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Evanick, J. (2023, Mar 5). How to include DEI initiatives in your instructional design practices. eLearning Industry.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are essential to instructional design best practices, ensuring that learning environments accommodate and meet the needs of diverse learners. By prioritizing DEI, instructional designers can enhance learning outcomes, participation, and creativity by conducting needs assessments, diversifying learning materials, ensuring equitable access, and creating supportive, inclusive environments.

Slattery, D.M. (2024). Strategies for designing equitable, accessible, and effective blended and fully online education. In L. Kyei-Blankson, J. Keengwe, & E. Ntuli. (Eds). Designing equitable and accessible online learning environments (pp. 31-49). Information Science Reference. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7407-8092

• To help alleviate the challenges of considering diversity, equity, and inclusion when designing instruction for online delivery, this chapter presents a systematic approach to designing, delivering, and evaluating blended and fully online courses.

Boothe, K.A., Lohmann, M.J., Donnell, K.A., & Hall, D.D. (2018). Applying the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) in the college classroom. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 7 (3).

• Universities serve a diverse student population, including ELL, nontraditional, military, first-generation, and disabled students, requiring innovative teaching methods to address varied learning needs. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) offers a promising approach, utilizing strategies that focus on the "why," "how," and "what" of learning to ensure accessibility for all students, though more research is needed in higher education contexts.

Gurjar, N., & Bai, H. (2023). Assessing culturally inclusive instructional design in online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development: A Bi-Monthly Publication of the Association for Educational Communications & Technology, 71 (3), 1253–1274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10226-z

• The study validated the Culturally Inclusive Instructional Design (CIID) scale, confirming its reliability and factor structure through data collected from K-20 educators. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a five-factor structure with strong reliability, and the results support the instrument's use in measuring cultural inclusivity in instructional design, especially for online learning environments.

Black, V. G., Martinez-Ramos, G. P., & Gonzales, S. T. (2020). Assessing the needs and experiences of first-generation students’ transition to remote learning due to COVID-19 pandemic at a hispanic serving institution. HETS Online Journal, 11 (1), 34–59. https://doi.org/10.55420/2693.9193.v11.n1.21

• The shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic posed unique challenges for first-generation college students at Texas State University, particularly in the areas of academic learning, financial stability, and psychological well-being. A survey measuring students' attitudes, perceptions, experiences, and their demographic background information and including feedback from one open-ended qualitative question conducted among 1,318 students revealed significant difficulties in these areas, leading the First-Gen Proud committee to recommend targeted support strategies for faculty and staff.

Adnan, M., Kalelioglu, F., & Gulbahar, Y. (2017). Assessment of a multinational online faculty development program on online teaching: Reflections of candidate e-tutors. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 18 (1), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.285708

• The principal investigators in this descriptive case study examine a multinational faculty development program aimed at enhancing online teaching skills through the e-Tutor initiative. The study, which surveyed 34 participants using questionnaires and open-ended questions, found that the program was well-balanced in theory and practice, though areas like course duration, real-life application, and content localization need further exploration.

Pacheco, D.R., & Devies, B.(2024). Beyond instruction: Developing online culturally relevant learning environments. In L. Kyei-Blankson, J. Keengwe, & E. Ntuli. (Eds). (pp. 50-73). Designing Equitable and Accessible Online Learning Environments. Information Science Reference. DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-0268-2.ch003

• Chapter 3 provides a deep exploration of creating culturally relevant online higher education learning environments, specifically through the lens of the culturally relevant leadership learning model. The chapter emphasizes how this model can be applied to educational contexts across diverse settings, ensuring the principles are relevant and adaptable to various environments.

Neill, K., Allison, M. K., Jarrett, D. M., George, M., Knight, D., & Ward, W. (2021). Designing an interprofessional Facebook discussion group to teach about LGBTQ healthcare disparities and inclusive practices. Health Education Journal, 80 (5), 567–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896921993846

• A closed Facebook group was used to deliver interprofessional education focused on LGBTQ-inclusive healthcare practices at a Southern USA academic health center. Participants showed improved quiz scores post-activity, recognized the value of incorporating LGBTQ-inclusive practices, and appreciated insights from their interprofessional peers, though they had mixed opinions on Facebook as a platform for educational discussion.

Siswono, H., Cahyono, A.E., & Zusfindhana, I.H. (2023). Designing instructional media for deaf and blind students: Promoting inclusivity and equity. Jurnal Kependidikan, 9 (4), 1133–1141. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v9i4.8993

• This qualitative single-case study focuses on designing specialized instructional media for college students with hearing and visual impairments, aiming to meet their unique learning needs. Findings revealed that tailored instructional media significantly improve learning experiences for deaf and blind students, enhancing inclusivity and accessibility in higher education environments.

Guiné, R. P. F., Costa, D. V. T. A., Correia, P. M. R., Costa, C. A., Correia, H. E., Castro, M., Guerra, L. T., Seeds, C., Coll, C., Radics, L., Arslan, M., Soylu, S., Tothova, M., Toth, P., & Basile, S. (2016). Designing training in organic farming on a multinational basis. International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 33 (2), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-12-2015-0039

• This survey study using an on-line questionnaire, and translated into the languages of the participating countries (Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Hungary, UK, Italy and Turkey), aimed to gather information to understand the characteristics and preferences of potential trainees interested in mobile learning programs about organic farming. The findings support the appeal and effectiveness of tailored mobile training opportunities designed to reflect the varying preferences across different European countries.

Goehring, C., & Whittington, H. (2017). Gender Diversity and Inclusivity in the Classroom. Montessori Life: A Publication of the American Montessori Society, 29(2), 50–53. https://doi.org/https://amshq.org/Educators/Membership/Montessori-Life

• The essay seeks to support both students experiencing transgender identities and educators by fostering communication and interaction that makes all students feel comfortable with their identities. It discusses allowing children to be authentic, provides inclusive communication tools, addresses policy concerns such as bathroom access and bullying, and encourages schools to update their policies regarding gender inclusivity.

Muscatello, V. S. (2023). Promoting inclusivity with student-centered instructional approaches: Evaluation of a course redesign of undergraduate research methods in psychology (Order No. 30522169). [Doctoral dissertation, University of California]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

• This study used a quasi-experimental mixed methods approach to evaluate the impact of a course redesign in an undergraduate psychology research methods class. The redesign integrated student-centered instructional strategies, including evidence-based and virtual active learning modules (ALMs), following the desirable difficulties framework (Bjork, 1994) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL, CAST, 2018). The findings indicated that ALMs effectively enhanced student learning experiences, improved academic outcomes, and promoted equitable learning for diverse students while being cost-effective and flexible.

Badali, M., Hatami, J., Farrokhnia, M., & Noroozi, O. (2022). The effects of using Merrill’s first principles of instruction on learning and satisfaction in MOOC. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 59 (2), 216–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2020.1813187

• This study explored how implementing a MOOC designed using Merrill's principles of instruction impacted learners' outcomes and satisfaction. Results showed that participants in the experimental group, who used Merrill's problem-centered approach, demonstrated significantly better learning outcomes and satisfaction compared to the control group that followed conventional methods.

Chernosky, J. (2022). When inclusion and diversity are not enough: A case study of instructional practices and barriers to success for first-generation engineering students. Journal of First-Generation Student Success, 2 (3), 161–178.

• There is a need for effective online learning strategies to support First-Generation (FG) college students, promoting equity and academic success. A qualitative study of FG engineering students identified key factors—environmental influences, self-directed learning, multimedia use, and a sense of belonging—that can guide educators in designing courses to enhance FG student success and organizational changes.