For my 3rd blog for EDCI 335 I will be writing writing my post in response to prompt 3 of Inclusive Design.

Designing for Inclusion Under Unexpected Circumstances

One challenge educators can face is the sudden disruption to regular classroom activities due to unforeseen circumstances. When facing a disruptive event such as the Covid-19 Pandemic it is important for educators to learn how to adapt to the situation quickly to provide a smooth transition to a new learning environment.

Online Interactivity

A key step to dealing with an unexpected event is to seek alternate ways to deliver aspects of the course in order to better suit the needs of a changing environment. During the Covid-19 Pandemic many of the in-person activities such as labs and group discussions for my courses had to be reconfigured to online platforms. One such example was the use of the collaborative platform Padlet, where students had to write feedback for group presentations posted online. For my group’s interactive learning resource we plan to remain flexible and alter the delivery of the material to maintain engagement among students.

Navigating a New Learning Environment

Training and proper guidance will be necessary for students to successfully navigate a new and unfamiliar learning environment. In order to ensure that our students are able to get acquainted with unfamiliar tools and platforms our group plans to create short tutorials in both written, and video form to help students feel comfortable. Students may still face challenges even when provided with guides and tutorials with the new learning environment. In order to account for these difficulties our group could potentially implement a system of “soft deadlines” where students aren’t heavily penalized for late submissions and offer alternate forms of submission such as photocopies of handwritten work, or through email. In addition to use of new online platforms such as Padlet, we could design alternate offline activities to provide as many options as possible to maintain accessibility.

Closing Thoughts

Although new challenges may arise in the face of an unforeseen event, by remaining open-minded and seeking alternative teaching methods we can help students succeed in a new learning environment.