Information and digital literacy in education via the digital path

What is your tolerance for failure in education?

Jess Mitchell, senior manager of research and design at the Inclusive Design Research Centre, posed the question on Wednesday to a group of around 850 educators, librarians and other open-access enthusiasts at the OpenEd conference in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Even as movements like open access gain momentum and increase access to learning materials for more students, Mitchell said, “the so-called playing field is not equal.” Determining where educators draw the line for failure, whether that’s with students of color, low-income students, immigrant students or some other group, determines educational outcomes and equity opportunities for the future.

For many professors, teaching is the most time-consuming — and rewarding — part of their job. It’s also one that few instructors have had much formal training in, leaving many to learn through trial and error.

One good shortcut, then, is learning from the experiences of others.

The Chronicle asked a few professors known for their teaching to tell us about an experience that changed what they do in the classroom. Here’s what they said:

For many of us, reading is as automatic as breathing. But for the millions of students with dyslexia, reading is a difficult task that poses constant academic and emotional challenges. To simulate the experience of reading with dyslexia, try using this key to decipher the coded statement below.

Not new, but you may be interested in the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning's (CIRTL) Inclusive pedagogy framework. CIRTL is focused on teaching science and technology subjects in higher education, but I think it is applicable in other disciplinary areas. Go to https://cirtlincludes.net/inclusive-pedagogy-framework/ 

Editor’s Note: Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2018. The purpose of GAAD is to foster conversation, reflection, and learning about digital access and people with different disabilities in order to move towards greater inclusion in technology and its applications. We are pleased to welcome guest author Stephanie Rosen to share some thoughts about accessibility and inclusion for digital textbooks. Stephanie is Associate Librarian and Accessibility Specialist at the University of Michigan Library, where she promotes equitable access to library resources for all users, regardless of ability or background. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Texas at Austin, and brings a background in disability studies to library administration and digital education.

The scholarly communications community is very familiar with the many varied meanings of the word “free” and how those definitions help shape or derail discussions. With recent offerings of “inclusive access” textbooks, we now need to carefully distinguish between the varied meanings of the word “inclusive.”

The University of Kent has been leading the way in designing systems and ways of presenting content to make it easily accessible to as many learners as possible.

Looking at elements of the student experience where institutional practices and policies can make the learner experience much more inclusive.