Prompt 1 – Besides curb cuts, there are many examples of universal design in engineering. Choose an example of universal design in engineering and explain how it can be used as inspiration for a learning design.
Another example of universal design in civil engineering relates to pedestrian crossings. Often, pedestrian street crossings at controlled intersections have features that promote inclusivity, including:
- Countdown timers – relay information to the pedestrian for how much time they have to cross the road. They are typically designed to provide adequate time for those with impaired movement to safely cross in time. Cross signal may be designed to activate ahead of the traffic signals to give pedestrians a head start to cross before cars begin to move.
- Button activation – the button that activates the crossing signal is at a height that’s accessible to children, elderly, and adults. Additionally, it takes little effort to press.
- Auditory cues – the “wait” sound cue when pressing the button and the “pew” countdown timer sounds let those who have visual impairment navigate appropriately.
Similar principles could be applied to learning design:
- Countdown timers – The time for required completion of a particular module and its contents could be provided to students for time management purposes in an online/self-taught or flipped classroom environment. However, it could invoke feelings of uncertainty or inadequacy in students who take longer to learn the material than the recommended time. This time recommendation would have to account for these students. To reflect the ‘head start’ principle, pre-learning activities could be designed to introduce the topic in an easy way. This could be a specially crafted video, a practical demonstration, or a group exercise. Just as a signal light tells a pedestrian to “go”, a pre-learning activity could get a learner to “go learn.”
- Button activation – In this case, pressing the button is analogous to activating the learning process. So, similar to the concept above, pre-learning activities should be designed at a level where it is intuitive and easy to follow at any age. Clear, concise and simple language should be used to make it easy to engage.
- Auditory cues – Finding way to support impairments. As mentioned in this module, lecture transcripts and recordings can help those with barriers of auditory impairment or language. If the material requires reading, having an option for audio reading (like an e-book) could help those with visual impairment, but could also be useful for those who prefer that style of learning.
Although the connections in this post could be a bit of a stretch, I think that both types of design aim to empower and support the users, whether they are a pedestrian or student.
Hey Isaac!
I love the way you took the concepts of Universal Design for Learning in civil engineering and applied them to an educational environment! I thought that was really creative and invited me to look at other universal design initiatives through a new lens. I thought about how dimmed lighting and audio stimulation is reduced in some grocery or department stores for more inclusive practices that supports the elderly, people with sensory overload, young children, or others. Now you have me considering how this kind of reduced audio stimulation and dimmed lighting could be applied in an educational setting and create calmer environments in the morning or for at the end of the day as a nice start and end to the school day. I guess that would depend on the age range.
What a neat perspective to hold and thank you for writing about it because now you have inadvertently invited others to see the world through a new point of view. Thank you!
Hi Hanne
That’s a great connection! For sure, I think there is opportunity to alter the classroom to create a more accessible environment. I remember in elementary school the lights were often dimmed in the morning and brightened throughout the day. This was especially helpful in winter when it was still dark outside to ‘warm up’ to the day. Also, I’ve read that indoor greener has a calming effect, which could be something to consider when designing the classroom.
Thanks for sharing! This helped remind me of my classroom experiences and what environments I’ve felt most calm in. Considering audio stimulation and lighting will definitely be important for classroom decor.