Tag: accessibility

Consolidation Reflection

Coming into the course, I was rather excited to learn more about incorporating  aspects of DIY ethos and maker mentality into the education and pedagogy, as I felt like the theoretical pedagogy was what I lacked in my current arsenal of tools.

The Provocations and Maker Challenges were great opportunities to think about the application of the theories we have learned in class. It was the perfect time and place for me to brainstorm the ways I can incorporate my personal interests with creating meaningful activities for others to think more deeply about topics relating to EDIDA frameworks and Liberatory Design Thinking, grounding the theoretical concepts and rendering it more tangible and meaningful.

One example of this was reflecting on my visit to Our Community Bikes, and later on, exploring the intersection of identity, accessibility and community building through the Critical Learning Task in conjunction with the Anti-racism Speaker Series podcast. This personal connection also allowed me to embed lived experiences into the narrative, further demonstrating how makerspaces can serve as platforms for storytelling and advocacy.

With accessibility and inclusivity at its core, this course also challenged me to think more thoughtfully about the utilization of technology and creating multiple points of entry for participation. On the no-tech side of things, using recycled fabric to create a quilt, or magazines and scrap paper to create a collage zine, this made me reflect on the the value of resourcefulness in inclusive makerspace to democratize making. On the high-tech side of things, the incorporation of AR/VR elements created opportunities for engagement in digital spaces, which made me reflect on the module of multimedia and multiliteracies, which was an opportunity to consider the ways how technology can enhance access and interaction without overshadowing the personal, hands-on aspects of making.

Constructivist theories, which emphasize learning through experiences, deeply resonated with me in this class, especially when it came to sharing our own artefacts with each other on the discussion boards and providing feedback to each other. I learned a lot about how each of my colleagues implement their maker mentality in their personal and professional contexts, and getting to know one another through this mixing and remixing of ideas was rather fun and insightful! This reciprocal exchange highlighted the power of collective making, and underscores how diverse perspectives can enrich meaning-making, moving beyond individual experiences to create shared understanding.

Along those same lines, our instructor, Keri, provided such detailed feedback throughout the semester, her encouragement and guidance affirmed the effort I put into integrating personal experiences, scholarly frameworks and hands-on practice. This reinforced my confidence in using storytelling and personal insights to make theoretical concepts more accessible and actionable. Keri does not forget to push us further to think about how our work connects with the critical theory, and invites us to refine our work iteratively throughout the course, metaphysically embodying the Liberatory Design Principles that we have learned! Thank you again for your thoughtful guidance through this course, not only affirming my progress throughout this program, but also providing clear pathways for improvement and growth. I look forwards to applying these insights to my future work, and continuing to bridge personal resonance with critical engagement.

Though most of the readings are centered around Makerspaces, I think the biggest paradigm shift for me was requiring us to expand our ideas of what “making” and “makerspaces” can look like — a walk in the park, a craft circle amongst friends, a repair café at the community center, a workshop at school — can all be sites of making and creating. This shift of perspective has made me realize how embedded in “making” I already am, and realizing that has only expanded my ways of participation! These moments reinforced the idea that makerspaces are not confined to workshops or classrooms, they’re embedded in daily life!

This course expanded my understanding of makerspaces as dynamic, inclusive spaces rooted in both theory and personal experience. By embracing the maker mindset in everyday life and projects, I’ve learned to see making as a form of storytelling, advocacy, and connection. Moving forward, I am excited to apply these insights to help facilitate and make spaces that honor diverse voices and foster meaningful engagement.

Challenge #4: Digital Storytelling and BIPOC Cultures Linking VR/AR and Mixed Reality Tools and Technologies

Find the brief for the challenge here: Digital Storytelling and BIPOC Cultures Linking VR/AR Mixed Reality Tools and Technologies 

Instead of going into BIPOC cultures, I will be reviewing an interactive AR zine based on an artist’s experience with ADHD and my conversation with them about their design process. I believe this topic still intersects with the challenge’s main learning objective of reflecting from an EDIDA framework perspective.

As someone with ADHD myself, it was an refreshing to see a common experience visualized in a way that was thoughtful and creative. I have included the QR code to the zine in the blogpost below, and purposefully excluded any screenshots, as to not detract from the AR experience for the readers.

The other day I visited the art studio Slice of Life located on Commercial Drive as part of the  East Van Culture Crawl.

In a corner, someone was showcasing their zines, which piqued my interest. I initiated a conversation with the artist, Rowan (@keeponcreative), who created an interactive AR zine on their ADHD experience.

Before continuing to the rest of the blogpost, please take some time and experience the AR interactive zine yourself here:

Rowan created this zine to visualize the ADHD experience first-handedly through the interactive dialogue panels of a conversation. They hope to increase the ADHD awareness so that neurotypicals can understand the challenges that ADHD folks have during conversations with others.

They created the experience in Adobe Aero, and intertwined the digital interface of AR with the analogue form of zines and illustrations seamlessly.

In a choose-your-own-adventure type of interaction, the reader can choose from three different paths in a text message style conversation, with an insider view into the internal monologue; visual distractions obfuscating the dialogue bubbles; and rapid fire walls of texts.

Some aspects Rowan chose to focus on was:

    • Info-dumping: Sharing a large amount of detailed information about a topic of interest is a way ADHD folks connect with others and to express that they’re excited about a specific topic. However, sometimes it may come off as overwhelming or dominating the conversation.
    • Distractions: Staying on top of the conversation thread can be a challenge for ADHD folks, while overstimulating environments can also effect attention and participation in a conversation.
    • Interruptions: for many ADHD folks, the mind stays active and often thoughts get left behind and fade away if they do not get expressed as they come along. This can come of as rude or misreading of social cues when they interrupt conversations.

While conversing with Rowan, I felt like they conveyed an AR experience that felt really close to my experiences with ADHD. I learned that they are slowly working on their capstone project, “Visualize”, that addresses the lesser known qualities of ADHD through experiential zine. They created AR simulations to supplement the zine with animations allowing the reader to engage in a more embodied way.

We also briefly discussed the challenges of creating AR experiences; the technical limitations using Adobe Aero; integration of more analogue forms of media, or making users want to engage in “going the extra step” to use technology in hand with art.

This conversation with Rowan has made me reflect more on the utilization of AR with DIY culture values of decentralization of knowledge through analogue media of zines, especially with leveraging the affordance of AR to embed an experience for more embodiment, engagement and interaction.

Task #8: Ableism in Makerspaces

Brief:

Critically analyze the impact of ableism on accessibility and inclusivity of makerspaces, while exploring strategies to foster a more inclusive maker mentality and a more welcoming makerspace.

Engaging with this task you are going to disseminate the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities. Disabilities can be visible and invisible.

The task is to engage with required scholarly work, supplementing with own examination of research and academic work to design an accessible maker space (physical, virtual or hybrid) that is inclusive of individuals with (in)visible disabilities from an anti-ableist lens.

Use the checklist below and the liberatory design thinking process as a means to guide your design using any of the educational technology tools listed below (or your own tool of choice). You will include a description and justification of your designed inclusive space using the scholarly work to support your claims, decisions, and configuration. You will want to check out Makers Making Change to provide you with ideas and additional resources to support your design.

    • Accessibility standards and guidelines for makerspaces have been addressed.
    • The space was designed using liberatory design thinking principles and practices.
    • Inclusive vs. exclusive accessibility and usability has been considered.
    • The design of your accessible makerspace is inclusive of individuals with diverse abilities
    • Incorporated universal design principles in the design process of this maker space as it pertains to set up, equipment, materials, and navigation.
    • Addresses physical and sensory barriers in maker space design and activities.
    • Empowers individuals with disabilities through adaptive and assistive technologies included in the space
    • Promotes inclusive practices and fosters a culture of accessibility and accommodation
    • Recognizes and challenges ableist assumptions and biases within maker culture through the design of the space
    • Space demonstrates an awareness and sensitivity toward diverse abilities.
    • Implements inclusive policies and guidelines for equitable participation in maker activities
    • Leverages community engagement and partnerships to support and amplify inclusivity in makerspaces as best communicated through the design.
    • People first and identify the first language used in space.
    • Demonstrates critical analysis of the texts through the design of the space.

Preface

After graduating from university, I was working as a BC Autism Funding service provider, working with youths on the autism spectrum. This project was inspired by KK, one of the youths that I used to work with. He would make elaborate builds of the Vancouver skytrain system within his Minecraft world, and we would often hop onto the server to build together during our sessions.
This made me consider online virtual spaces in connection with makerspaces and the potential ways that the Minecraft functions can be leveraged or modified to accommodate for individual user’s needs.

 

 

Task #6: Examination and Anti-racism Speaker Series Alignment Through Making — Pedal Perspectives, Navigating Bike Culture Through Gender, Race and Justice

Brief

The purpose of the task is to critically examine the role of equity, diversity and inclusion within the context of makerspaces, while incorporating decolonization and anti-racism frameworks through the examination of the content in MET’s Anti-Racism Speaker Series. Design a maker challenge or provocation that fosters an environment of equal participation, cultural understanding, and social justice within the makerspace community.

Choose one Anti-racism Speakers Series presentation or podcast to frame the challenge/provocation. Make note of key ideas, theories and research presented in the series. This challenge/provocation should actively promote the participation of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those historically marginalized and under-represented in the field. Integrate cultural sensitivity and awareness into the design process, ensuring the activity is respectful, accommodating, and accessible to all participants. Use the following templates to design the challenge/provocation.

Inclusive Maker Challenge Template

Inclusive Provocation Template

Find the full Word document here:

Pedal Perspectives – Navigating Bike Culture Through Gender, Race, and Justice

Overview of Provocation

This provocation is designed to encourage students to explore the local bike scene and explore how community, identity and inclusivity intersect in cycling culture.

In Pedal Perspectives, students are encouraged to read some bike zines, visit their local bike shops, meet local riders and perhaps join a biking event, and consider the ways that these spaces are — or are not — accessible and welcoming. How do gender, race and identity shape our experiences in these spaces?

While cycling has surged in popularity as a mode of transport, fitness and community engagement, scholarly research on bike culture remains scarce. Traditional academic circles often overlook the nuanced, lived experiences of cyclists, especially those from marginalized groups.

In conjunction with the Anti-Racism Speakers Series podcast Pervasive Racism and the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community, guest speakers Alex DeForge and Meera Dhebar talk about the lack of meaningful representation, the impact of stereotypes, and need for more intentional and inclusive effort to reflect diverse identities. Both speakers emphasize that critical literacy is the key to empower individuals, and to understand the diversity and depth of the bike community, we need to explore beyond mainstream publications and delve into more underground and personal spaces – like zines.

“The history of lack of women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC representation in cycling reveals their marginalization and exclusion, especially in cycling media and sport. And it speaks to a bigger cultural issue of how marginalized groups are continually ignored and misrepresented. We cannot shy away from telling our stories in cycling just because it doesn’t suit the narrative the cycling industry sells.” (Cyclista Zine, 2019)

Zines are booklets (like magazines) that are used to share information, knowledge or experiences with others. They are often made with pen, paper, and collage techniques. They can also be made on computers using digital publishing software.

These DIY publications offer a more authentic look at the voices, struggles and triumphs within biking subcultures, often addressing topics such as gender identity, race, accessibility and social justice that are otherwise absent in academic discourse. By engaging with zines, we can gain more personal and grassroots perspectives that shape biking culture, and illuminate the vital, under-represented voices that mainstream studies miss.

Through guided reflections and interactive exploration, and creating your own zine, this project encourages students to investigate how their own backgrounds and identities relate to the biking community, in hopes to start a conversation about inclusivity, equity and what it means to belong and participate in a community.

Materials and Resources Required

    • Device (computer, tablet, phone) to take notes or document reflections
    • Pencil, pens, paper, magazines, flyers, art/craft supplies etc.
    • Optional: access to a bicycle

Inclusive Maker Provocation Instructions

Part 1: Pre-activity Reflection — Understanding your own positionality in bike culture

Think about your current experiences and knowledge when it comes to biking and bike culture. By reflecting on these questions beforehand, you can better understand your personal lens and become more aware of how your own experiences and identities shape the way you engage with biking spaces and community interactions.

Some questions to consider:

    • What is your personal history with biking? Do you view it more as a form of transportation, recreation, fitness or something else?
    • How often do you engage in biking activities, and in what kinds of spaces (i.e. recreational trails, urban commutes, group events)?
    • Have you experienced barriers to accessing biking spaces, whether economic, social, physical, etc.? How have they shaped your relationship to biking?
    • Do you see people who share your identity and background in biking spaces you frequent? How does this affect your sense of belonging?
    • Are there stereotypes or assumptions within biking culture that impact on how people perceive you or that shape how you perceive others?
Part 2: Participate —
Visit your library’s zine section
    1. Visit your library’s zine section, and browse the selection of bike-related zines
    2. Select a few zines to read, pay attention to the different voices, styles and stories represented
    3. Take notes on reoccurring themes, especially in relation to gender, race, accessibility or personal experiences in the bike community

Some questions to consider:

    • Who is the author and how does their background and identity impact their experiences within the bike community?
    • How do the perspectives in the zines compare with the mainstream cycling media or bike shops?
    • What issues or themes appear frequently across the zines? What is something novel or surprising that you’ve noticed about the zines? What are some themes that you can relate to personally?
    • How do the zine creators express their identities and experiences through their zines? Are there recurring challenges or barriers that they discuss?
    • How do the zines influence your understanding of the biking community? How does that affect your perspective of your understanding of the bike community?

If you do not have a zine section at your local library, consider reading through online eZines related to bike culture, here are some recommendations:

    • Cyclista Zine Library : a collaborative zine made from intersectional feminist and DIY culture lens. It is run by zinester Christina Torres and celebrates intersectional feminism through zines, live events and workshops.
    • Microcosm Publishing Bike Zines : should you have the funds and means, check out some bike zines Microcosm Publishing, a zine publisher based in Portland, Oregon.
Part 3: Create — Record and share your experiences in a zine

    1. Follow the instructions above to make a simple one-page zine as a base to document your reflections from the previous activities.
    2. Embellish your zine with illustrations or make a collage with my arts and crafts supplies that you have available.

Some additional resources: 

The Creative Independent – How to Make a Zine

Critical Questions for Consideration

    • How do you feel about entering spaces that may be new or unfamiliar? Are there any assumptions or expectations you hold about bike shops, biking events, or zine culture?
    • In what ways are you open to letting this experience challenge or expand your existing views on biking culture, inclusivity, and community dynamics?
    • In what ways could this provocation be adapted to other subcultures or community activities where marginalized voices are underrepresented? How might this broaden students’ understanding of inclusivity in various societal domains?

Background/Additional Information

Inclusivity Focus

This challenge considers the EDIDA framework with emphasis on exploring biking spaces in relation to the student’s own positionality, encouraging students to access who these spaces are designed to serve and who may be excluded or underrepresented.

The activity also includes diverse ways to engage with the biking culture and community (see Extension section below) – whether it is visiting a bike shop, attending an event, or exploration via zines — students with varying physical abilities, comfort levels and preferences can participate meaningfully.

Lastly, I have purposefully included zines as a source of learning as it engages with the decolonization framework by valuing non-traditional, grassroots forms of knowledge production and distribution. Zines often represent marginalized voices and disrupt dominant narratives, offering insight to biking culture and underrepresented voices often missed in academic literature.

No Tech, Low Tech, High Tech Options

Zines are quintessentially low-tech, DIY methods of sharing knowledge and experiences, easily made with pen and paper, and a photocopier if you would like to share and distribute your zines!

Some higher-tech options for sharing similar kinds of DIY content include:

    • Blogs/Personal Website
    • Digital Zine/eZine
    • Social Media
    • Podcast/ Youtube Channel

Extension

Choose an activity below and follow the guiding instructions to help reflect on your experience. These activities are made to include a broad range of involvement and participation, and are mindful of certain barriers, such as access to a bicycle, different levels of mobility and skill levels, and meant to expand in the different ways participation can look like.

Nonetheless, these activities and questions aim to deepen your understanding of the diverse, often overlooked experiences within biking culture and help you explore how your own perspectives interact with these communities. Enjoy the journey!

Visit a local bike shop
    1. Choose a bike shop near you and make a visit. As you explore space, pay attention to how the space is organized and who the shop seems to be designed to serve.
    2. Observe the shop’s environment, the types of bikes and gears available, and any information displayed about events or cycling groups.
    3. If possible, strike up a conversation with an employee to learn more about the shop’s role in the local biking community

Some questions to consider:

    • Who does this bike shop seem to cater to? Are there specific demographics that seem prioritized in this set up, product offerings or marketing?
    • What aspects of the shop make it feel inclusive or exclusive? Consider factors like pricing, layout and accessibility.
    • How does the shop engage with local community? Do they advertise any events or promote social causes on their bulletin boards?
    • How did you feel going into this space, what about it made it feel welcoming or intimidating? Did you feel comfortable being in this space?
Participate in a bike event
    1. Find a local bike event that is open to all skill levels, like a group ride or a community bike day.
    2. Participate in the event, look around and make note of the people involved, the event’s purpose and the general atmosphere
    3. Notice how newcomers are welcomed, and whether accessibility (in terms of skill level, gender, background) is addressed during the event

Some questions to consider:

    • What kinds of people attended this event? Are there particular groups that seem well-represented or under-represented?
    • In what ways was the event accessible or inaccessible to people with different needs or backgrounds?
    • How did the event organizers foster a sense of community or shared purpose? Were there any efforts made to address diversity or inclusivity?
    • How did you feel about participating in this event? How does your own identity and experience shape your sense of belonging or connection? Would you participate in a similar event again?

Task #4: Race, Gender, Identity and Intersectionality in the Maker Environment

Brief

Design a critical and cohesive overview of race, gender, identity, and intersectionality in the maker environment. Introduce others to representational problematics in makerspaces and communities.

Choose your means of presentation so long it is multimodal.

Project: Inclusive Makerspace Twine Game 

This is an interactive text-based story surrounding a group of diverse makers that challenged the space’s gender norms and definition of “making” in the local makerspace the Iron Forge.

There are two main aspects of inclusivity that I focused on, specifically on gender and culture.

The story draws upon themes mentioned in the lecture by Kimberly Martin on   Centering Gender: A feminist analysis of makerspaces and digital humanities centres  especially the notions of the difference between “Making vs Crafting” and how that often is intertwined with the idea of “New Domesticity” when it comes to “softer” forms of making with sewing, knitting, weaving, etc. having it be dismissed as mere “craft”.

Another theme that really resonated with me in that lecture was the idea of “invisible labor” of women when it comes to expectations within makerspaces and the stereotypical gender roles affecting how work is organized into private and public spheres that in turn shape how we categorize tasks into “men vs women’s” work.

The narratives I have included are completely fictional and made with the help of ChatGPT. I wanted to utilize AI in this project as I was curious to see what stories it creates and the underlying biases and stereotypes that arises when it comes to inclusivity and diversity in makerspaces.

Below is an excerpt that I did not use in my story, but was given to me after prompting.

As the weeks passed, the dynamic between the men and women evolved. The men, who had been skeptical, began to respect the women’s leadership, learning new techniques and embracing projects they had never considered. Meanwhile, the women appreciated the technical knowledge the men brought, weaving it into their more holistic, creative projects.

By the end of the month, the makerspace had become a true melting pot of ideas, where gender was no longer a barrier to creation. Men and women worked side by side, designing everything from wind-powered kinetic art installations to smart home devices that responded to voice commands. They learned from one another, breaking down stereotypes and building something even stronger: a community that thrived on diversity and collaboration.

The women had taken charge, not by forcing the men out, but by expanding what was possible in the space—and in doing so, they had created a makerspace that belonged to everyone.

It felt like it was perpetuating the gender binary, even though there was one non-binary character in the story, and it felt like it was lumping “non-men” into one category of “women”. The erasure of non-binary-ness was somewhat surprising to me, and it played into a conundrum that I had when I was creating this project. Namely, the challenge of  wanting to “break gender stereotypes” but needing to lean into and “exaggerate” the stereotypes in order to highlight that gap. I felt like that was the case when I was reading some of the papers, like by talking about under-representation first entailed the re-enforcement of gender stereotypes!

In terms of culture, I think the story reflects the kinds of cultural assumptions nested within the creation tools used in makerspaces, especially the recent tendency for integration of Arduinos, circuit boards, e-textiles to add the “Art” into STEM. Many papers seems to place an emphasis on empowering girls to participate more in science and computational activities, but it feels like there is less of a push to empower boys to lean into their artistic side. Seo and Richard (2021) mentioned that bidirectionally responsive design (BRD) activities were shown to “dissipate gendered preconceptions, and the learners across gender equally saw value of crafting, coding, sewing and design”, which might be a start, but I am curious to investigate more into such design-thinking and the more practical aspects in a broader context.

Ideally, I would have liked to include characters that are based on lived experiences, and to make sure that the representations of the characters are reflective of people with such positionalities that the characters themselves occupy. Potential development would be by asking friends with culturally relevant maker experiences to be part of the storytelling.

Should I have more time, I would have liked to explore more into disability and accessibility aspect of makerspaces in terms of content and subject matter.

In terms of the making of this artifact, I would have liked to find ways to embellish the story with more visual elements, such as photos of the makerspace, the characters, the kinds of projects they are making, etc. to create a more immersive and visual experience.

 

References

Martin, K. (2017, November 28). Centering gender: A feminist analysis of makerspaces and digital humanities centers [Video]. Media Collections Online. https://media.dlib.indiana.edu/media_objects/47429d523

Norris, A. (2014). Make-her-spaces as hybrid places: Designing and resisting self constructions in urban classrooms. Equity & Excellence in Education, 47(1), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2014.866879

Parekh, P. (2024). Girls’ reluctance and intersectional identities in STEM-rich makerspaces. Education Sciences, 14(6), 628.

Seo, J., & Richard, G. T. (2021). SCAFFOLDing all abilities into makerspaces: A design framework for universal, accessible and intersectionally inclusive making and learning. Information and Learning Sciences, 122(11/12), 795-815.

 

Disability Representation – Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender

 

Introduction

The series takes place in a world with elements inspired by various Asian and Indigenous cultures. Some people in this world have the ability to “bend” (i.e. manipulate) one of the four natural elements of earth, fire, water and air. The Avatar is a being that has been reincarnated and the only one that can bend all four elements.

The story follows young Avatar, Aang, and his friends Katara, Sokka and Toph on a quest to prevent the Fire Nation from taking over the world.

The Blind Bandit – Toph Beifong

One of the characters with a visible disability is Toph, who was born blind.
She was brought up in a wealthy royal household with overprotective parents that isolated her from the world to prevent her from getting hurt due to her disability.

Toph learned earth-bending skills from badger moles, blind creatures that live underground, which she related to. She would sneak off to earth-bending tournaments under the moniker “The Blind Bandit”, often defeating opponents that were more able-bodies, athletic and stronger than her.

Disability Representation

Toph is a powerful earth-bender, not despite her disability, rather because of her blindness. Her blindness heightens her perception to sound and touch through vibrations travelling through the ground.

In the beginning, Toph tries hard to prove that she can “carry her own weight” as a projection and overcompensation of her overprotective parents’ excessive coddling. She gradually overcomes her fear of “being a burden to others” through learning to lean on her friends for support and guidance throughout the series. This “counter-frame of interdependence” of solidarity and friendship between the team grows as they continue on their adventures.

In the series, Toph is portrayed through her strengths and weaknesses, such as showing how she navigates environments that are inaccessible to her (i.e. in the air or water), or when she lets her friends down in ways that are related to her disability in battles. Doing so moves away from the “supercrip” model of representation and offers a more “dis/humanized” perspective of how Toph is represented (Goethals et al, 2022) as we see her growth and character development.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge my positionality that this is a personal analysis of a disability representations as someone who is no blind. However, I was able to find discussion threads on Reddit with personal experiences of those who are blind, which provides a “cross-expertise, iterative and dialogic” approach to participatory framing analysis (Goethals et al., 2022).

I was able to learn earth-bending not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the natural earthbenders, it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world" 
---- Toph Beifong from Book 5 Episode 12: The Firebending Masters

References

Avatar: The Last Airbender. Directed by Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, 2005-2008

Goethals, T., Mortelmans, D., Van den Bulck, H., Van den Heurck, W., & Van Hove, G. (2022). I am not your metaphor: Frames and counter-frames in th representation of disability. Disability & Society, 37(5), 746–764. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2020.1836478

Purks, E. (2020, July 6). Writing disability: Black Girl’s Digest. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.blackgirlsdigest.com/post/writing-disability

 

Tipping Point – Open Education Resource Textbooks Case Study

Creation of Open Education Resource Textbook with Interactive H5P elements for FREN1205 – French Conversation course in the Modern Languages Department at Langara College

Introduction

For the case of technological displacement, we were curious to explore the tendency and shift from physical textbooks to digital Open Education Resources (OERs) in higher education institutions. We were specifically interested in the tensions and opportunities that arose from the transition to online teaching and learning after the pandemic, especially with the normalization of online and hybrid e-learning. 

We are grounding this inquiry of technological displacement in the case study of the creation of OER textbook with interactive H5P elements for a French conversation course at Langara College. In this assignment, we analyze the usability aspect of OERs from the instructor and student perspective, as well as explore the concerns of artificial intelligence, and issues surrounding digital labor in the process of creating OERs in higher education institutions. 

 

Motivation and Background

The FREN1205 – French Conversation course at Langara College is offered in-person with the utilization of a digital OER textbook Le Français Interactif created by the instructor Mirabelle Tinio. To support our work, we had the opportunity to speak with the instructor to learn more about the case study. All case study context provided in this assignment came from this conversation. Below are some of the motivators for the creation of the OER textbook from both the students’ and instructor’s perspectives. 

From the student perspective, the education landscape had been drastically transformed during the emergency transition to online teaching and learning during the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The effects can be seen gradually resuming in-person teaching and learning once again in 2021, in which student surveys reflected that having additional supportive resources online available helped with their learning process and overall experience taking online courses. In addition, students reflected that physical textbooks were expensive and inaccessible, especially the ones that were ‘single-use’ for an individual course, and were less inclined to make such purchases.

From the instructor’s perspective, there were many factors that contributed to the transition of physical textbooks to a digital OER. The instructor that we interviewed had been teaching the French conversation course for the past at least 12 years. Though the original textbook they were using provided activities and exercises for everyday conversation scenarios, she found that the content was not up-to-date or culturally relevant enough for the students within the classroom. The instructor therefore found herself turning to other available language learning resources to patch together a curriculum plan that included vocabulary, grammar structure, and socio-cultural activities. The process was rather time consuming and she was never really satisfied with the existing resources. 

With both students and instructor identifying that the current resources were not meeting their needs, it became clear that another resource should be introduced to solve the problem of learning resources for this course. Here, we can use the concept of technological utility to demonstrate, in part, why a tipping point occurred. Utility asks the question of if the technology fulfills the users’ needs or if it does what the users need it to do (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 4). Physical textbooks were not meeting the learners’ and instructor’s utility needs, therefore, a new technology needed to be introduced. 

Simultaneously while working partially in the Educational Technology Department, there were many other instructors utilizing Pressbooks and other OER platforms to input resources into Brightspace, a learning management system. The existing integration of the learning management system and potential for further adaptation was an additional motivator for developing her own textbook as an OER for the class. 

The Tipping Point

The opportunity and tipping point presented itself when BCcampus Open Education Foundation Grant for Institutions applications were open for project proposals for specifically utilizing H5P for Pressbooks in 2021. The grant was intended for British Columbia post-secondary institutions wishing to explore, initiate or relaunch open educational practices, resources, support and training on their campuses. Through this grant, the instructor was able to secure additional funding and support for creating the French Conversation OER textbook. 

Benefits

Multi-modality, Interactivity and Flexibility  

Learning languages is an activity that is inherently multimodal and incorporates a combination of multi-sensory and communicative modes (Dressman, 2019). The utilization of online OERs makes it possible to include multimedia and interactive H5P elements such that students can actively engage with the learning content, allows for more diversity in learning methods, as well as increasing the accessibility of course content. 

Though the OER textbook included many different chapters and topics, each unit contained a similar format: the learning objectives, pre-test questionnaire, vocabulary, practice exercises, oral comprehension exercises, a post-test evaluation questionnaire, and self-reflection. This repeated format increases the OER’s usability because it is quickly learnable and memorable (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 33). The OER therefore creates a smoother user experience with less friction or frustration to navigate to the content than the physical textbooks, demonstrating again why this tipping point occurred (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 30).

The goal was to make the learning content accessible to both students and instructors with maximum flexibility and adaptability. Students could preview the units and prepare ahead of time before the classes; or review the units and practice on areas for further improvement, all at their own pace, with self-assessments available. Instructors can supplement the course delivery with additional resources, in-class activities or outing experiences, and utilize the textbook in a non-linear manner tailored to the needs and pace of the students in the classroom. 

Living Texts 

The content in the OER included resources that the instructor created and showcased content that previous students created as well, and can be seen as a co-created ‘living text’ (Philips, 2014) as a pedagogical tool, as well as a co-creation of knowledge within the classroom. 

For example, in the activity “Interview a Francophone”, the instructor uploaded recorded interview videos of previous student’s work, as an exemplar of what the assignment would look like when current students approached the activity themselves, but also as an exercise for current students to practice their listening comprehension and understanding of French conversation in context. The instructor identified that this was to also make the students feel appreciated for their active contribution towards the course, and recognized students as part of the co-construction of literacy knowledge through this kind of interaction (Philips, 2014). 

Creating an OER that operates as a living text supports increased usability because it allows for feedback to be implemented when offered by the learners (the users). A living text can push back against the challenge of “configuring the user”, where the designers imagine the “right way” for a user to engage with their technology instead of being open to how the users actually will engage with the technology (Woolgar, 1990). This OER as a living text can be adapted to user feedback and therefore there is not only one “right way” to use the resource. Instead, the OER can increase usability for a wider variety of users as instructors adapt it based on learner feedback. The instructor noted that keeping an OER like this up-to-date is very important. This is especially true if the OER is described by an instructor to learners as a living text that is responsive to their needs. 

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

As mentioned above, the multi-modality, interactivity and flexibility of the living texts contributes towards a classroom climate that reflects equity, diversity, and inclusion of the students that are currently taking the courses. This approach takes into consideration the positionality, lived-experiences, interests, and abilities of students within the classroom and their agency as an active participant in their own learning.

For example, taking the aforementioned activity of interview with a Francophone, with the crowd-sourced collaborative effort of the different interviewees, students are able to see the different kinds of ‘francophone-ness’ outside of the mainstream Eurocentric depiction of French speaking people, especially when it comes to the deep-rooted history of the French language as a tool of colonization. 

By embracing inclusive pedagogical approaches and recognizing students’ diverse contributions, this approach to creating OER textbooks creates a supportive and accessible learning environment, fosters a sense of belonging, and affirms the value of students’ unique contributions to the learning process. 

Challenges 

Current Concerns: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work 

One major challenge that the instructor encountered during the creation of this OER textbook was the lack of support from the institutional level, especially when new technological adaptations require more incentive and supporting resources to push for incorporation and utilization within the college, and furthermore, across institutions. Though the instructor did collaborate with other language instructors from the Modern Languages Department and advisors from the Educational Technology Department, there is a strong suggestion for creating a community of practice across institutions to support this work’s sustainability. The production of a brand new OER like this (as as its ongoing maintenance) involves significantly more time and energy than maintaining the status quo of using physical textbooks. There is a risk that the instructor’s digital labor of producing this kind of resource might be unknown by the institution if it is unseen. 

On a practical and logistical consideration, this ensures the articulation of courses are leveled and aligned across institutions, especially when it concerns the transferability of courses and credits for pathway programs, such as Langara College. On a more idealized and aspirational endeavor, this promotes the collaboration and commitment to sharing knowledge and resources, encouraging accountability, peer reviews and continuous development of teaching and learning practices, enabling the community to build on each other’s work and fostering a culture of openness and collaboration in education. 

Future Concerns: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and Impact of Digital Labor  

Though the BCcampus grant did provide funding for the instructor to develop the OER textbook, there needs to be more support when it comes to compensation of the unseen invisible work that is added on to the already existing duties of a teaching faculty member. With increased digitization of instruction within higher education, comes an expectation of an accelerated pace of work (Woodcock, 2018, p. 135). There can be an expectation, even implicitly, within institutions that work becomes “easier” as a result of digital resources like this OER textbook. This can result in work pressures and time pressures expanding for instructors who have created digitized aspects of their work. 

Another risk for instructors is the value that is placed on published work to push an academic career forward (Woodcock, 2018, p. 136). The motivation to pursue the creation of open access work can be reduced if the institution the academic is working within has rewards for published work. While an OER like the one described in this case is a different kind of open access work than a journal piece, its creation and upkeep exist within the same labour hours for an instructor. The instructor must be significantly committed to the creation of the OER if there is limited institutional support, as described in this case, and also if there is institutional pressure to spend time doing other, more valued work, such as publishing at a more prestigious journal. 

Finally, there is a tension inherent in the use of artificial intelligence in relation to OERs. As with this case study, we know that producing and maintaining OERs can be time, labor, and resource-intensive. With the rise of large language models like ChatGPT in the past year, there is a potential to employ AI tools like this to support the creation of OERs. This might seem to reduce the human labour needed to create an OER like Le Français Interactif. However, we also know that AI tools like ChatGPT do not appropriately cite sources and can even ‘make up’ information. Uncited sources are problematic because they effectively steal intellectual property from other academics and false information is problematic because it diminishes the reliability and utility of the OER. 

Even more concerning is that AI language models are trained with data that can be biased and produce content that is embedded with this bias (Buolamwini, 2019). With an OER project like this outlined in our case study, it could be counter to the desire to create more culturally-relevant and inclusive resources to produce them in “partnership” with an AI tool. More relevant to this case study, regarding language translation, AI tools like DeepL can be helpful but are not yet at the point where they can translate as effectively as a human who speaks multiple languages. For this reason, instructors might be wary of using AI tools as “co-authors” for OERs to ensure the quality of the instructional or learning resource remains high. 

Conclusion

This case study demonstrates how the creation of an OER textbook for the FREN1205 – French Conversation course at Langara College exemplifies a pivotal shift in educational resources toward digital platforms. This tipping point is a response to the evolving needs of both students and instructors in the post-pandemic era of education. Ideally, an OER textbook offers learners enhanced accessibility, flexibility, and more inclusivity within their educational experience. However, challenges such as institutional support for digital labour and concerns surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence underscore the importance of institutional buy-in and ethical considerations as we integrate OER textbooks into the student experience.

References

Buolamwini, J. (2019, February 7). Artificial Intelligence has a problem with gender and racial bias. Time. https://time.com/5520558/artificial-intelligence-racial-gender-bias/. 

 

Dressman, M. (2019). Multimodality and language learning. In M. Dressman, & R. W. Sadler (Eds.), The handbook of informal language learning (pp. 39-55). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119472384.ch3

 

Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2015) Usability and human computer interaction (HCI). In Sustainable Design (pp. 19-35). Springer.

 

Phillips, L. G., & Willis, L. (2014). Walking and talking with living texts: Breathing life against static standardisation. English Teaching : Practice and Critique, 13(1), 76.

 

Woodcock, J. (2018). Digital Labour in the University: Understanding the Transformations of Academic Work in the UK. tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique. Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society, 16(1) pp. 129-142.

Woolgar, S. (1990). Configuring the user: The case of usability trials. The Sociological Review, 38(1, Suppl.), S58-S99.

Intellectual Production #1 – Users, Uses and Usability

Formulate a conception of usability and what is missing from the conception from an educational perspective —  what is educational usability?

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with the iterative design, evaluation, and implementation of  interactions between humans and technological interfaces as a system.

The principals of usability are guidelines that help measure the quality of human-computer interactions, taking into consideration of interface functionality, efficiency and effectiveness depending on user’s needs, contexts and level of satisfaction (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 30)

From an educational perspective, I believe that context and user’s needs should be prioritized when it comes to evaluating the educational usability of educational technologies and resources within a learning context. Ideally, this would be implemented as a system, such that the interfaces can assist the user’s with their learning process, and can be adapted to fit the user’s ever-changing needs. This means necessarily having interfaces that are accessible to fit the user’s needs physically, cognitively, culturally, and digitally to provide support that is contextualized.

Based on Woolgar’s paper, identify and discuss 2 examples of “usability gone wrong”.

In Woolgar’s paper (1990), he seemed to be concerned about usability testing within the “right context” of both the user and the environment.

Having chosen employees within the company as test subjects (p. 81) , it is unclear whether or not their behaviors will reflect that of what is expected by their target users. Even with the provided manuals, it is uncertain that the instructions are “sufficiently clear” to target users, such that the errors made in the usability tests could be misattributed to other factors (p.82). Lastly, due to the simulated environment, the test subjects even ironicized their attempts of creating an “objective test” , making it challenging to discern whether the test subjects behave in a way “natural” to target users at all (p. 86).

Lacking concrete definition of the machine and user personas, and simulation of “objective tests of natural user behavior” overall undermines the robustness and reliability of the usability test.

Discuss the differences seen in the two excerpts of “usability”

…the usability evaluation stage is an effective method by which a software development team can establish the positive and negative aspects of its prototype releases, and make the required changes before the system is delivered to the target users"  (Issa & Isaias, 2015, p. 29).
“…the design and production of a new entity… amounts to a process of configuring its user, where 'configuring' includes defining the identity of putative users, and setting constraints upon their likely future actions” (Woolgar, 1990).

Based on the two excerpts, it seems like both of them are converging on the idea of iterative and interactive systems to adjust and create better experiences for users when they utilize the interface.

The main difference seems to be that Issa and Isaias’s approach is more from “after-the-fact” feedback, such that improvement is based on the reactions and responses of users. On the other hand, Woolgar seems to make “before-the-fact” assumptions of the users to see whether the hypotheses are confirmed or not — hence “configuring” its users.

While both approaches create recursive feedback loops to push development of the interface and are initially “human-driven” in design, it makes me wonder —  how much of our interactions with technology are directed by human agency, and how much of our interactions are shaped more by the affordances of our technology?

References

Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2015). Usability and human computer interaction (HCI) In Sustainable Design (pp. 19-35). Springer.

Woolgar, S. (1990). Configuring the user: The case of usability trials. The Sociological Review, 38(1, Suppl.), S58-S99.

Final Project- MySupport App (Helena and Sophy)

Our MySupport App is a centralized communication platform for support workers that assist students in special education.

Check out our website here: MySupport Website

Final Project Personal Reflection (Helena and Sophy)

Our MySupport App was very much one that was relevant to both Helena and I, as we have had previous experience working in the health and education sector such that we were able to see and understand the need for such a centralized platform.

In Theory

Drawing from the approaches of data-mining and pedagogical documentation of “the living wall”, we hoped to center students’ in special education and their perspectives alongside data- driven methodologies such that we can have a more comprehensive approach to support their needs.

I believe both these quantitative and qualitative approaches can be seen as extensions of core concepts in Media Ecology and New Materialism, specifically the “intra-action and diffusion” of information between the “selbstbildung” of the individual student, surrounding support workers, and their environment, as well as the artifacts and progress they make in the learning process.

In Practice

Framework

In terms of our design process, we were drawing from approaches in UI/UX design and research principles, though not as vigorous as we had hoped to, due to time constraints and limitations.

Moving forward, I believe having a stronger understanding of UX design processes will be helpful with finding more robust solutions to serve the needs of the different people this app was intended for, especially with such a broad range of professions we need to take into consideration.

Challenges and New Skills Unlocked

I believe we have a strong conceptual idea very early on in the term, however, the execution and technical difficulties we ran into was what set us back in terms of time.

I think the biggest challenge was trying to find a suitable platform to host our application on, and then altering their offered features to fit the functions of what we wanted for our app.

In some ways, perhaps it would’ve been easier overall to choose a simpler/familiar platform (perhaps a learning management platform instead of a customer relationship management platform). However, we both wanted to rise up to the challenge and stretch our abilities with this final project.

We spent a lot of time tinkering around on many different platforms, including Salesforce and Hubspot before we settled on Odoo, due to the modular features and was less complex than the other two platforms for what we needed.

Since Odoo does not have the best user interface and not geared for management in health and education, we spent a lot of time trying to re-structure what they offered to fit our own application needs. The process of that was just really getting hands-on experience playing around with how the features work, understanding the functions that it can afford, and see what we can do to leverage these affordances.

Due to the limited free trial timeframe of the Odoo platform,  we also had to start from scratch to recreate the app, as the trail would’ve ended before we were able to present. This was also a big set-back in our progress, and we were really worried if we were even able to create a (semi-)functioning app for demonstration. Fortunately, a meeting with the instructor and clarification that documenting and making our creation process transparent was most crucial made us regain some composure just before the presentation date.

Collaboration

In the beginning when we were trying to come up with the conception of this app, Helena and I were trying to find a converging point, which happened to be in the intersection of health and education.

From my experience as a support worker for youths on the autism spectrum, I provided some of the different perspectives of the support workers and their potential user experience concerns, which was necessary for creating the features to our app. Helena also chimed in with her experience as well, having also experience in a similar supporting role working with individuals in special education.

We both put our heads together with the technical aspect of creating the app, as we needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each feature. Helena had a lot more experience with using CRM platforms from her previous professional experiences and was immensely helpful with some of the troubleshooting.

When I was feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about our vision, she also provided a lot of encouragement which really uplifted our team morale, which really gave me motivation and that extra push at the end of the semester.

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