Why do we need Ethical Considerations in Instructional Design?
As professionals, we always need to consider the ethical implications that our job has, and all the considerations for our users. We have the responsibility to create not only engaging and interactive experiences, but also accessible and respectful.
Online learning is a perfect opportunity to increase the accessibility of our courses, creating an experience where the user feels safe and recognized.
In this article, Devin Peck, an influencer Instructional Designer, summarizes really well why it is important to be aware of all the ethical considerations. Creating a course is time consuming, for us, as designers, but also for our learners.
We need to be sure that our course is worth it and it is helping to fill the learning gap in the learners. If there is a performance discrepancy, the course should be the best solution to help users to perform better.
In addition, once the course is designed and facilitated, we need to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention with all the data and feedback, and adjust the course for the future.
In Education, we need to go to that process if we want to address our learners needs.
- First, we need assessments to identify where our users are.
- Then, we analyze the data and identify possible root causes.
- After that, we create solutions, and those could be courses but also more coaching or mentoring, depending on the outcome of the roots analysis.
- Finally, we design and facilitate the course, asking for feedback and gathering data to measure the efficiency of the course.
The same process is followed in Instructional Design. In the next infographic, you have some solutions to cover all the Ethical Considerations.
Ethical Considerations applied in Instructional Design
Ethical Considerations in ID by Pilar GonzálezI apply some of the Ethical considerations in this portfolio.
- It is easy to integrate alternative text for images, and most of the videos linked have their own close captions.
- When I add some images, I choose diverse pictures showing people with different gender, race, culture or disability. As Instructional Designers, creating online courses, we never know what is the background of our audience, so we must represent minority groups too.
- Learning Objectives are already created in my mini-course and I am planning to introduce the assessment requirements at the beginning of the content, so the users know in advance what is the expectation.
- My content is original and I incorporate my own ideas in addition to different sources that I find valuable, always mention the original author.
In addition to all the Ethical Considerations, it is important to mention Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as values that are also present in Instructional Design.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Instructional Design
Finally, I would like to mention why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) must be part of our courses. I am passionate about Learning because I believe in the power of Education to change lives.
If we want to have a more Inclusive society, we should start to create courses where everybody feels recognized and valued. I apply DEI principles into my daily practice as a Leader in Education because I want to honor and recognize all my learners and their backgrounds.
Here you have an article and a video that summarize how could you apply DEI principles in Instructional Design.