Centering Diversity and Inclusion
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify OER design decisions that promote educational equity, inclusion, and access
- Implement strategies to make materials accessible
- Explain how Universal Design for Learning is a good practice for both pedagogy and accessibility
- Evaluate DEIA in OER
This chapter is an adaptation of the chapter, “Centering Diversity and Inclusion” from the OER Starter Kit by Abbey Elder and is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 International license.
Adaptability and affordability are two major aspects of what makes an open educational resource attractive to students, but there is another facet that should be considered when you are developing or adapting an OER for your course: perspective. In particular, you should ask yourself how the perspectives being represented in your OER might affect the inclusivity of your course environment.
As Quill West argues in her blog post on diversity and inclusion in open education:
“As important as access is to students and to institutions, it is a starting place for leveraging other benefits of OER, and I hope that our conversations about [open education] go beyond access, because saving money on materials doesn’t address bigger issues in student persistence and completion.”[1]
Reflecting on the Open for Antiracism Program (OFAR), an initiative that trains educators and teaching staff in antiracist pedagogical practices, including the use and creation of OER, Ash Barber notes:
“One of the problems the program addresses is that materials in the classroom don’t always represent the people in the classroom. An OER can be modified, adapted, become a collaborative piece in which students can see themselves and build a sense of belonging: They’re welcome here. This course is for them. They’re not on the outside looking in”[2]
In this chapter, we will discuss some of the opportunities and drawbacks of using OER to promote inclusivity in your courses.[3]
Definitions
How can we understand diversity, equity, and inclusion in the context of higher education and student success? For more information about what diversity and inclusion mean, you can read UVA’s Diversity and Inclusion Vision Statement.
Diversity
Diversity refers to having a range of people across gender identities, racial backgrounds, geographic locations, socioeconomic backgrounds, ages, ability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics represented and participating in a community.
Equity recognizes that people need a variety of resources and support to overcome these barriers and succeed. Open textbooks designed with an equity mindset reduce barriers and facilitate a deeper engagement with the course material.
Inclusion
Inclusion is about making a resource, location or event welcoming and inviting, so that people from different backgrounds feel that they belong. Inclusive design means that you’re creating a lot of different ways for people to participate in an e