To define inclusive learning, it does not simply refer to the commonality of a group. As Shelly Moore mentioned, “the individuals of the world are not packaged into neat little packages of people organized by age or ability, gender, or language” (Moore, 2016). Instead, inclusive practice promotes equality of opportunity for students of all abilities, strengths and challenges.

In reality, everyone experiences different kinds of exclusion in a learning environment. The most impressive experience for me was participating in a calculus class where the pace of instruction is very fast and the content is very technical. As a relative newcomer to calculus, I found it challenging to keep up with the material. The instructor assumed that all participants have some knowledge base, which is not the case for me. This made it difficult for me to fully understand the content. The realization of inclusive learning requires the participation of all parties, such as instructors and students (Moore, 2016). In my opinion, I believe there are several approaches that can assist in addressing barriers to inclusive learning, for example, assessing learners’ prior knowledge before the course begins in order to measure learners’ overall skill level and providing supplemental materials to support learners who are less familiar with the topic.

In the blueprint design on the topic of comparing EHR and EMR, our group provides short video presentations on YouTube and reading materials as learning resources. In case of unforeseen events, our learning activities can be flexibly transferred to an online environment such as zoom. One of the learning activities focuses on grouping and role-playing simulations of interactions between healthcare providers, patients, and administrators. Given that students may not be actively engaged, especially when face-to-face interactions are difficult to achieve online, at the end of the role-play, each group is required to summarize the results of the discussion and report back to the class. This will not only help students organize their thoughts, but also promote knowledge exchange among different groups.

Reference

Moore, S. (2016). One without the other : Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion. Portage & Main Press.

Comment of Xinyi’s Blog Post#3

Blog Post #3: Inclusive Design

Hi Xinyi,

I like the solution concerning learning barriers for students with disabilities. It is true that disabled students are a minority group more likely to face exclusion in the learning environment. It also makes me to reflect on the fact that barriers to inclusion are multifaceted which could be individual constraints and physical limitations among others.

Regarding the design of learning activities, I also favor including polling sessions, which can definitely drive student engagement. Meanwhile, it leads to more thoughts on whether there are other approaches to ensure that the group’s discussions and role-playing are maximally efficient?