In recovering from one of the worst educational crises in recorded history due to the pandemic, in a mission to rebuild and become more resilient, there has been a heightened urgency to provide resources to communities most in need. However, precisely identifying those needs have become all the more important due to the increase in popularity of e-learning as a suitable option and the improvement of technologies. Most notably, socially disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities were disproportionately and severely impacted by several aspects of the pandemic, in terms of health, economics, access to education, and sustainable well-being. This differential effect was modeled spatially with the combination of aerial photogrammetry, traditional geospatial mapping, and other robust AI-driven techniques to synthesize and analyze the various types of data. In this original research study, we apply various spatial health variables, relate them to educational variables in an initial empirical process of understanding how to address equity-related considerations from the context of the learner’s experience, providing the empirical evidence for the development of locally tailored learner support and assistance, meeting students where they are by specifically identifying and targetting geographically underserved areas. We found that there were clear statistically significant relationships between educational attainment and several physical (p < 0.001), mental (p = 0.003), access to healthy food/food security (p < 0.001), and uptake of preventative health measures (p < 0.001), which also varied geographically. Geographic variations in learning experiences demonstrates the unquestionable need to understand a variety of physical, mental, and dietary factors surrounding the student’s success. Understanding a combination of these factors in a geospatial context will allow educational institutions to best serve the needs of learners.

The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework identifies barriers to health care, education, financial stability, and other conditions that exist across socially determined parameters, often to the detriment of Communities of Color. Postsecondary healthcare students must be aware of these disparities. In order to address upstream and downstream healthcare equity, the SDOH framework must be leveraged as a cross-disciplinary curricular innovation to support interprofessional education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have unrealized potential to develop extraordinary healthcare leaders; partnerships integrating SDOH can be a powerful force to advance health equity in the United States.

In April 2022, Adtalem Global Education sponsored a virtual summit entitled Advancing Equity in Healthcare, in which several of the authors of this article and other prominent health-care professionals examined the need to diversify the health-care profession. Topics included educational justice and its impact on health care, the business case for transforming and advancing health equity, and addressing systemic inequities and improving health outcomes for historically marginalized persons. The summit inspired the authors to write this paper to advocate for authentic, sustainable partnerships led by Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as a means to diversify nursing leadership and to stem systemic and structural inequities in health care.

Inclusive learning environments create a well-rounded education that initiates and amplifies the diverse experiences of all students. In higher education, this requires that all learning spaces, from the point of onboarding and classrooms through social clubs and completion, are designed in ways that promote the active participation of learners, and that students feel a sense of purpose, belonging, and safety to engage fully in the academic process. Institutions working to integrate and assess inclusive teaching and learning need to carefully consider their institutional mission and understand the history and potential challenges of developing systemic, structural inclusion within their organization. Successfully measuring inclusion requires clear operational definitions and comprehensive evaluation that includes both quantitative and qualitative assessment. This chapter reviews the importance of creating an inclusive environment in higher education, the barriers that arise, and the need for reliable and valid means of measuring its effectiveness.

The closing chapter of this edited edition puts forward a theory of the social determinants of changemakers – those learners supported by an inclusive educational institution, empowered to create positive social change in the world. Building on previous social change and social determinants scholarship, and through intentional and inclusive institutional organization, planning, and support, this framework is not only possible for postsecondary education institutions to drive positive social change – it is the call to action of our time. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

As postsecondary institutions develop equity-minded approaches to improve minoritized and marginalized student retention and completion, most literature, case study, and discourse focuses on traditional, on ground, and/or residential schools and courses. More intentional and urgent focus must happen in the online space both in terms of institutional planning, practice, and strategy and in terms of individual/professional development. All individuals navigate systems using sets of ingrained, implicit, or cognitive biases. In postsecondary education, these biases impact student success. For any postsecondary institution with online course or program delivery, individual and organizational development opportunities must target these biases and create space for double-loop learning in order to achieve an equity-minded approach to organizational change. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.