“Can AI help us promote inclusion in digital learning?”

Specialist Paula Hiipakka from the University of Vaasa had a chat with the ChatGPT to get new ideas to promote inclusion in digital learning.

When I was offered a chance to write a post to EUNICE blog, I wanted to use this opportunity on learning something new that would benefit our whole community. I have been heading the EUNICE IT infrastructure development now for a year and in the last post I mentioned accessibility and different means to support all students with various backgrounds from the system perspective. I decided to do some research on the topic of inclusion in digital learning.

After realizing I wouldn’t have the hours in a day to dive into complex scientific articles, I sought a more accessible way to understand the key concepts. That’s when I turned to ChatGPT for assistance. While I can’t verify the accuracy or scientific nature of the information provided, I gained valuable insights that can guide the development of EUNICE IT tools and our multi-site campus. Here follows a summary about thoughts that emerged from our insightful virtual conversation.

CULTURE

European higher education has a responsibility to reflect EU values by promoting inclusion and accessibility. By raising awareness, harnessing technology, and promoting collaboration, European institutions can create an educational world that enables more equal opportunities and access for all of us. This cultural shift will support learners with diverse backgrounds and contribute to the goal and purpose of European universities at societal level. It is the core of our actions but also the thing that becomes forgotten in the midst of all operational work and we should remind ourselves constantly about it.

CLARITY

Using plain language and plain visual design is extremely important. Plain language ensures that educational materials are accessible to a wide range of learners, including those with reading difficulties or limited language proficiency, enabling them to fully understand what they read. For example, in our case EUNICE European University consist of universities with nine different national languages and none of them is English. We need to investigate where national languages can be adopted in order to support our students. In visual design, attention should be paid to factors such as colour contrast, font sizes, personalization, and readability to support learners with visual or cognitive impairments and colour blindness.

DEVELOPMENT

Constantly evolving pedagogical methods, self-assessment, and staying up-to-date with technological advancements are crucial when planning for inclusion in digital learning. Staying up to date about technology development enables the introduction of most modern methods. Learning from others and collecting feedback are also important as this progress should be done together rather than managing individual projects. Personally, I plan to have my next chat with ChatGPT about universal design.

SPECIAL MENTION

This was my first time using ChatGPT, and I must say, I was amazed. It not only helped me find the information I needed, but the language used was plain and easy to understand. In just a short time I learned many things, and I believe it has the potential to be a game-changer for students with various learning disabilities, especially as its reliability continues to improve. Once again, we come across something that needs to be tried and tested in European universities. My own institution, the University of Vaasa, has developed rules for the usage of AI models, but there is still lack of consensus at the national and European levels. From my perspective, it will be fascinating to see how AI is integrated into Learning Management Systems in the future and what the best concepts are for leveraging its advantages in digital learning.

Information and insights for this blog post were obtained through a conversation with ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI. Finally, ChatGPT also assessed my text and summarized it “well-written and clear, effectively conveying your thoughts and experiences related to inclusion in digital learning”.