How do we factor our own perspectives and positionality into design work?

This is a question we talk about at length in my concentration, Identity Power and Justice in Education. We read an important piece, Critical Self-Knowledge for Social Justice Educators (by Lee Anne Bell, Diane J Goodman, and Rani Varghese) which went into depth on what we need to know about ourselves, and how that affects how we show up in learning spaces as educators. Though it focuses on teaching social justice, I think it applies more widely as well.

There is no way to divorce ‘myself’ from the identities I hold and the ways I have been raised. They are an inescable part of me, for better or worse. I am not a brain who only takes in instructional design techniques and practices and then creates learning experiences. As I consider my work as a learning designer, I think that being aware of these biases and subtle decisions is absolutely paramount. “We are continually reminded that we all have areas of limited awareness, particularly where we are members of the advantaged group and where we have not yet explored how our intersecting identities position us vis a vis other groups and contexts.” (Bell et al)

If I know myself truly, and where my faults or limitations lie, I can design with those in mind. Human centered design is problem solving that prioritizes the needs of people over the needs of the larger system. It necessitates empathy as a starting point, and it can only be helped by our being aware of our perspectives and positionality.

What is your definition of access or accessibility? How does that definition translate to the design of learning experiences? 

Accessibility means everyone gets to learn, no matter what. I’m a big believer in UDL. From curb cuts to closed captioning to learning spaces that accommodate all types of learners, there is no downside to fostering spaces and learning experiences that prioritize those who are limited by standard forms of creating and building.

Accessible learning is also learning that has been designed for people of all backgrounds and learning preferences, in addition to ability. The necessary question from this is “how can I create accessible learning when I am one person limited by my own identities?” and the answer is listening to others.

I took a course when I was at Harvard Extension School as part of my graduate certificate (Learning Design and Technology) with Professor David Platt. He’s an expert on User Experience design and I will say, in addition to some of the lamer [and therefore better] dad jokes he told, I will always remember him saying, “know thy user, for they are not you!” His point continues to be relevant; to design anything worthwhile it is important to know the intended audience well. Accessibility is a part of this knowing of my learners. That means interviewing them, talking to them, researching them, until I understand their needs and wants, their preferences, and what may help them in the course of my design.

On the other topic of feedback. This is one of those topics that comes up again and again and again in my classes. I appreciate this very much because it acts as reinforcement learning for me without trying (thank you grad school for identifying key ideas that are worth repeating). We spent a week talking about feedback in my class Becoming an Expert Learner with Tina Grotzer. We talked in our class this past week about how assessment is only useful when it is accompanied by the right kind of feedback. I’ve been thinking on the idea that feedback is inherent to performance- that means it is wrong to do something with no feedback at all. This is probably a big reason why we all agree that grades are bad feedback.

Diagnosis is feedback. Praise is not effective feedback. Feedback that builds on correct answers is more effective than those which focus on incorrect ones. Feedback can be immediate or delayed depending on the circumstance. All these are things I have been revisiting this week.

So here is a breakdown of types of feedback I experience regularly on a day by day:

Immediate

- Heart rate rising while I cycle, falling when I breathe deeply during yoga

- House smells good when I cook dinner, I feel good when I eat

- I use the wrong key for the apartment front door and can’t open it

- My cat walks up to their feeder and it opens for them

Delayed

- The outcome of grad school (… Hopefully good)

- How a particular meal makes me feel hours later

- Written reflections on my writing

- Strength from lifting weights

- [when I was at work] performance reviews

It is incredibly powerful to recognize the feedback in my life, and the absolutely natural way it integrates into me learning all day, all the time. I intend to integrate it into my multiple projects this semester as a key part of engagement and effective learning design.