Hello, I'm Denise Ward Hood and I'm very excited to talk with you today about Diversity and Inclusion in Instructional Design. My PhD is in educational psychology and my research and teaching focus on Identity Development, Diversity, Teaching and Learning, and Higher Education. Let's start with some organizing questions. What is diversity and what is inclusion? Are these the same thing? Both are broad terms and these constructs are often used together and interchangeably. You may be familiar with diversity and inclusion in a social science, educational, or employment context but it may be less clear what these have to do with instructional design in your role as an instructional designers. In what ways can learning about diversity and inclusion become a critical tool in your professional skill set? Now, we're ready to move on to defining these terms. Here are two definitions for us to consider. One way to think about it is that diversity focuses on the who. In our instructional design context, who are and who might be the learners? Who will be the consumers and users of the information, material, modules that you are creating? Inclusion focuses on the how, it includes the strategies and intentional behaviors that make diversity manifest. Verna Myers provides a helpful metaphor. Structural diversity involves the representation of various identities and perspectives in instructional design. Inclusion is the thoughtful and intentional application of diversity. So, we see that it's not either or but both and that are important for our work. When I'm designing an online or face-to-face course or workshop, I begin by thinking about the learners or participants. Sometimes, I have an idea of who they will be and sometimes not. Even if I have some idea of the age, race, ethnicity, and gender of the potential learners, it is important to keep in mind that we are all so much more than a few identity characteristics that are visible to others. Who we are and all its complexity impacts how we interpret, understand, make sense of, and apply the content to which we are exposed. This presents a fascinating challenge in instructional design. One semester, I had a class in which the enrollment just happened to turn out to be all women, 15 students, all female. So, they were all graduate students and all women. However, beyond those two identities, this was a very homogeneous group of individuals, different socioeconomic classes from different parts of the country and the world, different ages and many different academic and career trajectories. Their world views and perspectives had been shaped by so many varied experiences. Certainly, there was some overlap but the intersection of their identities help shape our learning environment. Robert Gagne's events of instruction are foundational to learning theory. Gagne's emphasize the critical importance of gaining and maintaining the learner's attention. In instructional design, this is often accomplished with images and sound. For example, pictures, video, animations, music, voice, and so forth. These are intended to pique the learners interests and stimulate recall of their prior knowledge. These images and sounds also facilitate memory and application of the newly acquired information. This is frequently where we first think about diversity in terms of race, gender, and ethnicity. We wish to show images that suggest a range of identities and this is a good place to start. As instructional designers, you may have access to stock material or you may customize material for a particular project. I encourage you to consider images and sounds that extend beyond our own individual worldview. A takeaway from our session is that deliberate attention to learner personas broadly conceptualized should be at the forefront of your work. I'll share a few more takeaways a bit later. Here are a few questions for you to think about based on our discussion today. Why our inclusive practice is important? In what ways does inclusive design benefit all learners? How do you examine your instructional design process through a diversity lens? That is, how do you know if you're accomplishing your goal? Moore, Brantmeier, and Broscheid created a tool to help faculty examine the diversity in their syllabus and course design. A link to this tool is provided in the course notes for you to explore on your own. The process begins with consideration of these questions. Who are the learners? What different perspectives and viewpoints are included? In what ways are these perspectives represented? How do the learning outcomes, assessment, and content support inclusion? This is just one tool that's available but it is a good place to start. Diversity and inclusion are important in instructional design because we cared deeply about the effectiveness of what we do. In order to move beyond the surface level, we think about this as a process of continuous professional development. Unintentionally, we can harbor implicit biases that require ongoing remediation. It would be shortsighted to assume that diversity and inclusion are not important when working with what appears to be a homogeneous population. Learners can be anyone, anywhere, at anytime. The most effective instruction reflects the breadth of the global society. So, let's conclude with a few of those takeaways I mentioned. In order to check our biases, we must first be aware that they exist, seek out and listen to others who have different perspectives. Whether you're working individually or with a team, consulting with others is a great way to become aware of value judgments that we harbor. Some of the more egregious examples of offensive material are easier to avoid but usually, these can be much more nuanced and subtle and we can miss it. These course materials are designed to provide you with foundational information on the impact of instructional design on the ways in which people learn. Consider diversity and inclusion in tandem with these theories and remember that it is a process of continual professional development.
