This module introduces four key frameworks for equity-minded course design. It also gives you the opportunity to set personal goals for instructional design consultations.

There are many streams of thinking in equity-minded course design. These four frameworks – Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Transparency in Learning and Teaching, and Open Educational Practices – center the needs of Oregon students. In particular, these frameworks protect learning opportunities for students with disabilities, students who are first generation college students, students of color, and students who historically have been excluded from institutions of higher education.

As Sasha Costanza-Chock writes, “Design justice…requires that we specify, consider, and intentionally decide how to best allocate both benefits and harms of the objects and systems we design, with attention to their use context. It doesn’t mean lowest-common-denominator design. Quite the opposite: it means highly specific, intentional, custom design that takes multiple standpoints into account. It is not about eliminating the benefits of excellent design unless everyone can access them; instead, it is about more fairly allocating those benefits.”

Equity-minded course design aims to distribute benefits and burdens equitably in a course, to invite students into design decisions about their learning experience, and to welcome community-based design knowledge and practices. This module asks you to reflect on your current practice and look for opportunities for continuous equity-minded improvement.

References

Costanza-Chock, Sasha. “Directions for Future Work: From #TechWontBuildIt to #DesignJustice.” in Design Justice: Community-Led Practices to Build the Worlds We Need. MIT Press. 2020. https://designjustice.mitpress.mit.edu/pub/ev26fjji/release/1.

Licenses and Attributions

All content on this page is by Veronica Vold for Open Oregon Educational Resources and is licensed under CC BY 4.0.