Effective eLearning means designing a course which recognises the diversity of its learners and removes as many barriers to learning as possible, embracing everyone’s differences. Inclusive Instructional Design (IID) should be the norm, and is a skill worth developing.
The importance of Inclusive Instructional Design
The learner is central to the whole process of eLearning design, from conducting the initial Learner Needs Analysis (LNA), writing the content, choosing media, to developing and delivering the course.
Each learner is unique:
- People have their own likes, dislikes, values and perspectives.
- They each have their own educational journey, abilities, aptitudes and skillsets.
- Learners will differ in age, gender, socio-economic background, culture and in their belief systems.
- Some will have English as an additional language, others will be neurodivergent.
- Some learners may utilise assistive technology to access their online content, others may require a flexible asynchronous learning solution to fit around other commitments.
These are just some of the factors to take into account. Inclusive Instructional Design can ensure we are designing courses that accomodate all learners and not just some.
Create a learner profile
A first step when designing any learning experience is to consider the question, ‘Who are the learners?’ It is often useful to create a simple ‘Learner Profile’ and jot down some characteristics of the learners such as their previous experience or knowledge, their environment or technical background, what might motivate them and their learning goals.
Next, spend time considering potential challenges and how you can adjust the design in order to facilitate and reflect the diversity of all the learners. When we design for inclusion, we design for everyone. Even simple steps when designing your course can make a difference.
In the initial stages of designing your eLearning course, put yourself in the learners’ shoes. What approach would best suit them to access the course and learn the material? It will likely vary according to the course and its intended learners.
Set learner expectations
Make sure to outline the learning outcomes at the beginning of the course, approximately how long the course will take to complete, and whether there will be an assessment at the end. When the learner has a clear idea about what is expected, you are helping to set them up for success.
Set a range of learning outcomes
When deciding on the learning outcomes, consider using a combination of higher and lower order thinking skills from Bloom’s Taxonomy. The course should have a logical learning path that enables the learner to build on their knowledge in incremental steps.
Present the content in several ways
For a more inclusive course, consider presenting the learning material in several ways. For example, some ways to present content include:
- Video-based learning
- An interactive slide with text
- Scenario-based learning
- A discussion forum
- A knowledge check with instant feedback
Not everyone learns in the same way, so providing a variety of activities promotes a more inclusive eLearning course.
Use Plain English
Imagine the learner who has English as additional language, or may have a reading or language disability. Following Plain English guidelines when writing content could help learners to understand difficult or highly technical topics. Plain English makes it easier for all learners to understand complex content by presenting it in a simpler way.
Consider how the course will be accessed
Imagine a parent who is doing the course while also working a full-time job. In this case, it would help if the course was available on mobile, organised perhaps into bite-sized units, and could be accessed asynchronously. This will suit a variety of people and their unique situations.
Design with accessibility in mind
Consider the learner who has a vision impairment. They will likely access the course with the use of a screen reader so accessibility guidelines should be followed. In this case, you might pay particular attention to ALT text for images, and ensure that all key information can be accessed by the screen reader. Following accessibility guidelines makes the course more accessible for everyone.
Representation
When writing and animating scenarios for learning, reflect on whether the characters represent people of all shapes, sizes, genders, abilities and disabilities, ethnic backgrounds and age. Can your learners ‘see themselves’ in the scenario, and is it relatable to their lives? It is also important to check for your own unconscious and implicit biases, which may seep into your eLearning courses. Make sure representation is fair and balanced. Sometimes, we may not even notice stereotypes, so having someone else review your course may help to spot them. For example, be mindful that:
- Not all managers are male
- Not all nurses are female
- Not all disabilities are visible
- Not all new hires are young
- Not all couples are heterosexual
Inclusive Instructional Design for a global audience
The age of the internet has led to the democratisation of learning. For instance, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide free open-access courses online, meaning that people can now access courses from anywhere in the world for free, removing socio-economic and geographical barriers. eLearning has the ability of easily reaching a large and very diverse global audience. It is essential therefore, for our courses to reflect those diverse learners.
10 tips for Inclusive Instructional Design
- Know your learners: create a learner profile.
- Structure a logical learning path to suit the learners’ needs.
- Include a range of learning outcomes, with different levels of challenge.
- Present the material through a variety of activities and learning approaches.
- Follow the Plain English Guidelines.
- Consider how the course will be accessed by your learners.
- Follow accessibility guidelines. This is always good practice no matter who your learners are.
- Represent the diversity of your learners in scenarios and media.
- Be aware of your unconscious biases and stereotypes.
- Ask someone else to review your course. It is always helpful to have another perspective.
