As we designed this course on Inclusive Design and Design Justice, we tried to enact principles of those approaches that would make this course inclusive to our students.
Our key design features for this course, based on principles of ID/DJ are:
Flexibility: We believe the most equitable and inclusive learning experiences are flexible and they give students the ability to make choices about their priorities, workloads, and goals. With flexibility as a driving force, we have created flexibility in how students choose to participate in the course and what topics they pursue for their projects.
Multiple modes of representation: Just as curb cuts in sidewalks create access for more people than just folks in wheelchairs–also helping people with strollers, handcarts, bicycles, etc.–providing multiple ways to engage with course content helps all students, not just those who need accommodations. All videos in this course include transcriptions and are available in audio-only formats. Students, we invite you to engage with course content in the format that works best for your learning and your lives.
Student voice and agency: Inclusive Design and Design Justice center the voices and experiences of the people for whom designs are intended. Though we were not able to include students during the design process for this course (you were still working on your fall courses when we were designing this!), we have included ways for students to shape the course and to shape paths through the course. For example, we are starting the course with a student survey that will help shape some aspects of the course. We’re also inviting student input on the grading guidelines for the course.
Transparency and iteration: Inclusive Design and Design Justice are iterative approaches–that is, they are constantly adapting/adjusting based on reflection and feedback. Students, throughout this course, we encourage you to share feedback with us to help us with our iterative process via this course feedback form.
Students as whole people: We designed this course for our students as whole people. This means that we recognize that students’ lives and backgrounds shape their learning. Students, in our course syllabus, we have included statements about basic needs, privacy, and other resources students might need to help you fully engage in the course and learn.
