In this article, we argue that a key diversity issue to be tackled in the classroom is disparity: Some students are more privileged than others, and their inputs are more valued than others'. Therefore, as educators, we need to devise new ways to rebalance benefits and deficits in our classrooms. Complementing critical work on privilege in…

The aim of this article is to challenge heteronormative as well as homonormative practices in English language teaching. In doing so, the paper demonstrates that both complete absence of LGBTQI+ references in ELT materials, as well as recent attempts to provide more inclusive approaches to materials design and classroom practices, can be…

My first encounter with English for specific purposes (ESP) teaching was in the late 1980s. I was asked to lead a small team of teachers in designing a new English course for university students of art and design. We had just a few weeks to devise a teaching plan and materials. ESP was famously described at that time as 'essentially a materials…

Instructional design deals with the optimization of learning processes. To achieve this, three aspects need to be considered: (1) the learning task itself, (2) the design of the learning material, and (3) the activation of the learner's cognitive processes during learning. Based on Cognitive Load Theory, learners also need to deal with the task…

Creating teacher-authored materials can be a challenging task for a variety of reasons. While relying on coursebooks to provide a ready-made structure to our classes, we often design our own materials to meet some of the specific needs and interests of our learners. Teachers usually approach the task of materials development through intuition and…

Real-world design settings can be complex, ill-structured, open and typically uncertain and/or ambiguous about their goals and solution paths. This study contributes to understanding how to work with these types of problems in a course project setting. The main objective of the study is to identify, propose and validate a set of practical…

This analysis and guidelines aim to establish the key issues and considerations in describing the new or modified digital and professional skills TVET teachers require for blended delivery. The accompanying "Digital and Professional Teacher Competency Standards for Blended TVET" presents the draft competency standards. [For the…

For the everyday education of students in schools, objects are made available to teachers that illustrate subject matter and make it comprehensible. These objects are created to make something visible, so that it can be presented, worked on, and understood. This article starts from the assumption that didactic objects are not neutral media: In the…

LibGuides are an essential resource in academic libraries. Although librarians use LibGuides primarily as instructional tools there is little discussion about the application of pedagogical and learner-centered design principles to the design of LibGuides. Current research focuses almost exclusively on issues of usability, resulting in best…

Traditionally, online learning has been limited to written lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments with an occasional video presentation or simulation included due to the limitations of technology (Kirkwood & Price, 2013). While this form of learning has served the online environment well, the process does not address individual…

The term graphic organizer has become so commonplace in teaching that the meaning of the term, as well as the rationale for why the strategy works, has become lost. Revisiting the general concept of an advance organizer is an opportunity to consider the essential teaching act. There is a difference between "using a graphic organizer" in…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of access to digital technology by using the lens of accessibility as set forth by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. More specifically, this paper focuses on gamification, considers the needs of all learners, including those who identify as…

There is rising evidence that it is an increasingly difficult task for teachers to engage students in learning. This important problem in daily instruction has produced numerous research activities focusing on conditions and consequences of student engagement. However, these activities have led to a complex situation in which findings are widely…

We explore questions around the design, development, and dissemination of digital curriculum materials, the perspectives in these areas, and how these perspectives align with broader discourses in education. We identify and briefly describe four perspectives: (1) designer perspective; (2) policy perspective; (3) private sector perspective (e.g.,…

It will be wise for educational institutions, from primary to tertiary level, globally, to reflect on their position and profile with respect to the new concepts of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Responses will be diverse of course but the potential is so manifest that many institutions probably will…