Utilizing the Learner Variability Navigator to support inclusive instructional design

As our learners become more diverse, online learning environments must shift to be inclusive of learners with differing backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and perspectives. With this increased complexity of our learners, educators and instructional designers face a call to action to consider such variability to promote an inclusive and equitable learning environment. Adopting traditional instructional design models is insufficient, as they were informed mostly by research excluding marginalized groups. In this essay, we: (1) unpack the ADDIE process; (2) suggest considering learner variability when designing an online course in order to be relevant and effective for the full diversity of learners, and (3) introduce the Learner Variability Navigator as a critical-questioning tool to understand how learners’ variability contributes to learning, support diverse learners, and pursue inclusive instructional design.