paired with off-screen activities such as written reflections, phone check-ins, or hands-on practice.
• Strengthen belonging through varied activities, such as shifting from a short lecture to partner conversation or digital tool practice. Small touchpoints like polls or chat prompts can restore attention and reinforce community in online courses.
• Promote self-care and boundaries with resources and training that guide educators in setting limits between work and home life, especially when teaching remotely.
• Provide access to mental health supports such as counseling services or referrals to community-based resources. Clear communication about availability and confidentiality helps normalize their use.
• Integrate wellness into professional development by offering workshops on mindfulness, resilience, or stress management.
• Leverage collaborative professional development models such as the EdTech Maker Space by World Education, which brings educators together to co-create open digital resources and contribute to shared materials.
• Offer collective wellness opportunities such as virtual yoga, guided meditation, or shared journaling to strengthen staff community and reinforce the role of well-being in organizational culture.
• Maintain open communication between leadership and staff. Transparent, two-way communication builds trust and allows concerns to be addressed proactively.

Well-being is both an individual and an organizational practice. When leadership builds structures that address workload, provide access to resources, and encourage peer support, staff are better able to sustain their energy and presence.

Digital Citizenship

For adult learners, participation in education, employment, and community increasingly depends on the ability to navigate digital environments. Applying for a job often requires uploading documents to an online platform. Accessing financial aid or benefits involves completing digital forms. Staying connected with peers, colleagues, and family commonly happens on social media and messaging tools. Each of these settings offers opportunities for connection and growth, while also presenting risks related to privacy, bias, and misinformation. Digital citizenship refers to the habits, skills, and decisions that enable learners to participate in these spaces safely, ethically, and effectively.

The dimensions below illustrate how digital citizenship appears in the daily experiences of adult learners. They highlight common contexts where learners make online decisions and suggest ways programs can support practice and reflection.

Personal data, privacy, and surveillance

Every click, search, and login generates data collected by devices and platforms. Data is used to both 1) personalize services and 2) inform advertisers or third parties. In the workplace, data collection can also occur in hiring and employment practices, such as background checks, productivity monitoring, or biometric systems. For adult learners, these processes can be invisible or difficult to interpret.

Activities that make these issues more concrete and provide learners with practical tools for protecting privacy include:

• Reviewing app permission screens together to identify what is necessary and what can be declined.
• Comparing sign-in options such as single sign-on (SSO), email plus password, passkeys, or password managers, and considering tradeoffs in convenience and privacy.
• Reading workplace or platform monitoring policies to highlight what is collected and how employees are informed.
• Exploring privacy tools such as private browsing (incognito mode), anonymizing browsers like Tor, or privacy-focused email services such as Proton Mail to show practical safeguards.

These strategies help learners build awareness and routines that they can apply in both personal and workplace settings.

Algorithms and platform bias

Search engines, job boards, and social media do more than display information. They rank, filter, and target content using algorithms. As a result, two learners searching for the same resource may receive different results. This filtering can reinforce existing inequities, a pattern sometimes referred to as digital redlining—when technology systems limit access or visibility for certain groups based on factors such as location, language, or demographic data. Affected groups include immigrants, refugees, formerly incarcerated individuals, and others who already face barriers such as limited device access, varied levels of digital literacy, or biased hiring tools. For adult learners, the key is not the technical details but the recognition that online results are partial and can be biased.

Classroom activities that can help learners see how algorithms shape results include:

• Running the same job search with different filters or locations and comparing the results learners receive.
• Reviewing labels for ads, sponsored posts, and recommended items in a feed to show how content is prioritized.
• Asking reflective questions such as “Why am I seeing this?” and “Who might not be seeing this?”

These practices help learners understand algorithmic influence and use search engines, hiring platforms, and information sources more critically.

Reputation, risk, and digital identity

Social media profiles and posts create a digital identity that employers, schools, and agencies may review in hiring or admission decisions. Adult learners often manage multiple accounts for family, community, and professional purposes. These same tools, when used intentionally, can also support learning, expand professional networks, and strengthen community connections.

The challenge is deciding what to share in each space, how it might be interpreted, and how to balance authenticity with professionalism. Educators can model effective practices by showing how digital tools can be used to engage with peers, participate in professional forums, exchange resources, and share projects or milestones. Highlighting achievements—such as completing a certification, earning a digital badge, or finishing a major project—can help learners build confidence and demonstrate skills to employers. This connects to digital credentials and wallets (see Chapter 6), where learners collect verifiable records of accomplishments that can be displayed on professional profiles or shared with hiring managers.

Programs can guide learners in making thoughtful choices about digital identity through activities such as:

• Reviewing privacy and audience settings on LinkedIn or similar platforms to note what information is public by default.
• Drafting and peer-reviewing a professional introduction post suitable for a class forum, online profile, or job board.
• Discussing when to separate personal, professional, and anonymous accounts and the risks when boundaries blur.
• Practicing how to share achievements such as a ServSafe certificate, workplace safety card, or digital literacy badge in ways that highlight skills while protecting personal information.

Security practices across devices and roles

Adults may share laptops or phones with family members, use public Wi-Fi in libraries or cafés, and move between personal and employer-owned accounts. These situations increase the risk of unauthorized access or accidental data loss. Basic routines such as logging out after each session, limiting saved passwords on shared devices, and keeping work and personal accounts separate can reduce these risks. Reinforcing these habits regularly helps build learner confidence and creates safer conditions for digital life.

Simple routines that can make device and account use safer:

• Use a password manager. A secure password manager helps store and organize passwords safely across devices, so users don’t need to reuse or remember them. Most browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, include built-in password managers that offer basic protection. Free, open-source options like Bitwarden provide additional privacy features and work across multiple browsers and devices.
• Set up two-factor authentication (2FA). Adding a second verification step, such as a code sent to a phone or authentication app, greatly reduces the risk of unauthorized access. Keep a simple record of recovery options in case a device is lost or replaced.
• Use a VPN on shared or public networks. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts your internet connection, making it harder for others to see what sites you visit or intercept personal data. VPNs are especially helpful when using public Wi-Fi, such as at libraries or coffee shops.
• Log out securely. Always log out after using shared devices, clear downloads or browser histories, and use guest sessions when available.

Phishing and scams

Adult learners may encounter digital scams in the form of phishing emails, fake job postings, or malware. Phishing emails may appear to come from government agencies, schools, or banks and request personal information or urgent action. Fake job postings may advertise high pay for simple work but require applicants to pay fees up front or provide sensitive details such as Social Security numbers. Malware can be hidden in links or attachments that appear legitimate, including resumes, tax forms, or shipping notices.

Programs can help learners recognize and avoid scams through intentional online safety activities:

• Compare real and fake job postings side by side and identify red flags such as requests for payment, vague job descriptions, or unrealistic pay, while verifying listings through official company sites.
• Review sample phishing emails to highlight urgent language, suspicious links, and mismatched sender addresses.
• Practice verifying the source of attachments or messages before opening them, such as checking official websites or contacting organizations directly.

Workplace boundaries and norms

Understanding what counts as part of an employment record, how to engage in video meetings, and when to separate personal and employer-owned platforms is increasingly part of workplace readiness.

Activities that provide learners with space to practice workplace norms include:

• Reviewing a sample acceptable use policy to identify expectations for email, file sharing, and instant messaging.
• Practicing video meeting etiquette such as camera use, chat participation, and background settings.
• Mapping which platforms are owned by the employer and which are personal and discussing boundaries between them.

Digital discrimination and advocacy

Digital environments may exclude learners through inaccessible websites, biased job ads, or automated screening tools. Knowing how to recognize and respond to these barriers can help learners advocate for access.

Activities that support advocacy skills include:

• Practicing how to request accommodations such as captions for a video interview or alternative formats for digital forms.
• Comparing accessible and inaccessible web designs to highlight the role of features such as alt text or keyboard navigation.
• Learning how to document and report issues by saving screenshots and noting impacts.

Credibility in an AI environment

Generative AI tools can now produce resumes, essays, images, and videos that appear convincing. While these tools may support learning, they also increase the challenge of detecting misinformation. Adult learners can benefit from practice evaluating credibility and clear guidelines on responsible AI use.

Programs can introduce routines such as:

• Comparing a human-written and an AI-generated text to identify signs such as generic phrasing, fabricated references, or missing citations.
• Using guiding questions to assess credibility, such as “Who created this?”, “What evidence is offered?”, and “What is the purpose?”
• Establishing class guidelines for AI use that clarify when disclosure is expected and what verification steps to follow.

Integrating Frameworks for Digital Citizenship

Research-based frameworks can provide programs with a shared language for describing what digital citizenship looks like in practice.

Profile of a Lifelong Learner

ISTE’s SkillRise initiative defines digital citizens as “inclusive, equitable, and culturally aware as they live, learn, and work in an interconnected world.” For adult learners, this emphasizes that digital participation involves both protecting personal information and contributing to communities in respectful and ethical ways. Programs can use this framing to highlight how everyday digital choices can shape inclusive and equitable environments.

DigCitCommit Competencies

Originally developed for K–12, the Digital Citizen competencies can also apply to adult learners. They focus on positive digital actions organized into five core areas:

• Inclusive: engaging respectfully with multiple viewpoints
• Informed: evaluating the accuracy and perspective of digital content
• Engaged: using technology for civic and community participation
• Balanced: making choices about time and attention online and offline
• Alert: protecting privacy and creating safe spaces for others

These competencies can provide a structure for integrating digital citizenship into courses, advising, and program support:

• Instructors applying the Informed competency can work with learners to evaluate online job postings by examining accuracy, source credibility, and potential bias.
• Career navigators drawing on the Inclusive and Engaged competencies can create opportunities for learners to practice professional communication in workplace settings and reflect on how digital interactions support collaboration and respect across diverse teams.
• Administrators using the Alert competency can set expectations for secure and respectful use of program platforms, including guidance on privacy, account safety, and appropriate online conduct.

Programs can also apply the competencies more broadly. For example, during orientation, learners might reflect on how they balance study time and personal screen use, illustrating the Balanced competency in relation to daily routines. Competencies might also be incorporated into program-wide agreements about technology use.

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07417136231184570
2. https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/se/tselcompetencies.asp
3. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171309400815