educationtechnologyinsights
| | December - January9Each course is unique, including disciplines from Math to Psychology to English. Recognizing the uniqueness of each of these courses and associated learning outcomes, we approach mobile design as a continuum. Some courses are well-positioned to be designed for complete mobile device completion, while other courses may require students to use a computer for some portion of the work. For these courses, the shift in perspective will ensure that we communicate the details of the computer requirements to students before the course begins. For example, a course may require a final exam or a midterm paper that requires a computer for completion. By letting students know what to expect ahead of time, they will be able to make a plan for those specific projects. However, they also know they can still complete most of the course using the device they already own. The "Person Up" fellowship empowers faculty to individualize instructional design for their particular course and for the students who take the course. It reframes the use of technology, using simple tools and UDL techniques to make courses more accessible and usable. Instead of asking, "How do we help students finish online courses when they don't have a computer or reliable internet?" the question becomes, "How can we create courses that are more flexible to meet student needs and access limitations?" At Bakersfield College, our solution has been to both assist students with the provision of devices and access, and to guide faculty in the reenvisioning of our courses to leverage near ubiquitous mobile device ownership. We recognize that in a world where so much learning takes place online, the mobile-friendliness of our courses is an issue of equity and access to education. By leveraging technologies students already have, and addressing existing preconceptions that students need to have a computer to go to college, we can fulfill our goal of supporting each and every one of our students as they pursue their college and career dreams. Bill Moseley, Ph.DAt Bakersfield College, we are launching a multi-faceted instructional design fellowship program in which we collaborate with faculty to reimagine how we design online courses to leverage affordances while mitigating constraints (Rockey, 2020).
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