In 2022, we’re fortunate to live in a world that’s finally understanding and embracing the importance of diversity and inclusion in society.
As educators, it’s a priority to not discriminate. Learning is universal, and it’s the job of every educator to ensure as many people as possible are able to relate, feel and learn from what they’re taught.
With the switch to eLearning since the pandemic, there has been greater focus on how we create content that’s diverse, inclusive and available for all.
It may not seem like the most important thing when you’re focused on creating a digital course, but appealing to as many people as possible should be a no-brainer.
Is digital content diverse and inclusive now?
The aim of diverse, inclusive digital content is to provide equal representation for different sexes, sexualities, genders, races and much more. This could be something as simple as the names of example characters, the graphics used to represent audiences or the actual subject matter of the content provided.
Unfortunately, plenty of content online is not as diverse as it should be. We are on the right track, but there is a long way to go before we can truthfully say all corners of our society are equally represented within digital content.
Underrepresented groups, such as those with physical disabilities, commonly only appear in scenarios surrounding their diversity factor. For example, a disabled person on a plain background rather than a disabled person out shopping. Whereas, if you search ‘person shopping’ you’ll be met with thousands of images of people without disabilities shopping. Therein lies the problem we need to solve as digital content creators.
Recognise these problems?
More often than not, there isn’t an intentional decision to make courses less inclusive than others. It could be an accident, or through lack of experience in developing content.
For example, companies are hamstrung by the lack of choice when it comes to assets. Stock images and video feature majority white subjects. In other cases, you may have the option to choose androgynous figures or graphics that remove the personality from your content entirely.
It can be easy to lean towards creating content that is driven around your experiences. But it’s important to consider that we are all blessed with different mindsets, experiences and opportunities. Recognising this will help you chart a course towards a more diverse and inclusive content course.
How your business gains from increased diversity and inclusivity
If you’re moving from F2F learning, you’ll need to invest in the right materials to bring your style of learning to the digital world. Even if you’re a champion of diversity and inclusion in your F2F courses, you’ll need to work hard to translate that to your digital courses too.
By doing so, you can expect to see an increase in positive responses to your content. This is obviously a win for your business, as you’ve worked hard on your digital content and want it to be appreciated by as many people as possible.
However, let’s be totally clear. This isn’t just about appealing to as many people as possible. More importantly, you’ll be able to stop alienating people who you are showing unintentional bias against. People may have felt your content ‘wasn’t for them’ or felt ‘disconnected’ from your experiences. By investing more time and resources into ensuring your content is diverse and inclusive, it’ll keep learners learning and provide a positive platform for education that your audience will value.
How we can help your business
The bad news is, you’ll likely need to use a specialist company in order to become truly diverse.
The good news is, we’re here to make that process simple, effective and guarantee your success in the eLearning space.
With many years of experience creating bespoke packages that engage learners and delight our customers, we can help create a course that fulfils your aims and prioritises diversity and inclusion alongside the course content.
We design every asset specifically for your project and ensure that everyone is represented, meaning your course is given the best chance of succeeding in the busy digital space.
Got a project ready to go?
Maybe you’ve got a question about diversity and inclusion in eLearning, or how you can make your next course as accessible as possible.
Play your part in creating a positive learning environment for as many people as possible, no matter where they’re learning from. Click here to schedule a call and discover how we can help you.
