Inclusive E-learning

Abstract

It has been very convincingly argued that true innovation and the way ahead can be found at the margins of any field (Rose & Meyer, 2000). In education, accommodating learners who are marginalized by traditional education delivery has and continues to expand the boundaries of the domain and inspire new strategies and practices that benefit all learners. Disability is a relative and therefore constantly shifting state. A learner using a wheelchair is not disabled in a lecture setting with an accessible lecture hall; a learner who does not have the requisite background knowledge is. In a learning environment disability can be defined as a mismatch between the needs of the learner and the education offered. Given this definition, disability is not a personal trait but an artifact of the relationship between the learner and the learning environment or education delivery. Most educators, given the standard constraints in time and human resources, by necessity, teach to the hypothetical norm. Learners who do not fit that norm are disadvantaged or excluded. Depending upon the teaching approach, learners who are marginalized may include for example, learners who are gifted or shy, or who have a sensory impairment that affects their ability to receive the information presented (Jackl et al., 2004).