Color Universal Design For Postsecondary Educators

Whether in-person or in online learning environments, it is imperative that inclusive learning materials are created to ensure all students have access to quality education. Rapid advancements in technology and an increased use of online learning in post-secondary education have created a gap in the conversion of learning content. Creating visually inclusive learning materials for students with disabilities, in particular students with colorblindness, will help to close this gap.

Many educators are unaware if their students are colorblind and few know how to create more inclusive visual materials. Color Universal Design, a relatively new concept under the conceptual umbrella of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning can help. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an online instructional module on Color Universal Design for post-secondary educators. This module aimed to increase awareness of students with colorblindness and Color Universal Design techniques. The underpinning of the module’s design was synthesizing old and new instructional design theories including applying Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction to e-learning and using aspects of the R2D2 (read, reflect, display, and do) model for activity development. Disseminated to a sample population of post-secondary educators of the University of Hawai‘i system, pre- and post-assessments were used to evaluate participants’ application mastery of the module’s content and to measure the overall instructional effectiveness. Findings can assist educators with steps to improve their online visual materials, decrease learning barriers for their students with colorblindness, and enhance the experience of all their students.

Module URL: https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/ANYGER