Critically Designing Online Learning Objects: Motivations, Ideas, and Inspiration

Critical information literacy is often focused on reframing the how and what of our teaching. While there are foundational texts and literature on how to apply these concepts in-person, typically in a 'one-shot' session, not nearly enough space and time has been devoted to examining how these practices can be applied to multimodal teaching formats. Flipped-classroom teaching, online synchronous and asynchronous, and point of need all allow opportunities for students to interact with learning content. This session will provide a summary of the growing body of literature providing insights into the preferences of learners while they view online learning content. We will explore the following. 1. The importance of using diverse and representative photos in online learning objects. To support this process I will share several free websites that provide access to diverse photos. 2. How a large portion of students who report a disability report a type of cognitive difference like ADHD and learning disabilities. To illustrate how to support some of these types of differences I will showcase some before and after examples of how to simplify online learning objects text. 3. Resources that support and provide guidance on how to use inclusive language in the text/script of online learning objects. 4. Examples of culturally relevant topics that speak to a diverse student body.