Autoethnographic Reflections on Inclusive and Interfaith Pedagogy in Global Online Higher Education

Abstract

This work offers autoethnographic reflections on inclusive and interfaith pedagogy in global online higher education. Drawing on analytical autoethnography, it reflects on the author’s experiences across University of the People (USA), Nations University (USA), Jesuit Worldwide Learning-Education at the Margins, and Monarch Business School (Switzerland) - institutions characterized by cultural, religious, and digital diversity. The study does not seek generalizable claims but situates pedagogical insight within lived practice, institutional contexts, and relational encounters in online classrooms. Methodologically, analytical autoethnography is used to link personal narrative with systematic analysis of pedagogical and institutional dynamics, enabling critical reflection on how inclusion and interfaith engagement are negotiated in digitally mediated learning environments. The analysis demonstrates that interfaith inclusion functions not simply as curricular content or institutional policy but as lived pedagogy, enacted through dialogical practices, course design, and ethical attentiveness to religious/faith difference. The article contributes to scholarship on global online higher education by showing how inclusive and interfaith pedagogy emerges through everyday experience. It offers grounded insights for educators and institutions seeking to cultivate equitable, inclusive, and religiously responsive online learning environments.