Instructional Design Topic and Learning Gap
Overview
The role of the instructional designer is to create accessible, meaningful, and secure learning opportunities for diverse learners. In the field of instructional design, it is the designer’s responsibility to mitigate potential risks by considering the ethical ramifications of the content, type of activity, delivery method or technology, and the learner’s wellbeing during the process.
Key Learnings
Principles for Ethical Design
Accessibility: Learning experiences must be accessible to all learners, including those with physical or cognitive impairments, or those with visual or auditory impairments. Methods to improve accessibility include text-to-speech tools, closed captioning for videos, learning platforms that have a wide range of technology options for access, and alternative text.
Privacy and Security: Guaranteeing learner privacy and the protection of personal data is a significant consideration. Only necessary data should be collected, and it should not be shared. Methods to support privacy and security include adherence with data protection regulations governing the collection and storing of collected data and obtaining informed consent for sharing and collecting sensitive information.
Diversity: Learning experiences must consider the vast differences among the learners, including learning preferences, cultural backgrounds, and personal life experiences. Methods to support diversity include recognizing and providing space in the learning activity for diverse cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives, and avoiding the use of biased content or stereotypes that further perpetuate or condone exclusion or discrimination. Instructional designers must also be mindful of personal biases during the development process.
Intellectual Property: Instructional designers must respect the intellectual property rights of the original author’s content. Methods to respect intellectual property rights include seeking permission for using copyrighted content, citing, or acknowledging sources, and using discrimination with content entered or obtained from an AI tool.
Honesty and Transparency: The purpose and expectations of a learning experience should be clearly and accurately presented. Means for honesty and transparency include an accurate description of the learning activity, learning objectives (competencies or standards) clearly aligned to the activity, clear criteria for assessment, total costs, and time commitment.
Continuous Improvement: Feedback is requested from learners and stakeholders to improve the learning experience as part of a continuous process. The instructional designer should also be mindful of changes needed in the content based on trends or changes in an industry or field.
Additional Resources
Learning Is For Everyone: Instructional Design For Accessibility
Improving Instructional Design: Feedback And Iterative Refinement
INCLUSIVE ADDIE: Initial Considerations for DEI Pedagogy
Implications for Instructional Design
Ethical Considerations for Minicourse: Addressing Stress and Burnout Through Self-Care
Accessibility: The minicourse must be accessible to all learners, including those with physical or cognitive impairments, or those with visual or auditory impairments. My minicourse will be a video, or series of videos, so it will be available on different technologies. Close captioning will be necessary.
Privacy and Security: Since the minicourse is informative in nature, it is not necessary to collect personal data from the learners. If it is determined that any data must be collected, it will adhere to data protection regulations governing the collection and storing of collected data and informed consent for sharing and collecting sensitive information will be obtained.
Diversity: The learning activity in the minicourse is applicable for diverse learners. However, the activity will allow space for learners to adapt, practice or apply what they learn in a manner that is consistent with their personal worldview or culture.
Intellectual Property: Any use of original content must be attributed to the author and permission for using copyrighted content obtained and cited.
Honesty and Transparency: The purpose of the minicourse will be to provide methods for self-care that can be easily integrated into one’s lifestyle. The course objectives will clearly state this, in addition to the time commitment and means for self-assessment (so they can gauge what works and what does not). It will be important to state that the presented methods are suggested practices, and do not replace care or direction from a health care provider. Additionally, if there are any questions about practicing self-care methods, the learner can consult with their primary care provider prior to engaging.
Continuous Improvement: Feedback from learners and stakeholders in health care on the effectiveness and ease of the minicourse will help future iterations of the course, or would help in developing a more effective course using a different self-care topic if this did not meet the identified need.
References
Peck, D., (2023). The ethics of designing training. devlinpeck.com. Retrieved from https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/ethics-of-designing-training
Williams, J., (2023). Key principles of instructional design: how to craft effective learning experiences. Instructure. Retrieved from https://www.instructure.com/resources/blog/key-principles-instructional-design-how-craft-effective-learning-experiences
Skjoldager, S., (2023). Ethical Design Considerations in Instructional Design [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJlesN6YJww&t=10s