4.1 Designing inclusive STEAM lessons with virtual labs
Watch
Watch the video above, where Leonard Nungu introduces the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles for planning inclusive lessons in STEAM education, increasing equity and access, valuing diverse perspectives, and ensuring universal success for all students. How do virtual labs promote inclusion, and what challenges might we face?
Read
Spend some time studying the following guides to help you design an inclusive lesson plan for your STEAM subject discipline. After reading, take notes about the important principles that support inclusivity in STEAM lessons and write a reflection in your eportfolio.
Universal Design for Learning
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/learning-and-teaching/effective-practice/universal-design/
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Enhancing Accessibility Across Disciplines with JoVE
https://www.casn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Universal-Design-for-Learning-UDL-Enhancing-Accessibility-Across-Disciplines-with-JoVE.pdf
Laboratory Without Limits: How Science Virtual Labs Are Transforming K-12 Education
https://www.mentissciences.com/Laboratory-Without-Limits--How-Science-Virtual-Labs-Are-Transforming-K-12-Education-1-22131.html
STREAMING: A Comprehensive Approach to Inclusive STEM Education
https://doi.org/10.36560/17520241984
7 Benefits of Using Virtual Labs in K12 Education
https://www.hurix.com/blogs/benefits-of-using-virtual-labs-in-k-12-education/
Review
Review the guidelines for UDL in terms of engagement, representation, and action and expression in the graphic organizer below.
CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
https://udlguidelines.cast.org/static/udlg3-graphicorganizer-digital-nonumbers-a11y.pdf
Consider the guidelines in relation to a lesson in your own teaching (this will help prepare you for your final activity, your IVLST Lesson Plan). Ask yourself the following questions, scanning through the guidelines for suggestions.
- Multiple means of engagement: How will you frame the lab with a relevant, authentic, or challenging problem? (e.g., "Design a cell membrane to survive a specific environment," "Balance chemical equations for a rocket fuel.")
- Multiple means of representation: How will you use the virtual lab to present information in a new way? What other resource (video, reading, podcast) will you offer as an alternative?
- Multiple means of action and expression: How will the virtual lab expand how your students can interact with the material? What choices will you give them for demonstrating their learning (e.g., screencast, design portfolio, written report)?
Explore
Explore the Circuit Construction Kit: DC PhET simulation below, with particular attention to its accessibility and the principles of universal design.
Circuit Construction Kit: DC
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/circuit-construction-kit-dc
Spend 15 minutes exploring the simulation yourself: build a simple circuit that lights a bulb, build a parallel circuit with two bulbs, and use the ammeter to measure current in different parts of your parallel circuit. Think like a teacher: what challenges might a student face in a physical lab that are eliminated here?
Again, following the UDL guidelines, some connections to UDL to consider as you explore are:
- Engagement: Does it encourage open-ended play? Does the simulation respond instantly to student actions, fostering curiosity?
- Representation: Does it offer multiple views, such as "Lab" and "Symbol" views, connecting the concrete to the abstract? Does it include sound and visual cues for correct/incorrect wiring? Is the drag-and-drop interface intuitive?
- Action and expression: Can students experiment without fear of breaking components or safety issues? Does the simulation allow for diverse data collection methods (such as "Stopwatch" or "Voltmeter" tools)?
Respond
In the first discussion for Module 4, you'll be asked to review the CAST guidelines for UDL introduced above and describe the challenges and what you would do to make a lesson more inclusive through multiple means of engagement, representation, and/or action and expression.