What did you do to create inclusive practice and how did you do it?
The Inclusive Education Framework emphasises the importance of equitable access within digital and physical learning environments. This project encouraged further development of an existing asset and highlighted the need for a new resource to support best practices within our virtual learning environment.
The Inclusive Education Framework and Designing for Diverse Learners projects work reciprocally to emphasise and encourage accessible learning material and environments. The Designing for Diverse Learners guidelines are referenced within the Inclusive Education Framework, and the Designing for Diverse Learners guidelines were followed to inform the development of the Inclusive Education Framework.
1. Designing for Diverse Learners
To acknowledge learner variability, the University of Hull created a set of research-informed principles for reducing accessibility barriers within the curriculum. The Designing for Diverse Learners guidelines highlight the best practices for learning material design and provide an easy to follow checklist that academics and course creators can follow to reduce accessibility issues within teaching material. Whilst the project’s initial focus was on learning material, the Inclusive Education Framework demonstrated a significant gap around supporting inclusive learning interactions within lectures, seminars and workshops both online and on-campus. As a result, the updated guidelines will; i. Highlight fundamental principles that improve the virtual and physical experience when interacting with students ii. Support and encourage best practices for creating accessible information
2. Instructional Design Framework
The Instructional Design Framework promotes predictable and intuitive user experiences and addresses common accessibility issues and inconsistencies within our virtual learning environment (VLE). The framework guides course creators through assessing their current approach and supporting their progression toward exemplary practice. It also offers concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. While providing clear benchmarks for course creators, this framework readily adapts and responds to policy and technology changes.
Many elements of the Inclusive Education Framework have directly influenced these guidelines: allowing students to personalise their curriculum, designing out the need for reasonable individual adjustments and giving students a diversity of assessment modes are all referenced within the Instructional Design Framework as a measure of an inclusive curriculum.
Why did you implement your example of inclusive practice?
The Inclusive Education Framework stimulated and prioritised a meaningful cross-institutional conversation around inclusive practice. As a result, the Designing for Diverse Learners guidelines were adopted into educational policy, shifting the emphasis from pockets of good practice to essential components of learning design. In conjunction with this initiative, an Instructional Design Framework was developed to reduce barriers within the VLE Canvas. The framework promotes predictable and accessible courses and provides transparent, actionable steps to achieve this. The previous course guidelines, ‘The Expected use of Canvas’, required a significant update and did not provide a mechanism for course creators to evaluate their practice. Both initiatives have now been brought into educational policy at the University of Hull and have become part of the continuous monitoring and evaluation process. Crucially, both guidelines have become tangible benchmarks to promote inclusive practice within the curriculum.
What was the impact of your case study?
The Designing for Diverse Learners guidelines have been warmly received by University of Hull academics as a practical guide to learning material design that is easy to understand and follow. The guidelines have also been adopted by over eight HEIs and are referenced frequently within the accessible education community, receiving over 1,500 visitors from 20 countries in the first four months. The guidelines have also been promoted to students as accessible practice when creating presentations or structuring assignments.
The Instructional Design Framework has been specifically designed for the University of Hull, considering technical infrastructure and educational policy.
The framework supports University of Hull initiatives in various ways. For instance, it:
• Operationalises course quality enhancement through the CMEE process • Supports course self-assessment and progression towards improvement • Creates clear institutional course benchmarks • Aligns to key educational policy • Aligns to Transforming Programs principles • Set clear course accessibility expectations
The Instructional Design Framework was adopted into University of Hull educational policy in December 2022 and will have a significant impact in the years to come. All 2023 courses will be expected to meet the new essential criteria; this will positively impact every student’s experience within the VLE. As the framework promotes progression towards exemplary practice, this accessibility standard will continuously improve.
What were the lessons learned?
One of the critical challenges when attempting to implement an inclusive and accessible learning environment is scale: our VLE contains over 2,000,000 files that potentially contain accessibility issues. Important lessons learned included identifying which priority areas to address and nurturing best practices through straightforward, actionable resources. The successful cross-institutional approach taken by the Inclusive Education Framework highlighted the significance of stimulating conversations about inclusivity at all levels of the University. Many other initiatives that coalesced around the same goals were identified through open discussions around inclusion. Working with a diverse range of students and partners promoted authentic and inclusive solutions to existing problems.