After my group for LRNT 526 completed our project and presentation on the Digital Divide, I began the deep dive into my own research to see how online courses can better address inclusive learning, universal design of learning (UDL) and accessible learning. This research started from the idea that inclusive learning would allow all learners a way to access the necessary information and then express what they have taken from it. With this in mind, I looked for:
– Is there an entry point for all learners?
– What limitations are there?
– What accessibility tools are built into the program?
– What accessibility tools need to be downloaded as a plug-in or an app?
As I dove deeper into my research, I began to learn more about other roadblocks or limitations to striving to make online learning as inclusive and accessible as possible.
Language – Translation and Transcription
Many online platforms rely heavily on AI translation tools to help make their products accessible to more learners. Although AI translation is fast and relatively effective, it doesn’t always get it right and could be sharing disinformation. Traditional translation companies benefit from people watching or reading the content to ensure that translation is done correctly; this is not true with AI translation. Several languages worldwide are protected due to their cultural importance and value. These would not be offered in AI translation, as the LLM cannot access these languages.
Moving away from an “add-on”
Online courses tend to be designed for a typical learner, with minimal consideration for those who don’t fit into that category. For these atypical learners to access the content, they rely heavily on add-ons, plug-ins, or browser customizations to provide them with an access point. Marion (2025) asked a great question: “How do we create digital learning that’s genuinely inclusive when the tools themselves weren’t built with all learners in mind? “ Many of the online learning platforms we have now are not designed for learners with exceptionalities, and unless change can be made to improve these platforms, they may never be.
Moving forward
In my research, I found myself in a bit of a dilemma: to make things more accessible and inclusive, things must be uncomfortable. Translation is necessary to make sure all learners can at least understand the content, but who has the right to these languages and who benefits from the translations? The idea that inclusive supports are just added on as an afterthought is not how we support all learners. This isn’t how we think of it in classrooms, so how is it acceptable in an online setting? At this point, I have more questions than a solid path forward, which is ok, but if anything, this has made me more focused on finding solutions to how online learners can be supported.
References
Marion (2025, May 16). Your post got me thinking about just how often accessibility is treated like a technical add-on instead of being part of the core design from the beginning. [Comment on the blog post “The Digital Divide: Universal Design of Learning (UDL) and Inclusive Learning in online learning”]. Lauren Chum’s Academic Blog. https://malat-webspace.royalroads.ca/rru290/the-digital-divide-universal-design-of-learning-udl-and-inclusive-learning-in-online-learning/#comment-27
20 May 2025 at 10:29 am
This research has plunked us right into messy dilemmas. We seem to be grappling with similar challenges in our work.
As we blaze down the AI-everything road, it is frustrating that issues like the ones you’ve raised feel like they’re in the rearview mirror. After years of advocacy and research trying to influence positive change, it feels like the flashy, shiny AI has pulled attention from inclusive and accessible learning, too… or is at least promising magical AI fixes in this space as well.
Research by Petretto et al. noted that when these online learning platforms lack sufficient, tailorable learner accommodations, or generally fail to implement accessibility features, that there is risk to having students with learning disabilities use online learning (2021). Are there any platforms that have an in-person school equivalent of special education resources? Or do these learners just get overlooked?
I would expect that the discomfort in making things more accessible and inclusive is rooted in cost. The ability to support 100% of learners’ needs is a massive task for any platform to even try to achieve. With Petretto et al. having noted that “over 10% of students have at least one special educational need” (2021, para. 3), I wonder if that is true for online learning—and if budgetary considerations faithfully prioritise satisfying the majority. Can supplementary plugins or apps be universally leveraged to assist atypical learners? Or do these tools come with their own limitations?
References
Petretto, Donatella Rita, Stefano Mariano Carta, Stefania Cataudella, Ilaria Masala, Maria Lidia Mascia, Maria Pietronilla Penna, Paola Piras, Ilenia Pistis, and Carmelo Masala. “The Use of Distance Learning and E-learning in Students with Learning Disabilities: A Review on the Effects and some Hint of Analysis on the Use during COVID-19 Outbreak.” Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health: CP & EMH 17 (2021): 92. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017902117010092