Materials

Provide a range of teaching materials used (PowerPoints, infographics, pictures, audio clips, podcasts, songs, documentaries, film and television clips, poems, YouTube videos, etc.; Waitoller & Thorius, 2016).

Impact: Helps students visualize concepts, making abstract ideas more concrete and understandable. Incorporating various teaching materials allows students to connect with the content differently and provide diverse contexts for and representations of course concepts. This approach promotes inclusivity by providing multiple avenues for students to engage with and see themselves in the material.

Aim for user-friendly formats, such as PowerPoints and handouts, and simplicity in the content design; avoid overloading students with text and images.

Impact: Reduces cognitive load, making it easier for students to understand and retain the content, particularly beneficial for students with learning disabilities or attention difficulties. A balance between text and images also ensures that information is presented in multiple formats. Visual aids and images can enhance understanding, especially for students who are visual learners or may have language barriers. However, excessive images can be overwhelming and distract from the main message.

Consider access to materials, including cost barriers and methods of sharing materials.

Impact: Helps ensure that all students have equal opportunities to learning materials by removing financial barriers that may prevent them from accessing course resources. Employing open educational resources (OER) and Creative Commons licenses encourages the sharing and adaptation of materials, fosters inclusivity and accommodates diverse learning needs. Students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds can fully participate in learning when cost barriers are addressed. Use the course Moodle to quickly disseminate materials, ensuring that students can access them anytime and anywhere.

Offer a range of perspectives represented in materials, including opposing viewpoints on a topic and perspectives from other disciplines (Tuitt, 2009).

Impact: Problematizes binary thinking, like us-them or right-wrong approaches, and instead surfaces the complexity of course content, learning, and knowledge. This helps students become aware of the multiple narratives around a particular topic and attuned to whose narratives are uplifted and privileged and whose are invisible and marginalized. Drawing attention to these dynamics in knowledge production supports reflection and critical thinking skills and normalizes students adopting differing perspectives among peers.

References

Tuitt, F. A. (2009). Standing on the outside looking in: Implications for practice. In M. F. Howard-Hamilton, C. L. Morelon-Quanoo, S. D. Johnson, R. Windle-Wagner, & L. Santigue (Eds.), Standing on the outside looking in: Underrepresented students’ experiences in advanced degree programs (pp. 224–256). Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Waitoller, F. R., & Thorius, K. A. K. (2016). Cross-pollinating culturally sustaining pedagogy and universal design for learning: Toward an inclusive pedagogy that accounts for Dis/Ability. Harvard Educational Review, 86(3), 366–389, 473–474.