A key responsibility of the Instructional Designer is to know “Who belongs in the learning you envision now?” As the designer you have an amazing amount of power and influence; the power lies in writing and visualizing learning courses and resources with belonging in mind, and your design directly influences the medium in which learners will receive and digest this information. We all need to seek out ways to ensure we are being inclusive. One way to start is to put yourself in the place of the learner. Firstly, ask yourself, “who is the learner?” Secondly ask, “what is important to them?” Thirdly, “how can I best bring their experiences to life?” These questions combined with the tips below will result in learners clearly seeing how they fit into the content you create.
Belonging Tips
In my experience, the hardest part of instructional design is getting out of your own way. Take steps to ensure you have a diverse review team, not just the SMEs, because the learner is the one who will be reviewing or using the information.
None of us like to be left out; we all want to belong, even learners. Who belongs in the learning we envision now is often left to us. It is a responsibility that should be cared for and honored. Each character or example helps to color the learning experience. As a result, when belonging is intentionally designed into our products, the overall impact will be enhanced.
Video Link
Check out a 1 minute You Tube video to check out to remind you about the impact of everyone belonging.
In summary, who belongs in the learning you envision now? Who is missing? Why? These questions help me to validate my design regarding who belongs, and who or what I may of missed. Use these tips to help you succeed in this area. After that the rest is up to you!
Your Turn
What is one tip you would add? Write it in below. Together we can build an awesome checklist for what we may not be seeing!
