Smith Engineering, Queen's University

Empowering Equity-Deserving Students with eLearning Modules

Service

eLearning Development

Industry

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | Professional Skills

Training Type

Academic Courseware

Jess Boland

Manager, Career Education and Professional Experience

Smith Engineering, Queen's University

“Working with Brittany as an Instructional Designer on our eLearning project was an amazing experience. Her insight and recommendations were a game-changer and made the final product something we’re really proud of. Her project management expertise made it easy to stay on track and complete our project on time and on budget. Brittany will be my first choice for instructional design services in the future.”

The Challenge ...

Queen’s University identified a need to better support students belonging to equity-deserving groups in finding and navigating work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences, like co-ops. Students belonging to equity-deserving groups tend to have a harder time finding placements and often experience discrimination, harassment, and accessibility challenges.

To address this disparity, the university wanted to create a resource offering just-in-time support and information on managing these barriers. They wanted to deliver the training as micro modules, designed to be incorporated into any WIL program in Ontario.

The Process ...

The course development team engaged subject matter experts in WIL and spent a significant amount of time ensuring the micro modules were designed in an inclusive and accessible format.

The training was designed so learners could choose to follow the experience from beginning to end or engage in a specific micro module to access the content they need, when they need it.

In the design approach, imagery and graphics were selected to represent learners and their diverse contexts. The real-world examples featured in the modules were drawn from experiences of students engaged in WIL.

The Result ...

A comprehensive series of seven eLearning modules were created that are available to post-secondary institutions across Ontario. These micro modules are open source and stamped with an Ontario creative commons licence, ensuring they are available and accessible to marginalized students. Institutions have the ability to customize the micro modules to align with their unique needs.

Since its launch in April 2022, the “EDI Work-Integrated Learning Modules for Equity-Deserving Students” has been downloaded 20 times, highlighting its impact and reach.

Overall, the learning experience has the capacity to increase equitable access and inclusivity to all learners wishing to engage in WIL. In doing so, it makes a direct contribution to the development of student employability skills, enriching the Ontario workforce.