Requirements
Environmental Barriers
Environmental barriers are those features that exist within the physical or virtual learning space. It may be the size and shape of the room, the actual furniture that is or is not present, any windows, any technology in the room, to include lighting.
In online learning, it is the virtual space – the interface. The way the interface for learning is designed, what features are present or not present, how flexible the environment it for modification are all potential online environmental barriers.
These often have to do with the way a building or infrastructure is designed and built, and thus can sometimes be beyond the span of control for a single teacher or instructor to change. This is very frustrating for teachers and professors because they can see the barrier and feel as powerless as their students to do something about it. This is where systemic approaches to universal design become critical – teachers or instructors have to be able to go to an administrator or department supervisor (such as IT) to get these problems resolved. Without thorough understanding throughout the system of what to change and how to change it, there can be little progress.
If you are a teacher or instructor – the following content will help you identify those barriers that you can remove or turn into supports. For those you cannot change individually, it will provide you solutions to take to your administrator or a department supervisor.
If you are a department supervisor or administrator - this section will help you identify those factors in a learning or performance environment that you can change and how you can improve those features.
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