The Inclusive HE Massive Open Online Course developed within the framework of the InclusiveHE project was tested by intended end-users from September 26 to October 4, 2022, in Finland. Including intended users or learners in the design process is an important part of the Design Thinking Methodology applied in the development of the project outcomes. The participants generally liked the MOOC. They found it to be user-friendly and easy to navigate, with clear content, interesting topics, and easy quizzes. The videos and additional articles were found to be useful. Some liked the graphical design whereas others wished for more graphics and images including people. Some key findings from the pilot study include:
Useful content:
Some examples of the usefulness of the content mentioned by the participants include:
- “Words You May Hear”, which presents 33 terms and definitions of words related to sexuality and gender diversity. This is found in the third module of the MOOC.
- Reasons for Conflicts and Conflict Resolution skills and practices in the context of Inclusive Higher Education, which is found in Module 5: Social Justice Education and Conflict Resolution.
- Technological tools available for fostering inclusion in higher education, which is covered in Module 6 of the MOOC.
Changes in practice as a result of the MOOC:
The participants of the pilot further said that they will strive to make changes in their work based on what they learned from the MOOC. Some examples provided are:
- Changing part of the teaching material to make it more inclusive and accessible.
- Raise discussion on the topics covered in the MOOC within the department.
- Implement the new knowledge in both daily life and the work environment.
- Prepare for and have difficult discussions with students as needed.
Suggestions for improvements and future work:
The pilot study also resulted in suggestions for improvements of the MOOC and further development work, including:
- The use of more image/visuals.
- The presentation of real-life examples.
- Separate courses for each module/content in order to get deeper knowledge about each topic.
- The development of and provision of these kinds of self-study courses and modules for professional development in higher education.
Some excerpts of participants’ feedback:
“I really appreciate this work and hope it will be widely used. It would also be nice to develop one entire course for each of the topics so it would be possible to more go into depth into the content.”
“I am considering changing part of my teaching material and having discussions on these topics at my department.”
“I hope to be able and implement what I learned in my daily life but also at my working environment.”
