Inclusive Design: Meet Every Learners’ Needs
Inclusive design is a pedagogical approach where designers remove the barriers but remain challenges for all learners. That is, the approach maximizing learning for all learners requires and minimizing or eliminating possible barriers. Even with the inclusive design approach, it is possible but extremely difficult to design a learning resource that “always good for all”.
Take my group’s learning design as an example, learners need to learn the major concept through answering a true or false list, and instructors will explain the answer and its reasons after. English as second language students, however, might not be able to catch everything during the class. Some people suggest that designers can upload videos to YouTube; it can generate subtitles automatically and translate it into any languages. This could be a good way for other classmates to review the class content anytime and anywhere. On the other hand, it also leads to another issue of inequality. Learners who only have smart phone with data plan might need to cost extra money to boost their data plan only for the purpose of having the same accessibility as others of their classmates.
Moreover, universal design points out that designer should provide materials with visual, auditory and kinesthetic options. Consequently, my group’s learning design could also provide students with video subtitles transcript for learners to read the text without watching the whole video. In this way, learners with mobile data plans do not need to add extra data to review the class content, and learners of loss of hearing can also read the text easily.
I believe it is difficult and time-consuming to design learning resources that good for every learner. However, it is important and necessary for all learners to have an equal chance and accessibility to learn. To specifically ensure that the needs of all learners can be met, designers should understand who the learners are and what barriers must be removed. Designers should then take advantage of technology to overcome barriers. Moreover, the learning resources can be adjusted multi times after it is created just to ensure that the resource does not deny any learner’s right to learn knowledge.
Comment for peers
After reading Jiani’s post, although the post and its structure are good, there is a suggestion I want give you which you can make your post to few paragraphs. It helps reader to read it clearly. And I also think the plans about teaching at home are very specific. You mentioned that you make sure that students don’t feel a lot of pressure, so I’m very interested how you can reduce students’s pressure. Thanks for sharing!
https://ruilin.opened.ca/
Ruilin’s group’s interactive learning resource is about the basic information of essential nutrients in our body, and I agree with Ruilin that multimedia can help learner in their learning activities. Also, Ruilin mentions their group can share videos in relation to their topics, and I think they can also add the subtitles for some people who has hearing disorder.