Inclusive design: what size fits all?

Brian SayerDistance Learning Adviser

University of London

The school of the future“… the computer presence will enable us to so

modify the learning environment outside of the classroom that much, if not all, the knowledge schools presently try to teach with such pain and expense and such limited success will be learned, as the child learns to walk, painlessly, successfully, and without organised instruction …

The future of the school “…. this obviously implies that schools, as we

know them today, will have no place in the future. But it is an open question whether they will adapt by transforming themselves into something new or wither away and be replaced”

Seymour Papert, 1980 Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful

ideas

Doing More with More?• How can e-learning add value to your

work? (e.g. Changing the nature or scale of your teaching)

• Can institutions embrace e-learning fully without major structural change?

• Is the academic ready to accept a fundamental change in role?

• Do you know what will happen next?

The University of London• a federal University - founded in 1836• one of the oldest and largest UK universities• a federation of 19 colleges and 9 specialist

institutes• a significant number of centres of academic

excellence• an outstanding international reputation.

A history of innovationThe first university • founded on the

principles of open access

• to admit students irrespective of creed, race or political belief

• to admit women

• to allow students to study for a degree at a distance

The External System• 32,000 students• 180 Countries• 90 awards (degrees and diplomas)• 14 ‘Lead’ Colleges• 650 Exam Centres• 120+ overseas institutions offering

tuition

Then: the ‘Course in a box’• College provided academic input• Students worked alone, sometimes with local support • Exams hosted by British Council offices and local

colleges• The central university provided

– printing and distribution of study materials – organisation of examinations– administration of the student lifecycle

Now: ‘mix and match’• College still provides academic content • College and student communicate by eMail• Students network formally and informally online • The web transports study materials and more• University links are rich and proactive• Online assessment is ‘coming soon’• Colleges take on more and more admin functions

In future: ‘my course’• Academic content supplied from the web• The College supplies learning activities . • Students are connected …. to everything• Multi-channel learning content • Students pick and mix providers. • Suppliers will be global providers• Students will be assessed individually and uniquely• The University as brand and the sponsor

Universal design“… an approach to the design of all products and environments to be usable by everyone, to the greatest extent possible, regardless of age, ability, or situation. It serves people who are young or old, with excellent or limited abilities, in ideal or difficult circumstances. Universal design benefits everyone by accommodating limitations.”

Center for Universal Design. 2006

The built environment• places people at the heart of the design

process • acknowledges human diversity and

difference • offers choice where a single option cannot

accommodate all users • provides for flexibility in use • aims to provide buildings and environments

that are safe, convenient, equitable and enjoyable to use by all, regardless of ability, age or gender

Centre for Accessible environments www.cae.org.uk

The software environment– Targeting segments traditionally excluded from the

global landscape – Designing with and from within target markets,

instead of for them – Moving from global ‘top of the pyramid’ strategies

to ‘middle and base of the pyramid’ strategies – A focus on improving lives versus increasing

possessions  

Microsoft new Business Products Group

Inclusive design approachesInclusive Directly involve individuals, communities

and geographies in our design process   Authentic Address genuine human needs whilst

aligning with [our] competencies and strengthsProgressive  Fundamentally improve  people’s

lives through technical, business and design innovation   

Impactful Take on important challenges on a global scale with solutions which resonate with diverse audiences 

 Inspired   Translate inspiration from people’s daily lives into solutions that, in turn, deeply inspire  

Integrity Aim for the highest standards of creative, business and technical excellence 

Inclusive designers• Young, naïve and enthusiastic. A balanced team

of user researchers and designers • An in-situ process. How do we design out of

offices in Washington? We try not to - we send our researchers and designers out to the real world

• A working set of design principles  A loose and dynamic set of values and principles which informs our user centered design approach

Universal design principles• Equitable use • Flexibility in use • Simple and intuitive • Perceptible information • Tolerance for error • Low physical effort • Size and space for approach and use (Center for Universal Design)

Universal design approach• a belief that the broad range of human ability is

ordinary, not special. • accommodates people who are non-average in

a way that is not stigmatizing and benefits all users.

• designing for a broad range can increase usability for everyone without significantly increasing cost

• reduces the need for design modifications when abilities or circumstances change.

• a holistic and integrated approach. • no standards or requirements but addressing

usability issues.

Education and inclusive design• Students who have not had an opportunity to

learn the material tested will perform “Many teachers are not yet teaching students

the full range of knowledge and skills that state tests measure, and the gap is probably greatest for students with disabilities, minority students, and English-language learners”

Designing learning for all Design instructional materials and activities that

make the learning goals achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities … by means of flexible curricular materials and activities that provide alternatives for students with differing abilities … built into the instructional design and operating systems of educational materials – not added on after-the-fact

(ERIC/OSEP, 1998) US Office of Special Educaitonal Programmes ¶ 

Universal design in assessment• designed and developed from the beginning to

allow participation of the widest possible range of students

• result in valid inferences about performance for all students who participate in the assessment

“fairness, like validity, cannot be properly addressed as an afterthought once the test has been developed, administered, and used. It must be confronted throughout the interconnected phases of the testing process, from test design and development to administration, scoring, interpretation, and use”

US National Research Council (1999),

From heteronomy to autonomy• What is learned• What is taught• Who teaches• Who learns• How teaching

happens

• When teaching happens• Where teaching happens• How learning is

measured• How learning is tested• How learning is

supported

In future: ‘my course’• Academic content supplied from the web• The College supplies learning activities . • Students are connected …. to everything• Multi-channel learning content • Students pick and mix providers. • Suppliers will be global providers• Students will be assessed individually and uniquely• The University as brand and the sponsor

e Framework• The adoption of a service oriented approach to

system and process integration • The development, promotion and adoption of open

standards . • Community involvement in the development of the

e-Framework • Open collaborative development activities • Flexible and incremental deployment of the e-

Framework