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M5 – Unit 1: Understanding Inclusion in Digital Teaching

UNIT PROGRESS

Digital teaching offers powerful opportunities for expanding access to education, but without deliberate attention to inclusion, it can also reinforce or deepen existing inequalities. This unit introduces the foundational concepts of inclusion and accessibility in higher education, with a specific focus on digital learning environments. By understanding the barriers students may face, and the role educators play in proactively addressing them, we can begin designing more equitable learning experiences from the start.

Throughout this unit, you will be invited to reflect on your own teaching practices and identify small, intentional actions (self-nudges) that promote accessibility and foster participation for all learners.

What Do Inclusion and Accessibility Mean in Higher Education?

  • Inclusion in education refers to creating learning environments where all students, regardless of background, identity, or ability, can fully participate, contribute, and succeed. It is not only about physical access, but also about safety, cultural recognition, and equitable opportunity.
  • Accessibility refers to the extent to which digital content, tools, and platforms can be used by all learners, including those with any kind of disabilities, difficulty or situational limitation (e.g., unstable internet, caregiving responsibilities, language barriers).

In the context of digital teaching, inclusive pedagogy and accessibility go hand in hand. A digitally inclusive educator anticipates diversity, designs content that works for everyone, not just the majority, and removes unnecessary obstacles to learning.

Common Barriers Faced by Students

Digital learning environments can unintentionally exclude students when their diversity of needs is not considered. Below are some common barriers to inclusion in online and hybrid higher education settings:

  • Neurodivergence and Cognitive differences: Students with ADHD, autism, or learning disorders may struggle with complex navigation, inconsistent formats, or cognitively overloaded materials.
  • Disability: Students with sensory, motor impairments or intellectual disability may encounter inaccessible documents (e.g., missing text, lack of captions) or platforms that don’t support screen readers or keyboard-only navigation, difficult to use or understand.
  • Connectivity and hardware limitations: Not all students have reliable internet access or up-to-date devices, which may affect their ability to participate in synchronous activities or use high-bandwidth tools.
  • Language and cultural barriers: Students studying in a second language or from different educational cultures may find unclear instructions, idiomatic expressions, or implicit norms difficult to navigate.
  • Mental health and wellbeing: Isolation, anxiety, or fluctuating mood may make rigid deadlines, long sessions, or high-stakes tasks more difficult to manage.

Being aware of these potential barriers is a first step. The next is to act on that awareness by designing with inclusion in mind.

The Educator’s Role in Designing for Access and Inclusion

Inclusive digital pedagogy is not about having all the answers. It is about shifting from reactive to proactive design, embedding accessibility as a default, not an add-on.

Educators play a central role in this shift. You don’t need to become an accessibility expert overnight, but you can take intentional steps to reduce exclusion in your own materials and interactions. For example:

  • Providing multiple ways to engage with content (such as videos with captions, transcripts, voice assistance and dictates, slides with clear structure).
  • Using simple and consistent formatting across your course site.
  • Avoiding colour-only distinctions and using high-contrast design.
  • Offering flexible deadlines or asynchronous alternatives when possible.
  • Making expectations and instructions transparent and easy to follow.

When inclusion is designed in from the beginning, fewer accommodations are needed later. This benefits everyone, not just students with identified needs.

Using Self-Nudging to Promote Inclusive Teaching

Adopting inclusive practices can feel overwhelming, especially if you are juggling multiple responsibilities or unsure where to begin. This is where self-nudging becomes useful.

Self-nudging involves creating small prompts, reminders, or environmental cues that make it easier to follow through on your intentions. In the context of inclusive pedagogy, this might mean:

  • Adding a checklist item to your lesson prep: “Is this content screen-reader friendly?”.
  • Including a “student perspective” reminder on your syllabus draft.
  • Placing a post it note on your desk that says: “Who might be excluded by this design?”, thinking about the different barriers: cognitive, disabilities, language, accessibility and mental health.
  • Setting a recurring calendar reminder to review accessibility in one course each month.

These nudges don’t require you to change everything at once. They simply help you build inclusive habits gradually, starting with your awareness and growing into your routine.

Watch

Check out the following video where students explain about digital accessibility and what it means to them.

Next Steps

Before moving on to Unit 2, take time to reflect on your current teaching materials and how they support (or limit) accessibility and inclusion. The activity below will help you begin identifying areas where small, intentional changes can make a meaningful difference.

Reflective Activity: Spot the Barrier

Objective:
To identify potential exclusion points in your own digital teaching materials.

Instructions:

  1. Choose one digital teaching element you’ve created recently: this might be a course page, a lesson plan, a presentation, or a recorded video.
  2. Review it with the following questions in mind:
  • Can students with visual, auditory, or cognitive differences access this easily?
  • Would a student with poor internet or an outdated device be able to use this?
  • Are the instructions and expectations clearly stated and jargon-free?
  • Could a student from a different cultural background misinterpret any content?
  1. Note down at least two potential barriers you identify.
  2. Now write one simple self-nudge you could implement to address each barrier.

Example:

  • Barrier: My video lectures have no captions.
    Nudge: Add “Check for captions” to my upload checklist.
  • Barrier: My course site uses colour-only buttons to indicate task status.
    Nudge: Add a text label to all buttons during weekly updates.

You will return to these nudges later in the module as you begin applying inclusive design strategies.

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