Equity Over Equality in Continuing Education: Addressing New & Seasoned Students in the Classroom

Continuing education is a vital part of professional growth, ensuring that practitioners stay up-to-date with industry standards, emerging research, and evolving best practices. However, traditional classroom settings often focus on equality—providing the same experience to all participants—rather than equity, which considers the diverse backgrounds, needs, and experiences of learners. In professions where both newly licensed individuals and long-term veterans in the industry share the same learning space, it is crucial to design continuing education in a way that is accessible, engaging, and beneficial to all.

Understanding Equity vs. Equality in Education

Equality in education assumes that every participant starts from the same place and needs the same resources to succeed. Equity, on the other hand, acknowledges that learners come with different levels of experience, learning styles, and professional backgrounds, requiring tailored approaches to support their success.

As an educator, it’s natural to approach this challenge with an equality-based mindset. Ensuring every student receives the same instruction. However, a more equitable approach can create a richer learning environment by individualizing the experience based on the diversity of students. The key challenge is making sure that newer professionals receive foundational knowledge without disengaging the seasoned veterans who might check out when material seems "too basic".

Strategies for Building Equity in Continuing Education Classrooms

1. One-on-One Follow-Up Sessions

Recognizing that learners grasp concepts at different paces, offering one-on-one follow-ups can help bridge gaps without slowing down the entire classroom. Individualized feedback ensures that each participant gets the attention they need. However, in most cases, providing one-on-one feedback to every student is unrealistic due to time constraints and class sizes. Instead, educators can consider structured office hours, small group discussions, or digital platforms where learners can seek additional guidance as needed.

2. Mentorship and Peer Learning Opportunities

Pairing experienced professionals with newcomers allows for constructive feedback and reciprocal learning. This structure benefits both groups—veterans reinforce their foundational knowledge while sharing insights, and newer professionals gain practical wisdom that isn't always found in textbooks or entry level instruction.

3. Identifying Educational Gaps and Encouraging Self-Study

Each learner—regardless of experience level—will have different knowledge gaps. Implementing pre-assessments or self-reflection activities can help individuals recognize areas where they need improvement and provide them with targeted resources for self-study. Some suggested exercises to help accomplish this self-reflection include:

• Pre-Course Questionnaires: Have participants complete a self-evaluation survey before the course begins, rating their confidence in key subject areas. This can help them identify topics where they need additional focus. This can help you tailor which topics you can easily discuss with more brevity compared to concepts that require more time and discussion/exploration during class time.

• Case Study Analysis: Presenting real-world scenarios and asking learners to explain how they would handle them can reveal gaps in applied knowledge.

• Knowledge Checklists: Provide a checklist of fundamental and advanced competencies, allowing participants to mark which concepts they feel confident in and which they need to revisit.

• Peer Feedback Sessions: Encourage participants to discuss concepts with peers and provide constructive feedback to each other, which can highlight areas that need improvement. I cannot recommend ABMP's 25-hour Cornerstones bundle based on the Entry Level Analysis Program, in Cornerstones, they introduced me to the Think-Pair-Share activity. Pairing students up to discuss the course content and then returning as a collective group to share insights or questions is a great way to keep everyone engaged!

• Journaling and Reflection Prompts: Asking learners to write about recent challenges in their practice and where they struggled can help them identify areas that require further study. I, myself, am fond of asking students to journal at the start of courses with them to identify what they already know about a topic or what they hope to learn/gain from the class. Then regularly pause for a 5 minute journaling break, where they can explore the content in their own words and jot down follow up questions they still have from a presentation or demonstration.

• Post-Lesson Quizzes and Self-Grading Exercises: Short quizzes followed by self-reflection on why certain answers were incorrect can be an effective way to target weak spots. If there is not time to provide a traditional quiz (on paper, or collectively), I always end my courses with a "exit ticket/bell ticket" before dismissal. We go around the room and each student is individually asked, "what do you know now, that you didn't know before?" or "what have you learned that you didn't know this morning?" Think of it as a post-assessment with massage clients, if you don't take the time to ask clients how they're feeling post-massage, how do you know your treatment (or instruction) was effective?

4. Tiered Learning Models

Rather than dividing content strictly between "beginner" and "advanced" levels, structuring courses so that concepts are introduced from the "ground up" allows learners to engage at their own level. Even advanced concepts can be framed in a way that accommodates all participants without alienating anyone. I stand firm on the opinion that everyone everyone everyone stands to benefit from repetition and revisiting foundational concepts, which brings us to our last strategy.

5. Rethinking the Assumption That Veterans Only Need Advanced Topics

While it’s often assumed that experienced professionals require more advanced or novel content, in reality, they may benefit just as much—if not more—from revisiting fundamental principles. The longer it has been since entry-level education, the more likely it is that essential concepts have been taken for granted.

Veterans often develop habits and shortcuts over time, some of which may drift away from industry best practices or new evidence-based approaches. A "back to basics" approach allows them to reconnect with foundational principles they might have unintentionally overlooked. Additionally, engaging with fundamental concepts in a more critical way—through discussion, case studies, and hands-on application—can help them refine their expertise rather than simply repeat old lessons.

Repetition is NOT redundancy; it is reinforcement.

Even seasoned professionals can gain new insights by revisiting basic concepts through the lens of their accumulated experience. Moreover, as industries evolve, what was once considered "basic" knowledge may have changed significantly. Updating one’s understanding of foundational skills ensures that even the most experienced practitioners stay aligned with current best practices.

The best progress happens when professionals remain engaged with, wrestle with, and even challenge the "basics." In doing so, they reinforce their expertise while staying adaptable to industry advancements.

The Benefits of an Equitable Approach

Creating a more equitable continuing education environment benefits both individual learners and the profession as a whole. It fosters a culture of lifelong learning, improves engagement and retention, and enhances the overall quality of professional practice.

Equity is one of the hardest achievements to deliver in systemic institutions like education, so it’s important to acknowledge that perfect solutions won’t come immediately.

Instead, we should embrace the process—experimenting with different approaches, staying engaged, and refining our methods as we learn what works best. By embracing equity in continuing education, we create learning environments that are not only inclusive but also enriching and empowering for every participant.

Peace and Healing,

Kirby Clark Ellis, MTI, BCTMB