The Three Pillars
Introduction to the Three Pillars
At LDDI, our work is grounded in three pillars: Inclusivity, Accessibility, and Indigeneity. These pillars are reflective of the values embedded into the strategic plan for the Faculty of Education, as well as the strategic plan for the University of British Columbia. Within this module, we will provide some theories and practice options to help you address these within your course design.
When designing online courses and learning materials, LDDI use these three pillars to guide and inform the learning experiences for students and the teaching events for faculty and course instructors. In this showcase module, you can learn more about these three pillars and how they are incorporated into the learning design process.
Inclusivity
Equity and diversity are important to academic success and student well-being. Professional development and community engagement provide inclusion and social justice-oriented programs that inspire a culture of belonging and respect for all. We support the development of educational programs and pedagogies that include people of all abilities and recognize that inclusive communities enrich the lives of all citizens. Diverse perspectives are encouraged and welcomed as part of our design process. The strength and success of our courses is grounded in the experience and knowledge from a wide range of perspectives.
Accessibility
We recognize that to create inclusive environments our programs and services need to be accessible to those with disabilities. Our staff has taken leadership roles in researching and implementing ways to enhance web usability for learners of all abilities. We are committed to continually improving the accessibility of our programs whether it is through online mediums or our in-person, face-to-face programming.
We are committed to following the Four Principles of Web Accessibility, which lay the foundation necessary for anyone to access and use web content. We commit to ensuring our web content is:
- Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses).
- Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable. This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).
- Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding).
- Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).
Indigeneity
We recognize and acknowledge that we learn and work on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. Our students, staff, and faculty benefit from the rich history and learnings shared by local Knowledge Keepers.
We believe in culturally responsive approaches to education. In order to ensure engagement from all students, educators should consider the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of their students, accommodate the values students bring to learning, the sources of knowledge they prioritize, and their histories of living and learning.
We feel strongly in creating online learning spaces that successfully support Indigenous learners, and incorporate Indigenous ways of knowing into the curriculum benefits all students.