Inclusive learning design for Online Learners

Inclusive learning Design
for Online Learners
Dr Richard Walker, University of York
Virtual Campus: The Future of Education
18th May 2021

Building on our
institutional
commitment to
inclusive learning

Inclusive-learning@york toolkit inclusive-learning@york

But Covid-19 disrupted our established support to students
“ I think we should begin with the premise that our students are
learning from a place of dislocation, anxiety and trauma; and so
are staff. We need to address this trauma and build it into our
programme design by considering access. Namely, technological,
intellectual, personal, educational and cognitive.
[comment from Online Learning Expert Panel (OLEP), 2020]
Ofcom's director of strategy and research Yih-Choung Teh said:
"Lockdown may leave a lasting digital legacy. Coronavirus has
radically changed the way we live, work and communicate online,
with millions of people using online video services for the first time.“
The regulator's Online Nation report found that people are seeking
new ways to keep connected, informed, entertained and fit during
lockdown.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53149268 (24 June 2020)

Where does this leave us?
The McWilliam paper on ‘unlearning’ unhelpful teaching habits
was particularly prescient (even though written in 2005, 2020
seems precisely the kind of moment when the teaching rug is
pulled out from under us with huge potential for expanding
our positive concepts of what teaching can be)
In a sense it’s really inspiring and in a sense it’s totally
terrifying. It’s difficult to even start to think how I’m going to
put my two modules together!
McWilliam, E. (2005). Unlearning Pedagogy. Journal of Learning Design. 1, 1, 1-11
https://www.jld.edu.au/article/view/2
“
“

What have we learned from the pandemic about inclusion?
Three key themes :
1. Pedagogic redesign to support flexible engagement - benefiting
the full range of learners
2. Accessible practices in the presentation of course materials
3. Community and peer support create good learning environments
https://elearningyork.wordpress.com/2021/02/23/inclusive-
learning-what-have-we-learned-from-the-coronavirus-pandemic-
so-far/

1. Pedagogic redesign to support flexible engagement
 awareness of barriers to inclusion e.g. students working in
different time zones, may not have a stable internet connection
or a quiet place to learn, may have caring responsibilities or
health-related concerns;
 consider flexible learning approaches e.g. a mixture of
synchronous and asynchronous teaching to allow for learners
to look at/work through material in their own time;
 provide learners accessing asynchronous learning the
opportunity for discussion and to ask questions - e.g through
the use of Google docs or discussion boards.
https://edtech-europe.educationtechnologyinsights.com/cxoinsights/rethinking-teaching-and-assessment-
in-a-post-digital-world-nid-1423.html

2. Accessible practices in presentation of course content
 all students benefit from accessible content (WCAG
2.1AA);
 let students know how to share documents with
other students in an accessible way;
 students welcome opportunities to co-create
learning activities (Walker, 2020);
 consider different types of assessment methods that
can be done in an online setting.
Walker (2020). Nurturing curiosity and inquiry within the curriculum through
the use of technology
https://www.slideshare.net/RichardM_Walker/nurturing-curiosity-and-inquiry-within-the-curriculum-
through-the-use-of-technology-how-can-digital-tools-support-active-student-learning

3. Create a community of learners for all students
 opportunities to collaborate with peers online to help develop a sense
of belonging: e.g. use of breakout rooms;
 for programmes, additional online learning spaces for staff and students
to meet/hang out in;
 at the end of online synchronous lectures/seminars, opportunity to
continue the session after the lecture/seminar (with lecturer/tutor
and/or other students) for questions and discussion;
 creation of an online ‘study buddies’ system to develop peer support
giving students opportunities to meet others and engage with their
subject material.

Practical guidance for sustaining an online learning environment that’s welcoming and
responsive to different students’ needs:
 opportunities for regular feedback and review as the module
progresses on how students are finding online learning so
that challenges can be identified and good practice shared;
 at the start of the module or session, conversation about
setting the environment to agree on practices, etiquette and
expectations for the online sessions;
 warm ups/ice breakers at the start of each session can help
set the students at ease;
 for online synchronous teaching, students welcome
questions and reading material being shared prior to the
session to allow them to prepare.

Practical guidance for sustaining an online learning environment that’s welcoming and
responsive (cont’d):
 facilitate non-verbal participation as well as verbal communication
 on-line learning can feel fast-paced: give time for thinking/reflection
during the session. Interactive tools e.g. polls, questionnaires were
seen as useful for engagement;
 if students are working at home, they might not want to participate
orally in discussions around some sensitive topics - consider other
methods to include them in discussions;
 students may not always want to turn the video function on for a
range of reasons - agree some practices around this at the start of
the module/sessions.

So what might this look like?
Music – Prof. Martin Suckling
(Tonality after Tonality)

13
Whole group
‘discussion’
Stimulus Activity Summary
• Boundary between each box is porous
• Can (should?) utilise wide variety of possible realisations for each box. ‘Activity’ could involve small group in-
person
• State ILOs for each parcel
• All resources managed & distributed through VLE – single point of contact, single template for each parcel
Session ‘parcel’: standard model
Music Department / MS / last updated 16/06/2020
Asynchronous
(lecturer-curated video / audio; readings, listenings,
podcasts, written tasks, group tasks, discussion
boards, blogs etc. etc.)
Synchronous
(In person. Or via Zoom /
Collaborate / text chat in a
YouTube stream etc.)
Asynchronous
(VLE item / another
video, etc.)
provocative Anonymous feedback
from students via
Google forms or Padlet
brief
relevant
encourages
depth
tangible result
shared
60’ max,
repeat in
person / online

14
Pre-Covid 2020-21
‘in person’ ‘flipped’ & ‘blended’
Discussion /
workshop
Stimulus
Activity
Summary
3hr ’project session’
Discovery learning & Lecture-style teaching:
Discussions; Workshops; Improvisations;
Listening; Written exercises…
Assessment is based on your own independent work, creating something meaningful,
whether that be essay, composition, performance etc. As far as possible unchanged.
Asynchronous, online:
lecturer-created video etc.
Asynchronous & small-group
synchronous online and in-person,
independent work: reading, listening,
creating, sharing, discussing
Synchronous, in-person – and online
where required – exploring the issues
and ideas from the work that’s been
shared. (60’ socially distanced)
Asynchronous, online:
Text/ video drawing ideas together

1. Focus explicitly on relationship–building and community–building
 Welcoming intro and weekly ‘welcoming
encounters’, and personalised videos
 Clear roadmap - how the teaching is going to
work across the module
 Clear weekly structure and pattern of activities –
expectations discussed
 Lots of opportunities for communication and
reflection (group and private)
 acknowledging emotion

2. Design learning activities to support learning outcomes
first, and then consider the mode that will work best
 Centred on tasks (active learning); clear outcomes
clearly communicated
 Clear sense of progression and regular task structures
 Resources integrated with tasks
 Mix of synchronous and asynchronous tasks,
designed to blend the strengths of each
 Some feedback on all outcomes; opportunities to
take some action as a result

3. Design activities, resources and support that are accessible to all, regardless of location
 Journals, discussion boards and surveys/quizzes/forms for
engagement and reflection
 Explicit VLE site – possible to succeed via asynchronous
engagement alone
 A chance to get to know the tools and ways of working
 Accessible resources – ‘chunking’ and
sequencing of content and tasks
 Options. Opportunities to identify/revisit existing knowledge
and skills; negotiating and openly discussing expectations

References and resources
Inclusive Teaching, Learning and Assessment Policy statement
https://www.york.ac.uk/about/equality/inclusive-learning/
Inclusive Learning@York resources
https://www.york.ac.uk/staff/teaching/initiatives-and-funding/inclusive-learning/
McWilliam, E. (2005). Unlearning Pedagogy. Journal of Learning Design. 1, 1, 1-11
https://www.jld.edu.au/article/view/2
Shaw, R. (2021). Inclusive Learning. What have we learned from the Coronavirus
Pandemic so far?
https://elearningyork.wordpress.com/2021/02/23/inclusive-learning-what-have-we-learned-from-the-coronavirus-pandemic-so-far/
Walker (2020). Nurturing curiosity and inquiry within the curriculum through the use of
technology. Teaching & Learning Forum, EDI Qatar.
https://www.slideshare.net/RichardM_Walker/nurturing-curiosity-and-inquiry-within-the-curriculum-through-the-use-of-technology-how-can-
digital-tools-support-active-student-learning
Walker, R. (2021): Rethinking teaching and assessment in a (post) digital world.
Educational Technology Insights.
https://edtech-europe.educationtechnologyinsights.com/cxoinsights/rethinking-teaching-and-assessment-in-a-post-digital-world-nid-1423.html

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