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Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson

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Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson

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Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson
Educational Communications andTechnology: Issues and Innovations Brad Hokanson Marisa Exter Matthew M. Schmidt Andrew A.Tawfik Editors Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice, Equity, and Community
Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations Series Editors R. Michael Spector Department of Learning Technologies University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA M. J. Bishop College of Education, Lehigh University University System of Maryland, Bethlehem, PA, USA Dirk Ifenthaler Learning, Design and Technology University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Allan Yuen Faculty of Education, Runme Shaw Bldg, Rm 214 University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
This book series, published collaboratively between the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) and Springer, represents the best and most cutting edge research in the field of educational communications and technology. The mission of the series is to document scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings. The publication goal is the rapid dissemination of the latest and best research and development findings in the broad area of educational information science and technology. As such, the volumes will be representative of the latest research findings and developments in the field. Volumes will be published on a variety of topics, including: • Learning Analytics • Distance Education • Mobile Learning Technologies • Formative Feedback for Complex Learning • Personalized Learning and Instruction • Instructional Design • Virtual tutoring Additionally, the series will publish the bi-annual AECT symposium volumes, the Educational Media and Technology Yearbooks, and the extremely prestigious and well known, Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. Currently in its 4th volume, this large and well respected Handbook will serve as an anchor for the series and a completely updated version is anticipated to publish once every 5 years. The intended audience for Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations is researchers, graduate students and professional practitioners working in the general area of educational information science and technology; this includes but is not limited to academics in colleges of education and information studies, educational researchers, instructional designers, media specialists, teachers, technology coordinators and integrators, and training professionals.
Brad Hokanson • Marisa Exter Matthew M. Schmidt • Andrew A. Tawfik Editors Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice, Equity, and Community
ISSN 2625-0004     ISSN 2625-0012 (electronic) Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations ISBN 978-3-031-37696-2    ISBN 978-3-031-37697-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9 © Association for Educational Communications Technology 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Paper in this product is recyclable. Editors Brad Hokanson University of Minnesota St. Paul, MN, USA Matthew M. Schmidt College of Education University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA Marisa Exter Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, USA Andrew A. Tawfik College of Education University of Memphis Memphis, TN, USA
v Preface For the second straight year, the AECT Summer Research Symposium was held virtually. Over 40 authors presented and discussed their work, and they were joined by keynote speakers Camille Dickson-Deane and Terresa Moses. Deepak Subramony, originally invited as a keynote, was unable to attend, but has also con- tributed to this volume. The Symposium has a different general topic each year, one that is both targeted toward relevant concerns and opportunities of the present and sufficiently broad to attract writers from diverse fields and perspectives. At the same time, much of the work presented in the edited volumes of the Symposium reflect the interests of the larger AECT International Convention, which primarily deals with the use of tech- nology in education. Broadly written, this year’s symposium sought to encourage discourse and the exchange of ideas within current societal trends, and with a par- ticular focus on educational technology. Topics are selected to have currency and to be engaging for a broad range of authors, whether in educational technology, instructional/learning design, or else- where. This year’s topic was Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community, a focus spurred by the killing of George Floyd and subse- quent calls for justice and change. As with previous symposia, writings reflect broad-ranging discussions and ideas. However, unlike previous symposia, the num- ber of book chapters that are included in this year’s edited volume is unprece- dented – the largest number of chapters we have received to-date, and perhaps indicative of our topic’s importance. Writings explored a range of topics germane to themes of social justice, culture, critical race theory, diversity equity, inclusion, etc. We describe in detail the topical themes included in this edited volume in the fol- lowing section. The Symposium offers the opportunity for practitioners in education and instruc- tional design to put forward ideas and to discuss them with their peers. It brings to the open new experimental concepts as well as focused arguments, quantitative proofs, and qualitative discoveries. Discussion is dispersed and intimate, with mul- tiple opportunities for engagement. We pride ourselves on our unique and peculiar process, which we believe could serve as a lighthouse for others in the field who
vi seek to pursue avenues for scholarship that may diverge from established tradition. In this spirit, we present to you the contents of this edited volume. Inside the Edited Volume To explore the breadth and depth of scholarship represented in the included book chapters, the editors performed a qualitative content analysis based on the keywords that the chapter authors provided. Our analysis procedure began by extracting all keywords and inputting them into an online graphic organizer, Miro (https://miro. com/), a digital tool that allows for collaborative whiteboarding and organization of sticky notes in a manner that is similar to face-to-face card sorting and affinity map- ping procedures. Following this, editors collaboratively sorted keywords into groups and labeled the groups with provisional titles. Using an axial coding process, the editors jointly classified, categorized, and refined the coding structure across mul- tiple rounds of coding (Fig. 1). Two overarching thematic areas emerged: keywords that were directly germane to the theme of the edited volume (Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Fig. 1 Graphic organizer illustrating (1) overarching thematic areas and associated thematic focus areas and (2) exploded views of two thematic focus areas Preface
vii Justice, Equity, and Community), and those that were representative of the other content and foci of the individual chapters (e.g., technology perspectives, educa- tional and learning contexts, disciplinary perspectives). Within these overarching categories, a range of thematic foci emerged (Table 1). After having categorized keywords according to thematic focus, the editors entered all keywords and thematic foci into a spreadsheet for further analysis. Specifically, the editors first compared the keywords provided by chapter authors with the thematic foci that emerged during qualitative coding. Then, using each chapter’s keywords, the editors categorized the book chapters using associated the- matic foci. Most chapters’ keywords represented more than one thematic focus. Therefore, we created an index of all thematic foci in Table 2 and list out book chapters that included associated themes. Readers are encouraged to use this table to find chapters quickly that address the five thematic foci of this edited volume. We finished our analysis by categorizing each chapter into the focus area that best represented the chapter’s content. Because many chapters included keywords that fell into multiple focus areas, we reviewed those chapters’ abstracts and Table 1 Overarching thematic areas, thematic foci, and example keywords Themes germane to theme of edited volume Thematic focus Example keywords Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality Intersectionality, intersectional identity, gender, minorities, intellectual and physical disabilities, universal design for learning, accessibility Critical Race Theory and Human Rights Black history, racism, antiracism, human rights, critical race theory, critical pedagogy, indigenous values, abolition Social Justice Social justice, social inequality, reparations Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Diversity, equity, inclusion, educational equity, inclusivity, student diversity, inclusive learning design, inclusive design Culture and Identity Culture, social identity theory, language learners, localized context of use, cultural framework Themes representing other content and foci Thematic focus Example keywords Disciplinary Perspectives Language, STEM, geomatics engineering, neuroscience, digital civics Educational and Learning Contexts K-12 education, informal education, libraries, elementary schools, higher education, continuing education, medical training Learning Design Perspectives and Strategies Instructional design, learning experience design, learning design, design justice, UX design, needs analysis, learner analysis Instructional/Learning Strategies Inquiry, critical thinking, culturally responsive mathematics teaching, appreciative inquiry, storytelling Technology Perspectives Online learning, mobile learning, technology adoption, digital divide, 3D virtual worlds, virtual simulation Individual Foci Learner agency, perspective-taking, ethical decision-making, sustainable development goals, power and positionality in research Preface
viii Table 2 Index of thematic foci found in this edited volume and book chapters that included associated keywords Culture and identity 1. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before… 2. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications… 3. Cultivating a Mindset for Culturally Inclusive Learning… 4. Emotional Pathway of Becoming a Professional… 5. Instructional Design and Semiotics 6. Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices… 7. Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue… 18. Forged in Fire… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… 30. “Faced with Given Circumstances”... Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality 1. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before… 9. Accountability in Learning Design… 10. Audio Description for Three-Dimensional (3D) Virtual Worlds… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 12. Expanding the Horizon… 13. On the Persistence of Pages 14. Supporting Teachers in Designing for Intersectionality… 15. The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for English Language Learners… Social Justice 15. The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap… 16. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action… 17. Factoring Power and Positionality into Research… 18. Forged in Fire… 19. How Can Instructional Design Promote… 20. Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues… 21. Social Justice Math as a Catalyst… 22. Trajectories of Student Engagement… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for ELL… 25. Designing in Pursuit of Liberation… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… Critical Race Theory and Human Rights 9. Accountability in Learning Design… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 21. Social Justice Math as a Catalyst… 24. Critical Instructional Design as Social… 25. Designing in Pursuit of Liberation… 26. Equity, Parents and Technology… 27. Human Capital, Rights, and Capabilities… 28. Reckoning with Racism in Medical… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… (continued) Preface
ix Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 3. Cultivating a Mindset for Culturally Inclusive Learning… 6. Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices… 7. Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue… 8. Ableism Versus Inclusion… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 16. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action… 17. Factoring Power and Positionality into Research… 20. Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for ELL… 24. Critical Instructional Design as Social… 28. Reckoning with Racism in Medical… 30. “Faced with Given Circumstances”… 31. A Systemic Approach Toward Needs… 32. Adapting a Neuroscience High School… 33. Asking Better Questions… 34. Business Education for Responsible Leadership… 35. Centering Learner Agency and Empowerment… 36. Collaborative Experiential Learning as Trauma-Informed… 37. Developing an Inclusive Community… 38. Knowledge Sharing for Inclusive Learning… 39. Reimagining PBL to Develop Critical… 40. Using Technology to Foster Inclusion… Table 2 (continued) collectively discussed the content of those articles so as to make a final decision about which thematic focus best described the content and focus of that chapter. Each chapter was then classified using one of the five thematic focus areas. Upon completion of this process, eight chapters fell into the Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality category, six into Critical Race Theory and Human Rights, eight into Social Justice, eleven into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and seven into Culture and Identity (Fig. 2). We used this final classification to assign book chap- ters to one of five sections, which is reflected in the table of contents and organiza- tion of the current edited volume. Preface
x Fig. 2 Percentage of book chapters that fell into each thematic category Conclusion The analysis presented above highlights the breadth and depth of inclusive learning design included in this edited volume. One of the challenges of any exercise on inclusive thought is answering “for whom” and “how.”As to the former, the analysis identified emergence in the areas of (a) Culture and Identity, (b) Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality, (c) Social Justice, (d) Critical Race Theory and Human Rights, and (e) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Within each of these differ- ent themes, various ideas emerged that highlight the extent to which inclusive design is needed within the instructional/learning design and technology community as it leverages technology toward more just and accessible learning. Some solutions repositioned existing topics within an inclusive lens (e.g., libraries, UDL), while others proffered topics often discussed outside the traditional learning design dis- cussions, such as virtue ethics, ableism, and human capital. Yet others highlighted the devastating and pervasive impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and institutional rac- ism. Each chapter highlights the embedded challenges and presents pathways toward more equitable learning experiences for all individuals who wish to learn. On this note, we present this edited volume Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community as a testament of the vibrant discourse within our community around this topic. The Symposium Team Brad Hokanson, Marisa Exter, Matthew Schmidt, and Andrew Tawfik. Preface
xi AECT Staff Assistance from the staff at AECT is irreplaceable and they need recognition for their distant and diverse technical assistance. A special thanks goes to Larry Vernon and Terri Lawson for their work and assistance with operating the event. Phil Harris, as now-retired AECT Executive Director continued to support, participate, and guide the symposium. Ellen Wagner as the Interim Executive Director has contin- ued her strong and supportive efforts for the symposium. Proposal Reviewers Great thanks go to the reviewers for the 2021 Summer Research Symposium. They include: Dennis Cheek, Greg Clinton, Bruce DuBoff, Marisa Exter,Wendy Friedmeyer, Noah Glaser, Colin Gray, Amy Grincewicz, Phil Harris, Hal Hinderliter, Jason McDonald, Angel Pazurak, Eugene Robinson, Jody Nyboer, Matthew Schmidt, Jill Stefaniak, and Andrew A. Tawfik. St. Paul, MN, USA Brad Hokanson West Lafayette, IN, USA Marisa Exter Athens, GA, USA Matthew M. Schmidt Memphis, TN, USA Andrew A. Tawfik Preface
xiii Contents Part I  Culture and Identity Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning Design Within Yunnan Province, China��������������    3 Hongwu Dai and Dennis Cheek Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character Development Training��������������������������������������   15 Pamela C. Moore and Begüm Saçak Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design����������������������������������   31 Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez, Elisabeth Babcock McBrien, and Christine Scott Emotional Pathway of Becoming a Professional: Stories of Graduate Students and Recommendations for Academia����������   43 Iryna Ashby, Suzhen Duan, Carolina Cuesta, Brantly McCord, Shivani Ramoutar, Mohan Yang, Ryan Wynkoop, Wanju Huang, and Marisa Exter Instructional Design and Semiotics����������������������������������������������������������������   55 Kathryn Ley and Ruth Gannon-Cook Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices for Equity in Brazil������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   71 Vivian Martins Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue in Online Learning������������������������   81 Barbara M. Hall and Nandita Gurjar Part II  Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality Ableism Versus Inclusion: A Systems View of Accessibility Practices in Online Higher Education�����������������������������������������������������������   99 Rita Fennelly-Atkinso
xiv Accountability in Learning Design and Research as an Ongoing Practice������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 115 Katherine Walters and T. J. Kopcha Audio Description for 3-Dimensional (3D) Virtual Worlds�������������������������� 127 Peter Leong, Melissa Peterson, and Sarah Espinosa Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege, Equity, and Inclusion as ECT Scholar-­ Practitioners������������������ 139 Deepak Prem Subramony Expanding the Horizon: Formative Evaluation of Vocational Training Simulation Designed for Students with Intellectual Disabilities���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 149 Sanghoon Park, Jeeheon Ryu, Yeonju Tak, Seo-bin Jo, and Daeun Kim On the Persistence of Pages���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 161 Hal Hinderliter Supporting Teachers in Designing for Intersectionality������������������������������ 171 Melissa Warr and Wendy Wakefield The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap: A Literature Review���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 183 Meika C. Billings Dopwell, Halimat Ipesa-Balogun, and Mashiur Rahaman Part III  Social Justice Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action: A Study of Learning Experience Designers’ Practices�������������������������������� 197 Ahmed Lachheb, Rebecca M. Quintana, Ji Hyun Yu, and Astrid N. Zamora Factoring Power and Positionality into Research on Instructional Design Interventions������������������������������������������������������������ 217 Elizabeth Boling, Ahmed Lachheb, Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb, Merve Basdogan, Rajagopal Sankaranarayanan, and Grant Chartrand Forged in Fire: A Case Study of How the Class of COVID-19 Empowered Unheard Communities in the Fight for Social Justice������������ 233 Jeanette Abrahamsen, Janelle Applequist, and Emmanuel Maduneme How Could an Instructional Design Promote Social Justice and Equity in Learning Communities? A Holistic View from Bloom’s Taxonomy, Maslow’s Hierarchy, and Quality Assurance Perspectives�������������������������������������������������������������� 243 Nazire Burcin Hamutoglu Contents
xv Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues in Underserved Urban Settings���������������������������������������������������������������������� 265 Andrew A. Tawfik, Craig Shepherd, and Linda Payne Social Justice Math as a Catalyst for Developing Independent Learners and CriticalThinkers in an Urban After-­ School Math Mentoring Program for Middle School Students ������������������������������ 279 Cassandra Brentley and Carmen Thomas-Browne Trajectories of Student Engagement with Social Justice-Informed Design Work ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 289 Colin M. Gray, Rua M. Williams, Paul C. Parsons, Austin L. Toombs, and Abbee Westbrook UDL in Educational Technologies for English Language Learners: A Scoping Review of Literature���������������������������������� 303 Douglas Ayega and Newton Buliva Part IV  Critical Race Theory and Human Rights Critical Instructional Design as Social Action in Canadian Higher Education���������������������������������������������������������������������� 321 Diane Janes, Lorraine Carter, and Katy Campbell Designing in Pursuit of Liberation���������������������������������������������������������������� 337 Terresa Moses Equity, Parents and Technology – Mother’s Post-pandemic Perspectives of Children’s Online Experiences during COVID-19������������ 349 Dwan V. Robinson and Tracy Robinson Human Capital, Rights, and Capabilities: Equitable Learning Design Based on Justice������������������������������������������������������������������ 359 Sudip K. Ghosh and Reema Sen Reckoning with Racism in Medical Practice: A Scoping Review of Inclusive Learning Design in Medical Training 2017–2021 ������ 371 Newton Buliva Transformative Learning Experiences Through Technology: Bringing Learners Together to Address Equity and Social Justice through Project-Based Language Learning in the Online Classroom�������� 385 Rachel Mamiya Hernandez, Kelly Barros Santos, and Julia Vasconcelos Gonçalves Matos Part V  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion “Faced with Given Circumstances”: A Localized Context of Use Approach ���������������������������������������������������������� 397 Kristin Herman, John Baaki, and Monica W. Tracey Contents
xvi A Systemic Approach Toward Needs Assessment to Promote Inclusive Learning Design���������������������������������������������������������� 409 Jill E. Stefaniak and Kim Pinckney Adapting a Neuroscience High School Curriculum to Support Inclusive Online Learning������������������������������������������������������������ 421 Noah Glaser, Ido Davidesco, Luis María Pérez-Cuesta, Steven Carter, Mimi Gupta, Andrew Ferreira, Valerie Nunez, and Wendy Suzuki Asking Better Questions: Broadening Inquiry to Design More Inclusive and Equitable Learning Experiences���������������������������������� 437 Maria Hubbard and Lacretia Carroll Business Education for Responsible Leadership: Preparing Students������ 445 Amy M. Grincewicz, Cathy L. Z. DuBois, and David A. DuBois Centering Learner Agency and Empowerment: Promoting Voice and Choice in Online Courses������������������������������������������� 457 Bethany Simunich, Racheal Brooks, and Amy M. Grincewicz Collaborative Experiential Learning as Trauma-Informed Instructional Design���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 467 Hannah M. Grossman and Christopher Brown Developing an Inclusive Community in Online Programs�������������������������� 481 Yvonne Earnshaw and Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif Knowledge Sharing for Inclusive Learning�������������������������������������������������� 493 Megan R. Alicea Reimagining PBL to Develop Critical Thinking Skills for All Learners������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 505 Sharon Ndolo and Deborah Cockerham Using Technology to Foster Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education: A Case study of Geospatial Tools in Engineering Education�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 513 Shivani Ramoutar, Jennifer Richardson, Bheshem Ramlal, and Jason Tambie Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 527 Contents
Part I Culture and Identity
3 Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning Design Within Yunnan Province, China Hongwu Dai and Dennis Cheek Large-scale primary and secondary educational systems are difficult to effectively manage due to their scale, inherent complexities (e.g., personnel, curricula, instruc- tional practices, examinations, diverse environments, and populations), and their loosely-coupled nature, no matter how centralized they might at first appear. They exhibit all the characteristics associated with technological systems of control, in that each of their components and varied interactions takes place within a human-­ designed system always focused on achieving certain near-term articulated goals while imposing throughout the system desired uniformity in learning experience and appropriate quality (McWalters Cheek, 2000; cf. Green et al., 1997). But learning is influenced at individual and collective levels by broader cultural influ- ences and these in turn are a product of distinct factors and contexts. How are we to properly account for the influence of these factors in our learning design efforts? A group of French historians led by Lucien Febvre and Marc Bloch, established the scholarly journal Annales d’histoire économique et sociale in 1929 to feature a broader approach to history than just politics and institutions (continuing today as Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales). A second-generation member of the Annales School was the distinguished French historian Fernand Braudel. He markedly influ- enced historians’ understandings of their craft and methods with a series of breath- taking analyses on different topics, including the identity of France (Braudel, 1988, H. Dai Yunnan Normal University, PRC, Kunming, China Eastern University, Philadelphia, USA e-mail: hongwu.dai@eastern.edu D. Cheek (*) Values Education Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IÉSEG School of Management, Lille, France e-mail: d.cheek@ieseg.fr © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_1
4 1990), the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II (Braudel, 1972), and the development of civilization and capitalism in the 15th–18th centuries (Braudel, 1981, 1982, 1984). His approach to historiography, building especially on earlier work by Bloch, took account of three main aspects of change over time using the following French terms: 1. La longue durée – time periods of hundreds of years where climate, geography, and long-term economic forces shape human societies and cultures. 2. Conjuncture – periods of decades to a generation or so where social classes and other groupings of people as well as sociological and economic factors predominate. 3. Évenément – a series of events, institutions and people that appear and disappear; or alternatively, the traditional focus of most historical writing. These three main levels of change within human societies and populations are hier- archical in terms of the power they exert regarding both scale and power. For exam- ple, geography and climate are first and foremost shaped by the movement of large tectonic plates in the past and continuing in the present, the work of volcanoes and glaciers, and geoscience processes like weathering and erosion. Climate, as distin- guished from this week’s weather, consists of long-term weather patterns and tem- peratures and involves forces exerted over vast areas (e.g., the world’s oceans and volcanoes) and across varied terrains that bring significant global, regional, and local impacts. Where people can live, where they choose to live, and how they live across time are inexorably affected by geography (including climate), going back to the earliest human beings and continuing in the present. A cultural analysis framework pulls all of these components together to develop a more informed perspective about the particular culture(s) in which we are seeking to do our design work. We see it as an important precursor to any learning design, but particularly so when designing large-scale projects and programs. Specifically, we will use for our cultural analysis framework the following five key components: (1) geography and climate factors, (2) history and anthropology factors, (3) econ- omy and society factors, (4) politics and education administration factors, and (5) management styles and learning factors. None of these components by themselves are definitive in terms of how they shape culture. Anthropology, for example, neglects or frequently underplays the larger geographic, economic, and historical contexts exerting pressures over time periods outside the memories of the local communities that anthropologists study. Educational studies often focus on socio- cognitive, nutritional, and school organization matters, while frequently underplay- ing the significant role of politics at national, regional, and local levels. This largely ignores the significance of local cultural variety and customs and longer historical and geographic contexts, including the history of education within a local area. Historical studies often focus on sociopolitical movements and players as they impact locals and their cultures, but frequently overlook or significantly underplay the mediating effects of local cultures and customs, local languages of discourse, geographic matters, and the impact of education of varied quality, duration, and access. H. Dai and D. Cheek
5 Our chief concern is the primary (elementary) grades public school system in Yunnan Province, PRC. This chapter focuses on the importance of geography and climate factors and history and anthropology factors to our learning design chal- lenges in Yunnan. The chapter is the last in a trilogy with the other two articles focusing respectively on economy and society factors and politics and education administration (Dai Cheek, 2021), and management styles and learning factors (Dai Cheek, 2021). The complexities that confront us required more space than any single contribution allows. Yunnan Province – Geography and Climate Factors Yunnan Province is slightly smaller in size than the US state of California. The Yuan Jiang (Yuan River) divides the province into equal halves. East of the river one finds the Yunnan-Guizua Plateau at elevations of 1000–2000 meters (3280–6562 feet) above sea level. West of the river are the mountains of Yunnan at elevations of 4000–5000 meters (13,123–16,404 feet) above sea level. This diverse terrain includes high mountain chains, active volcanoes, deep valleys, hilly areas, flat ter- rain, and river basins. Portions of the province are subjected to regular earthquakes, severe monsoons (hurricanes), scorching heat, pleasant breezes, and blizzards. One can find jungles, arid regions, fertile soils, and abundant sources of fresh water, including more lakes than any province in China. Once one leaves the river valleys, cities, and towns, you experience pervasive rurality. Yunnan, with 48.3 million inhabitants according to recent estimates by theYunnan Government (2019), has the fourth lowest population density in the nation, at 105 people per square kilometer. This results in numerous small schools scattered across the province, some even partly residential due to the long distances students must traverse and the dangerous routes they often have to take to reach the “local” school. The mythical location of the fictional Shangri-la, Yunnan contains more than half of the flora and fauna species known within China. Three major river systems beginning in either SE Qinghai Province or the Tibet Autonomous Region travel in parallel within three valleys inYunnan separated by tall mountains over 5000 meters high. The Salween (Nujiang) River then flows south through eastern Myanmar (Burma) to the Indian Ocean. The Mekong (Lancang) River flows south through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Jinsha joins with other rivers to become the mighty Yangtze (Chang Jiang) and flows northeast past Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing before emptying into the East China Sea near Shanghai. Two other rivers east of the capital Kunming, the Nanpan and Beipan, join to form the Hongshui River, which flows east to become part of the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou which continues east to the famous Pearl River Delta (Toops, 2003; Veeck et al., 2021). A land-locked province, Yunnan is bounded by the two autonomous regions of Tibet to the northwest and Zuang (within Guangxi Province) to the southeast, as Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
6 well as the Chinese provinces of Sichuan to the north and Guizhou to the east. It adjoins the nations of Laos and Vietnam in the south and shares a long porous bor- der with Myanmar to its southwest and west. (Veeck et al., 2021). These various geographic and climatic factors certainly impinge significantly upon the people ofYunnan from year to year. The nature of the terrain and the resul- tant lack of paved roads and ready accessibility, present significant barriers to edu- cational planning, delivery of educational services, adequate staffing of both administrators and teachers in these remote areas, and stable learning environments. The next significant set of factors we will consider are those related to the long history of this Chinese province and the variegated ethnicities and cultures repre- sented within its modern boundaries. There are also obvious interactive effects among geographic and climatic factors and historical and ethnographic factors within the province. Yunnan Province – History and Anthropology Factors Yunnan has a long history of habitation going back to prehuman ancestors such as Yuanmou Man and up through Bronze Age prehistoric times (Shuyang, 2007; Chiang, 2009). At various times portions of what is today’sYunnan were controlled by dynasties and peoples from what are now the countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and most importantly and extensively, China. Yunnan also experienced incursions from time to time by colonial powers such as Great Britain from Burma (now Myanmar), and France from French Indochina (today’s Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos). Due to its location and remote and difficult interior,Yunnan province was one of the last areas of today’s PRC to be brought within the administrative system of clas- sical China (Tanner, 2010). Even during these periods, control was concentrated in the more densely inhabited lower altitudes of the province. Tribes in the hills and mountains maintained their autonomy and were not subject to taxes, census, con- scription labor, mandatory military service, or other obligations of imperial subjects (Scott, 2009). There is widespread evidence that informal trade was continuously undertaken by those who lived in the hills and mountains with peoples who occu- pied the valleys with both parties to such trade benefitting from unique goods and foodstuffs that the other lacked. This would set a longstanding pattern of interac- tions among what are today seen as “ethnic minorities” and the people who inhab- ited the valleys, most of whom assimilated into being part of the Han people (Scott, 2009). By the time of the Qing dynasty (1644–1919) and subsequently, Yunnan and its current borders were controlled by China and the province was a center for resis- tance against the Japanese occupying the east coastal areas during World War II (Mühlhahn, 2019). During the Ming-Qing dynasties’ violent transition in the mid-­ seventeenth century (Wong, 1995), many Ming soldiers continued their struggles H. Dai and D. Cheek
7 for many years out of the hills and mountains of Yunnan, ultimately melting into local ethnic populations and becoming one with them; a process repeated through- out China’s long history as vanquished peoples joined ethnic minorities throughout the borderlands as a consequence of wars, shifting fortunes, and the desire to avoid mandatory conscription for labor and/or military service (Giersch, 2006; Scott, 2009). Since ethnic minorities are clustered around regions associated with China’s exceptionally long borders, these areas by virtue of their local geographies, histo- ries, and distance from centers of Chinese power have led over the centuries to conflicts between the rulers in distant places and these local communities. Revolts lasted for decades, while others have simmered for even longer periods of time but with less violent manifestations (Tanner, 2010; Mühlhahn, 2019). It is thus impor- tant to note that this long history weighs upon decisions taken in the present by the national and provincial governments of the PRC as there are ample historical exam- ples of widespread revolts with damaging consequences among China’s borderlands. Historically, ethnic minorities in China as we know them today are a very recent development in terms of formal recognition. Even from the time of the founding of the Republic of China (1912) after the revolution of 1911 to the driving out of the Nationalists (1949), it was widely understood that there were only “five races” who made up China (the Han (Chinese), Manchus, Mongols, Hui (Muslim “Han” peo- ple), and the Tibetans (Hutchings, 2000)). The Han people, today’s overwhelmingly dominant ethnic group at about 90+ percent of the population, are themselves an amalgam of multitudinous ethnic groups (e.g., Xianbei, Qiang, Jie, Di, Qidan, and Nü Zhen) assimilated over the thousands of years of continuous cultural develop- ments in China, a land whose Anglo name “China” was coined by Westerners, not the Chinese themselves (Carrico, 2017; Joniak-Luthi, 2017; Shuyang, 2007). Several dynasties who ruled China came from outside its borders and even though they adopted Chinese culture and ways, they continued to proudly acknowledge their “foreign” heritage up through and even beyond the establishment of the PRC (Tanner, 2010; Mühlhahn, 2019). Today’s ethnic minority classifications in China owe their origins to work under- taken in the early 1950s to construct the PRC as a “unified, multinational state made up of different peoples” (Mühlhahn, 2019, p. 414). A national census in 1953–1954 allowed groups to self-classify which resulted in more than 400 distinct groups being self-identified. The government then employed social scientists to reduce thesegroupstoadesired,moremanageable,numberthroughtheEthnicClassification Project (ECP – minzu shibie).The scientists themselves reached back to a linguistics-­ based system first designed by a British army officer, Henry Rudolph Davies, who undertook a similar task in Yunnan province in 1894. The ECP began its new work in Yunnan since about 200 of the 400 self-identified groups resided there. The Yunnan groups were reduced to 25 and with 14 groups added from elsewhere, the government declared in 1954 that there were 39 formally recognized ethnicities. This number was expanded to 53 by 1964, 54 in 1965 with the addition of the Lhoba in Tibet, and 55 in 1979 with the addition of the Jinuo in Yunnan. Adding the Han Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
8 then made for 56 total government-recognized ethnic groups and with the end of the ECP in 1987, all 56 groups were told they could maintain their own languages, customs, and cultures (Mühlhahn, 2019: 414f.). This policy was reinforced by the government in 1984 by passage of the “Law of the PRC on Regional Ethnic Autonomy,” which was last revised in 2001. Hu Jintao at the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Community Party in October 2007, stressed the need to “cement the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups, and enhance the great solidarity of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation…” (Mühlhahn, 2019, p. 586). Ethnographic studies of various ethnic minorities inside of China, as well as in neighboring nations, demonstrate quite convincingly that ethnicity, as defined by a certain language, group, or clan, is much more fluid than the stable labeling systems that have been created for China and other nearby nations’ ethnic minorities. People move into and out of various groups, often acquiring competency in multiple ethnic languages as a consequence of these transitions. Ethnic groups who live closer to the lowlands often blend into the local Han population for time periods when it is socially, politically, and/or economically convenient to do so. When circumstances change again, they may cease to be “Han.” Marriages across ethnic lines or the desire to marry coupled with the nonavailability of companions from one’s own ethnic group may result in acquiring another ethnic “identity.” Historically wars were also a source of continually changing allegiances and ethnic identities, includ- ing substantial numbers of Han fleeing into the hills and mountains and assimilating into other ethnic groups for purposes of personal safety, escaping military conscrip- tions or burdensome taxes, or having picked the wrong side in a war among Han peoples (Scott, 2009; Hutchings, 2000; Tanner, 2010). About 16.2 million of Yunnan’s 48.3 million inhabitants are members of about 50 government-recognized ethnic minorities (nearly 34% of the population), according to recent estimates by theYunnan Government (2019).Yunnan ranks first in the nation in both the variety and numbers of its ethnic minorities; the bulk of these minorities live in areas where they are intermingled with other minorities as well as the overwhelmingly numerous Han population. The 25 largest ethnic groups within the province having populations of 5000 or more, include the Yi, Hani, Bai, Dai, Zhuang, Miao, Hui, and Lahu. These ethnic groups move freely and frequently back and forth across the borders of the various autonomous regions, provinces, and countries that surround Yunnan, often merging with other related people groups in these surrounding countries for short or longer periods of time depending on diverse circumstances and situations. More than 80% of the ethnic minority populations in Yunnan Province live in mountainous areas, and 13 distinct ethnic groups live within the porous border regions. Eighty percent of the more than 13,000 primary (elementary) schools in the province are distributed across these remote mountainous areas and isolated from larger population centers. There are over 4000 boarding schools in ethnic regions for primary up through upper secondary students. In 2016 there were 496 national government designated ethnic primary and secondary schools and an additional 41 provincial designated ethnic primary and secondary schools. These are schools that are overwhelmingly comprised of ethnic minorities. Other minority students make H. Dai and D. Cheek
9 up substantial portions of other schools scattered throughout the province, but espe- cially in the rural areas that comprise much of the province’s land area. Most rural schools are small and have less than 100 students (Lei Zhang, 2014). The govern- ment reported that at the end of 2015 there were 3,350,100 ethnic minority students in the province from preschool through secondary levels. Minority students accounted for 38.6% of the population of primary (elementary) schools within Yunnan (Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, 2020), due in part to the fact that ethnic minorities were frequently not subjected to the now rescinded national one-child policy. Students and their families face enormous challenges getting to and from school in ways analogous to the countries profiled in the fascinating and sobering TV series called The Most Dangerous Ways to School. These episodes reveal primary school children’s long, treacherous and exhausting daily or weekly (for residential stu- dents) treks on foot or using multiple conveyances to their neighborhood school. They walk rickety bridges or use hazardous zip lines to cross dangerous gorges, ford rivers, contend with icy surfaces and abundant snowfalls, skirt wild and deadly ani- mals, and battle heat, insects, hunger, and exhaustion. Ethnic languages withinYunnan are diverse with multiple languages in daily use in the same regions. Twenty-three of the 25 largest ethnic groups have their own languages, and 14 of these languages have been recently taught as mother tongues in schools within the minority-majority ethnic areas. Recent pronouncements at the national level and actions taken in other provinces with significant numbers of minorities in Northeast China and the far West of China may indicate that the con- tinued teaching of minority languages may be about to change throughout other parts of the PRC. At the very least current tensions around languages other than those associated with the Han people appear to be spreading. An increased focus on the importance of the anthropology of education within the PRC emphasizes the changing natures of human societies and the need for all Chinese learners to become more aware of and more adept at understanding and cooperating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds who are likely to also hold different ideas, views, and values. Cultural differences can be identified within large and diverse nations like China with differences in accents (when speaking a lingua franca), food preferences, attire, social customs, second language choice, etc. Educational settings play a key role where the organized and systematic acqui- sition of soft skills and their applicability to varied sociocultural situations can be explored, practiced, and improved (Ba, 2021). Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
10 Yunnan Province – Politics and Education Administration Factors The public schools of the PRC (and even most private schools) must conform to the curricular objectives, educational goals, administrative and human resources proce- dures, and examinations systems of the national government. Standards, textbooks, instructional strategies, and examinations are centrally controlled, created, and pro- mulgated nationwide. On an international continuum of standardization across schools in terms of the prescribed curriculum, the PRC would rank as one of the more standardized systems in the world. The nation’s provincial ministries of education are responsible for all educa- tional activities within their respective province as extensions of the national gov- ernment. Provincial educational officials have extensive powers to intervene in any educational situation where it is deemed essential to the effective execution of the government’s mandates for schooling. The provincial ministries are assisted in their work to improve instruction in schools by the national system of state normal uni- versities, i.e., large state universities that produce the overwhelming bulk of the nation’s new teachers and provide professional development for existing teachers, administrators, and other school staff. Yunnan Normal University is the main pro- ducer of teachers for the province and has a longstanding professional development program for teachers and specifically for principals of both primary and secondary schools. The People’s Daily in China published an article in 2014 by President Xi Jinping advocating students of all ethnic groups should “understand each other, respect each other, tolerate each other, appreciate each other, learn from each other, help each other, and hug each other like pomegranate seeds” (Xi, 2014). Geographers have also noted that there are significant interactive effects among geographic features, economic development, and educational development throughout China (Li Yin, 2021). Geographic isolation inhibits connectivity which in turn negatively impacts further financial and economic activity. The diminished nature of such activities in these areas directly impacts the availability, accessibility, and quality of educational resources as well across all age groups. They suggest tighter and better coordination among educational, economic, and social development efforts in these geographi- cally challenging places throughout the nation because of these interactive effects. Wu (2020) noted that within education in border ethnic areas such as Yunnan, it is considered vitally necessary to continuously enhance ethnic students’ recognition of the outstanding culture of the Chinese (overwhelmingly Han-dominant) nation. The purpose of this educational effort is to prevent ethnic separatists located on China’s border areas from propagating false statements and undermining national unity. This concern has led to the implementation of additional social functions to compulsory education. These additional social functions provided by the compul- sory education program in ethnic areas brings a substantial increase in tasks for frontline teachers. The required diversified educational services pose significant challenges to teachers’ knowledge levels, language abilities, and working styles. H. Dai and D. Cheek
11 Teachers’ teaching energy is diffused by all these requirements and teaching quality inevitably decreases as such policies are implemented (Wu, 2020). Zhang and Fan (2019) remind us that future changes to education throughout the nation will take place within the context of stages of reform and developments in the organizational structure of China’s primary and secondary schools over the past 70 years. Zhang and Fan (2019) document that since 2001, primary and secondary schools have successively established a school-based management system that com- bines government coordination, social participation, and independent school man- agement. Consistent with school systems everywhere in the world, China’s schools are under fairly constant exposure to varying new reform measures to improve teaching and learning. The need for greater consistency within and across these school systems is becoming a more prominent theme, especially as it relates to areas inhabited by significant numbers of ethnic minorities as well as rurality and its pre- dominating effects. This requires more sophisticated, well-articulated, and widely known and practiced models of teaching that narrow gaps in compulsory education and improve learning results (e.g., Yuan Zhu, 2020). On December 21, 2020, the website of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2020) announced the reform of the various titles bestowed on principals of basic education schools throughout the province. A new professional ladder sys- tem for principal designation and advancement will be implemented based on the “scientific evaluation” of the principal with the resultant creation of a new series of professional ranks. The main purpose of this reform is to establish a development system, “promote the continuous growth and progress of principals,” and establish a “professional job evaluation system” for principals at all levels of primary and secondary education. Wu (2020) conducted field investigations on the development of compulsory education in nine ethnically-concentrated provinces, including Yunnan. According to his team’s investigation, the development of compulsory education in ethnic areas still faces difficulties and problems, such as the diversification of education supply functions, special school administration units, high school operating costs, and a poor supply of teachers. The difficulties and challenges of rural schools in Yunnan are similar to situations of rural schools in the United States (cf. Kinkley, 2019; Lackey, 2019) although there remain differences too in both degree and kind. Conclusion This chapter, along with its two companion articles published separately, provides ample evidence of the need to engage in extensive cultural analysis before daring to engage in learning design regarding the professional development of principals who lead public primary (elementary) schools across the vast and highly diverse prov- ince of Yunnan. Only by employing a more sophisticated and substantial approach to understanding the complex interactive effects of the five factors within this cul- tural analysis framework can we hope to make significant impact. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
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13 Wong, J. (1995). Discrimination, corruption, and moral decline: The historical background of the Muslim Hui uprising inYunnan, China, 1856–1873. Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Wu, H. (2020). Ji ben jun heng ben jing xia min zu di qu yi wu jiao yu fa zhan yan jiu [A research report on balanced development of country compulsory education in minority areas of China]. Journal of Central China University, 59(5), 166–174. Xi, J. (2014, May 30). Tuan Jie Ge Zu Ren Min [Unite people of all ethnic groups]. CPC News. http://cpc.people.com.cn/n/2014/0530/c64094-­25083518.html Yuan, T., Zhu, X. (2020). Fa zhan Min zu di qu jiao yu shiye, zhu lao Zhonghua minzu gong- tongti yishi. [Developing education in ethnic minority areas to strengthen the community awareness of the Chinese nation]. Journal of Northwest Normal University, 57(1), 22–29. Yunnan Government. (2019). Ren kou ji min zu gai kuang_Yunnan sheng run min zheng fu. (Population and ethnic profile, Yunnan Provincial People’s Government Portal). (2020, May 6). http://yn.gov.cn/yngk/gk/201904/t20190403_96251.html Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2020, December 21). Implementation opinions of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education on the reform of the principal rank system of elementary education schools. Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, Education Working Committee. https://jyt.yn.gov.cn/web Zhang, X., Fan, J. (2019). 70 nian: Zhong xiao xue zu zhi jie gou de biange yu fa zhan [70 years: The transformation and development of the organizational structure of primary and secondary schools]. School Management, 9, 14–19. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
15 Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character Development Training Pamela C. Moore and Begüm Saçak Thomas (2003) highlighted the fusion of instruction design and ethics by stating, “Our design work and what results from this work are inextricably bound with issues that are essentially ethical in nature” (p. 34). Given the presence of multiple cultural factors at play, instructional designers may encounter various ethical issues as a part of the intersectional position they hold in their organization, especially as they are involved in character development design, which requires instructional designers to promote certain cultural values and virtues that ideally constitute “desirable character traits.” The ethical dilemmas encountered by instructional designers can be contextualized in three main cultural views: (a) An organization or institution’s approach or mandates to core cultural values; (b) instructional design- er’s own values, character traits, and views; and (c) learners’ values and culture. In this chapter, the character-infused decision-making approach based on virtue ethics will be presented as a potential framework to be adapted in the context of instruc- tional design, character training design, and the intersectionality of the instructional designer’s position. P. C. Moore (*) Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, United States e-mail: pmoore@liberty.edu B. Saçak Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_2
16 Character-Infused Virtue Ethics: An Introduction According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2016), virtue ethics is an approach that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism). Scholars Nguyen and Crossan’s (2021) recent frame- work called “character-infused decision making” combining the character of a moral agent with decision- making mechanisms for making ethical decisions within the business context. The strength of a character-infused virtue ethics approach is that it is both bound by the situational context as well as the character of the moral agent. As the moral agent engages in virtuous acts over and over, the decision-­ making mechanisms can be strengthened. Instructional designers could also benefit from this approach when handling ethi- cal dilemmas as virtue ethics could, in fact, minimize “the individual and collective experience of what are often dysfunctional influences of the context” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, Future Research Agenda and Conclusions section). These influences of context can arise from different cultural backgrounds, an organization or institu- tion’s approach or mandates to core cultural values, instructional designer’s own values, character traits, and views, and learners’ values and culture. In the next sec- tion, these cultural views are explained within the context of instructional design. Ethics and Three “Cultural” Views in Instructional Design We begin the discussion of ethics and cultural views in instructional design by first defining the term culture. Reacting to the argument by Jahoda (2012) that culture is impossible to define, Mironenko and Sorokin (2018) propose that culture is “a mul- tidimensional phenomenon that encompasses processes, products, and results of human activity, material and spiritual, transmitted from generation to generation in a non-biological way.” Furthermore, these various aspects of culture are synthesized and evident in the actions of an individual (Mironenko Sorokin, 2018, p. 338). In this chapter, then, we refer to culture as a full phenomenon that is intrinsic to an individual or organization of individuals and influences the behavior of an individual. What is the significance of culture in the process of designing instruction? To answer this question, we must first conceptualize the relationship of the instructor, the learner, and the employing organization. In the process of creating a learning module, there is an obvious connection between the instructional designer and the learner. That is, the instructional designer creates a learning module for the learner. With the proposed definition of culture, it is safe to assert that an instructional designer embodies a particular cultural viewpoint when designing a learning mod- ule. Likewise, the learner embodies a particular cultural viewpoint in the process of learning. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
17 The instructional designer is also employed by an organization. It is also reason- able to assert that the organization itself has a cultural viewpoint that is influential in the process of instructional design. Literature is replete with the idea that an organization has a culture of its own. For instance, Kwantes and Glazer (2017) argue that since an organization is a social system of individuals with a common goal, then the organization itself has a culture that uniquely synthesizes the stake- holders’ cultures in fulfilling the common goal. Lepeley (2021) further defines orga- nizational culture as essentially the “personality” of the organization, which began with the values of the organizational founders (p. 4). So, the organization has a culture, but does the organization’s culture affect the design process? The answer is yes when you consider the professional ethical demands on the instructional designer. There are several mandates in the AECT Code of Ethics related to the culture of the learner and the employing organization as it applies to the professional conduct of the instructional designer. First, the code of ethics speaks to designing instruction for the benefit of the learner. Section 1 indicates the commitment to the learner: “In fulfilling obligations to the individual learner, the member: Shall protect the individual learner’s rights of access to profes- sional or instructional materials of varying points of view” (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2018). This mandate would imply that the instructional designer must consider the learner’s culture in designing edu- cational materials. Section 2 speaks to the instructional designer’s commitment to the organization. “In fulfilling obligations to society, the member: Shall accurately represent the member’s institution or organization and take adequate precautions to distinguish between personal and institutional or organizational views” (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2018). This second mandate would indicate that the instructional designer must be cognizant of the organizational views in designing instruction. By implication, the instructional designer must avoid infusing personal cultural views into the product that may differ from the employing organization’s cultural viewpoint. To assume that three cultural viewpoints have the potential to influence the end-­ product of instructional design is reasonable: the learner, the organization, and the instructional designer. (See Fig. 1) Although the intersection of the three cultural viewpoints may not be of equal import, as depicted by the gray area in Fig. 1, each viewpoint must be considered in designing instruction if the instruction is to be ethi- cally inclusive. Perhaps, the most poignant illustration of the ethical challenges inherent in the intersection of these three cultures is in the design of character devel- opment training. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
18 Learner Instructional Designer Organization Fig. 1 The intersection of cultural viewpoints An Example in Character Development Design Character development is a current need in many types of organizations, such as secular, religious, military, healthcare, universities, and schools (Arbuckle, 2013; Baker, 2019; Berkowitz et al., 2020; Blakeley Higgs, 2014; Dam et al., 2019; Kress Rotstein, 2018; Lerner, 2018; McKay, 2013; Sohail et al., 2018; St. Peters Short, 2018). While character is inextricably linked to culture, the design of char- acter development curricula proves to be a good example of the intricacies of designing with cultural considerations. The following sections will highlight the need to equally consider the culture of the organization and the culture of the learner in character development design while being cognizant of the effects of the cultural biases of the designer. The Importance of Cultural Considerations The way a character trait is expressed or repressed may vary depending on the social context. One influencer is the moral code of the social group, which establishes a value system of character traits. This social value system informs the group member of which character traits should be displayed and developed (Moulin-Stożek, 2019). Since the social group dictates the desirable character traits for an individual, the instructional designer must know the preferences of the hiring organization con- cerning which character traits are desired within the organizational context. At the same time, the instructional designer must be cognizant of desirable character traits of the employee’s culture in case there is a misalignment with the organization’s desirable character traits. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
19 For example, Eastern culture views family considerations in employment oppor- tunities as an ethical business practice. In this culture, considering the employment of relatives displays the character strength of justice because of the high value placed on putting one’s family first. In contrast, Western culture views this practice as unjust behavior because a higher value is placed on the community or society over family considerations (Sison et al., 2020). If the employee from an Eastern culture is responsible for hiring in an organization whose culture aligns with Western culture, imagine the difficulties an instructional designer may face in designing pro- fessional training on equitable hiring practices with this type of learner. In addition to considering the cultures of the learner and the organization, the instructional designer must also be aware of cultural differences in the learners when designing character development training. Researchers Johnson and Hinton III (2018) have strongly argued that cultural differences should not be separated from character development considerations. For example, to train youth to be global citizens, it would be counter-intuitive to base character education curricula on a single culture, such as the prevalent Western culture in many character education programs. Omitting important cultural considerations can lead to a cultural gulf that may limit one’s sense of freedom to express cultural differences (Johnson Hinton III, 2018). Ethical Dilemmas for Cultural Inclusivity Instructional Designer’s and Organization’s Culture Perhaps, one of the most challenging dilemmas occurs when the values and training mandates or institutional values of the organization do not quite match that of the instructional designers’ core values. Most institutions do promote a set of specific values and invite their employees to follow those values in the workplace. As an example, Arbuckle (2013) and Baker (2019) have expressed their views that the Catholic identity and goals of a Catholic organization should trump the cultural identity and concerns of an employee, including the design of any training program. The U.S. Army has a set of core values expected to be exhibited by commissioned officers (Murray et al., 2021). Religious education often instills religious values in the learners (Hussin Tamuri, 2019; Labosier Labosier, 2018). However, what happens if the instructional designers’ values or cultural beliefs clash with the employing organization is unknown? It might be the case that oftentimes organiza- tions and their employees share a similar set of values in the first place; however, the those values or cultural approaches can diverge minimally, or in some cases, the mismatch could be too significant that the end product (the training) may not be of expected quality given the organization’s expectations, or the instructional designer may opt-out of the design work. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
20 It’s important to understand the designer’s character within the context of the organization as. According to Gray and Boling (2016), designers actively inscribe values in the objects or artifacts that they design, sometimes without even being aware of them. The impact of these values, however, goes beyond the designs them- selves as these designs influence social systems and perpetuate behavioral norms for a longer period of time (Gray Boling, 2016). The effects can be significant and lead to what we might call designer’s bias. The bias and differences in ethical approach could be more visible in character education training design. There could be a fundamental disagreement on how character education should be designed based on to what extent designers’ values diverge from that of the organization they work for. Instructional Designer’s Inherent Worldviews, Values, and Culture Another difficult dilemma that instructional designers face is that all instructional designers bring with them their own set of values, culture, and inherent worldviews. Paraphrasing Thomas and Marlon Mitchell (2002), Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) observe that the worldview of the instructional designer “cannot be sepa- rated from the training that they develop” (p. 2). Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) point out that if the instructional designer is unaware of or does not consider personal cultural biases in designing instruction, the effectiveness of the instruction may be at risk. As a result, when chosen instructional strategies, communication, and student expectations are not tailored for cultural sensitivity, knowledge con- struction may be affected (Messitidis, 2018). One of the factors that exacerbate this issue could be the potential lack of multi- cultural awareness in the instructional designer. Instructional designers may not have the necessary training to accommodate and address cultural diversity in the trainings that they design. In a qualitative study of 40 online instructors, the results highlighted barriers to designing a collaborative learning environment in online instruction for multicultural learners (Kumi-Yeboah, 2018). One of the identified challenges was the lack of training to ensure cultural diversity in the instruction. Another challenge was the advance identification of the cultures represented by the learners. Furthermore, extensive and detailed knowledge may be mandatory for adequately designing training for specific character traits. For instance, gratitude can be expressed differently and have different motivations depending on the cul- ture. Morgan et al. (2015) give the example of the Tamil culture where gratitude is not always felt toward the beneficiary if the benefactor is of a higher social status. In this culture, those of higher social status have a duty to provide for those of lower social status. In such a case, the beneficiary may feel a sense of entitlement instead of gratitude. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
21 One of the pressing issues is how to address a range of cultures while designing learning experiences. Should instructional designers choose primary cultures and omit the other multicultural possibilities? Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) point out that time constraints, budget constraints, organizational goals, and even an end-goal of assimilation of the learner into mainstream culture can limit the robust- ness of cultural inclusivity in instructional design. Campbell and Schwier (2014) suggest that instructional design models and approaches could also have a limiting effect on cultural inclusivity. In fact, the need to design for plural cultures is normally at odds with the need to design for a specific culture since traditionally, instructional design models and approaches advocate for identification and narrowing down the audience in the first place: “User-centered principles of instructional design suggest that a precise and narrow articulation of an audience can lead to optimal learning designs, a proposition that seems axiomatic” (Campbell Schwier, 2014, p. 358). Though this kind of approach could have its own benefits, such as meeting the needs of a certain audience, these trainings can often be shared without regard to the audience for which they were originally designed (Campbell Schwier, 2014). As an example, a specific character training initiative can be used by audiences or learners with varied cultural backgrounds— different from the audience for whom the training(s) are originally designed. All these considerations point to the implica- tion that designers need to be inclusive of all cultures by considering the future effect of their work on learners; however, this is a dilemma that instructional design- ers face given their own cultural background and possibly a lack of multicultural awareness. Learner Values and Cultural Views Learners as the audience and receivers of the training are also an important part of the equation, specifically in terms of how well these trainings are received by the target audience. When learners receive character education training, the nature of such training is interwoven with ethical values or, in some cases, mandates that have been deemed appropriate or necessary by the organization and/or instructional designers. At the same time, it is important for designers to recognize that there will likely be a great diversity of experiences that learners will bring to a course or other learning experience (Gronseth et al., 2020). Viewing learning from learners’ perspectives also results in challenging dilem- mas and questions that need to be answered. In character education training design, what is the ethical pathway when a particular value in the training has negative con- notations for the culture of some learners and positive connotations for the culture of other learners? One suggestion could be identifying cultural background and learning more about the cultures represented by the learners (Cifuentes Ozel, 2006; Gronseth et al., 2020). However, finding a compromise or a middle way to Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
22 convey the intended training messages while ensuring the culturally insensitive material is at minimum for a wide audience could be a challenge. Secondly, not only instructional designers’ values could clash with an organiza- tion’s or institution’s values, but also the learners’ values or culture may not be compatible with the mandates for character training by the employing organization. Learners, especially learners from diverse backgrounds who don’t belong to main- stream culture, might and likely have different views of what constitutes desirable character traits. Culturally relevant training recognizes the culture of diverse learn- ers and uses their culture and attributes to maximize their learning (Gronseth et al., 2020; Howard, 2012). However, if an organization fails to attain culturally relevant training requirements, especially when the organization’s culture or mandates are different from that of learners, what is the best path to follow? If such misalignment exists between the cultural characteristics of the learner and the employing organi- zation, should the instructional designer act as an advocate for the learner? Through the ethical dilemmas and questions raised in this section, it is suggested that instructional design is an inherently ethical practice as it involves value judg- ments about what is considered as “good” or “bad” as attested by Gray and Boling (2016): Instructional design is ethical in the sense that it deals with designing futures (e.g., artifacts, experiences) that do not currently exist; these futures are presumed by the designer and/or stakeholders to improve conditions (a value judgment about what may be good or bad for the learner), consistent with a socially defined understanding of the “good life” design, and how an ethical awareness might alter our understanding of the commitments of professional practice (p. 974). Questions to ethical dilemmas raised in this paper are not exhaustive and have no definitive answers, but there is an urgent need for a conversation around the inter- sectionality of the instructional designer’s position as it relates to character educa- tion training designs, their respective organizations, and most importantly, learners. It’s important to remember that instructional designers bring training plans into life, and their designs could have a long-lasting impact beyond the immediate training needs that have the potential to affect social systems and influence behavioral norms (Gray Boling, 2016). Finding Harmony in Cultural Differences Given the ethical dilemmas and multiple dimensions present in character education design, instructional designers’ ethical decisions and approaches to design intersect with the organization’s values they are involved in, as well as the target audience for whom they design (see Fig. 1). At the intersection lies the presumably ideal ethical approach or harmony towards instructional design and character training. How then can instructional designers attain a level of culturally and ethically solid character design considering the intersectionality of the positions? Perhaps, the character of the instructional designer and insights from virtue ethics can be P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
23 central to answering some of these ethical questions since the nature of the moral agent [instructional designer in this context] could provide critical insights into ethi- cal decision making in a more broad sense (Nguyen Crossan, 2021).Although the examples and literature are centered around the unique dilemmas of cultural consid- erations in instructional design, a decision-making mechanism based on character and virtue ethics could be used as an approach to find a solution to any ethical issues that arise in instructional design. In the Nguyen and Crossan (2021) framework, ethical decision-making consists of awareness, judgment, intention, behavior, and reflection—concepts that a moral agent’s character exhibits, which are bound by the situation or context. Each com- ponent of the decision-making process is influenced by personal virtues such as integrity, temperance, humility, and courage, to name a few. In other words, the character of a person or a moral agent enters and influences each of these compo- nents such that any of these decision-making components can be either strength- ened by a strong character or compromised by a weak character (Nguyen Crossan, 2021). Considering the ethical role instructional designers play in crafting learning experiences or designs (Gray Boling, 2016), this particular framework could pro- vide approaches on how difficult ethical dilemmas, especially those that are bound by the context, or the different stakeholders involved from a character-based perspective. Awareness Moral awareness emerges when the moral agent recognizes an event to have moral qualities or consequences (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). One of the issues with awareness is that the dominant culture and their respective expectations can be preferred over other ethical values. In the instructional design field, this could be the case when the design targets a primary culture’s values by possibly omitting other cultural considerations. Even worse, what is considered ethical or acceptable for the primary culture might not be ethical or the optimal choice for other cultures. As an example, if a character-training for a religion-based organization promotes certain character traits or even language that are particular to that religion, the training may not be as effective for learners who do not share a similar background or even for the instructional designer if they subscribe to a different set of values or ethics. In addition, the aforementioned designer’s bias—the designer’s own unconscious biases and beliefs—can also have an impact on the learning experience. Being aware of the context and ethical underpinnings requires a knowledge of what actions are possible and what parties are involved as well as what resulting consequences might occur. When the character of the moral agent is involved, the perspective of the moral agent could be more proactive rather than a passive one. Still, the ethical questions or dilemmas may not be easy to resolve or even define in the first place. How should an instructional designer handle the challenging task of Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
24 becoming aware of the existing ethical dilemmas, possible solutions, or their own biases in the first place? Within the context of character-infused virtue ethics frame- work, instructional designers’ strong character traits and their belief in universally accepted virtues such as being able to empathize with all parties, trying to under- stand different viewpoints, and coming from a place of compassion for the learners as well as acknowledgment of diversity could result in better awareness for immedi- ate training concerns as well as future design challenges. This character strength could also be developed since moral awareness is not a one-time occurrence but rather an emerging process (Monin Jordan, 2009; Nguyen Crossan, 2021), which means a moral agent can and should revisit the issue from different angles at different points. Instructional designers can immerse themselves in different cul- tures and viewpoints, solicit learner feedback, and seek formative evaluations to create awareness of cultural differences (Rogers et al., 2007) not only for one instance but rather on an ongoing basis. Judgment Judgment is “the deliberation of the possible courses of action and deciding which course is morally right” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 11). Moral judgment is heav- ily affected by the context, as well as the activation and prioritization of certain norms. The characteristics of the issues, as well as the context, can also activate particular values and schemas associated with certain roles or identities an individ- ual has formed to influence moral judgment (Nguyen Crossan, 2021). The crucial question is how a person makes changes or takes the presumably right course of action while exercising judgment once they become aware of a moral dilemma. A character-infused virtue ethics framework is based on the assumption that vir- tues are universally accepted for humans’ well-being and betterment. One’s charac- ter can help the moral agent in responding to the contextual influences by reprojecting which values need to be emphasized by preferring virtuous values over non-virtuous ones. However, one crucial point is that personal moral values alone are not enough to make judgments; rather, judgments should be based on universal virtues. Judgment, especially ethical judgment, is a part of the intersectional role that an instructional designer assumes in considering the need to create learning experi- ences that meet learner needs as well as organizational needs. An example would be a character training setting where a certain promoted moral value or character trait/ behavior has negative connotations for some learners. An instructional designer should exercise judgment on how to navigate the components of such training. Judgment is also crucial, especially when an instructional designer lacks the neces- sary cultural awareness to be able to create a well-designed character training for learners. Instructional designers, as needed in all professions where judgment is needed, must apply practical wisdom or judgment to determine how it should be applied in particular situations and when departures are warranted (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Thiele, 2006). P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
25 The character of an instructional designer also plays an important role in respond- ing to contextual influences in terms of determining which values an individual should serve by highlighting and prioritizing universal and virtuous values. If instructional designers possess an internalized knowledge of universal virtues and can incorporate these virtues (such as courage, humanity, integrity, etc.), the result- ing character training could appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Intention and Behavior Ethical intention refers to the planned action or what an individual has in mind to do (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). As in judgment and awareness, universal virtues are an important part of one’s intention, as individuals who possess strong, virtuous values are more likely to integrate these universal values into their practice. Intention may not always be purely ethical since situational forces can some- times require the selection of non-universal values over moral ones. As an example, in character training development, an organization could mandate an instructional designer create training based on organizational values. Instructional designers can often comply with organizational mandates and values by preferring the values of organizations/institutions over potentially more inclusive or universal values. This preference is, in fact, a challenge to a character as it might lead to “a lobotomy of personal character” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 12). One of the strengths of character-­ based virtue ethics is that a moral agent with a strong character should be able to distinguish universal values from other values. Though this is a difficult act, which might require an instructional designer to determine what inclusive character training looks like and move the organization in a particular direction, the character can be influential in terms of choosing the moral course of action to take. Intention alone, however, is not the sole or the main factor when it comes to act- ing or demonstrating moral behavior. Past habituated behaviors could have more impact on subsequent behaviors than intentions or conscious decisions. These behaviors, through repetition, could become the norm. It takes courage and a strong character to form good habits and practice moral behavior; in other words, moral virtues should be an important part of an individual’s identity (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). The intention of a moral agent and the courage to follow through the moral inten- tions could also be related to awareness; being aware of moral dilemmas and exhib- iting moral actions within a particular context are key to ethical decision making. For an instructional designer, ethical behavior is the visible part of a training or learning experience where the designer can incorporate their understanding of uni- versal virtues into character education training. The end product or learning solu- tion, therefore, exhibits the embodied values of an instructional designer. The challenge is incorporating organizational values while complying with core ethical values. It is improbable that a subjective piece of training such as character training can be designed by attaining ethical perfection. But it’s only when the virtues are an Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
26 important part of an instructional designer’s own identity they can exhibit these moral values. Reflection Reflection is perhaps one of the most important components of the ethical decision- making process, which “brings the moral agent to the fore by recognizing that the agent has a choice to make, including the boundaries of the choice” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 16). Through the reflection process, an instructional designer can realize the role of a dominant culture and promoted values in character training, their own biases, poten- tial different ways to approach character training, and possibly hidden connotations for different learners. Reflection also symbolizes a point of departure, which means that an instructional designer can step out of the default way of viewing the givens of a situation and can step outside and take a critical look at the work that has been done or the way things have always been done within an organization. According to Luppicini (2003), an instructional designer should reflect on “the design processes and products, the design situation, and the implication of self and others in the design” (p. 78). It is especially important to pose questions such as, “What is the role of others involved?” “What do I think of myself and my role in practice?” and “What do others think about my design work?” This reflective pro- cess can help an instructional designer to become aware of different ways of think- ing about the design and in situations where implicit knowledge is embedded in the particularity of the social context. (Luppicini, 2003). Conclusion This chapter provided a brief overview of ethical dilemmas encountered by instruc- tional designers within the context of organizational constraints and mandates, instructional designers’ own inherent ethical values and cultural stance, as well as learner needs. The issues that arise from this intersectionality become even more visible in character education design, which in itself is a highly subjective area. As a potential framework to reconsider some of the dilemmas, the character-infused decision-making approach based on virtue ethics proposed by Nguyen and Crossan (2021) was presented in this paper. Instructional designers’ own character traits and approaches to virtues based on the main constructs of virtue ethics (awareness, judgment, intention and behavior, reflection) were discussed in the context of some of the dilemmas faced by instructional designers. It could be concluded that perhaps what is most needed is for the instructional designer to pursue excellence in the character trait of wisdom, i.e., the ability to discern the right actions in any given situation (Athanassoulis, 2018). Although the ethical dilemmas will always remain P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
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29 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2016). Virtue Ethics. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 11, 2021. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-­virtue/ Thiele, L. P. (2006). The heart of judgment: Practical wisdom, neuroscience, and narrative. Cambridge University Press. Thomas, M. K. (2003). Designers’ Dilemmas. TechTrends, 47(6), 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/ BF02763282 Thomas, M., Marlon Mitchell, R. J. (2002). The third dimension of ADDIE: A cultural embrace. TechTrends, 46(2), 40–45. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
31 Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez, Elisabeth Babcock McBrien, and Christine Scott Learning design in its broader meaning encompasses several professional and cre- ative practices used to create, develop, implement, evaluate, and adapt educational resources and technologies to improve learning (Wagner, 2021). Considering that learning design focuses on “learner enablement regardless of where, when, or with whom our design efforts will be taking place” (Wagner, 2021, para. 2), we recog- nize that making learning design more inclusive requires us to challenge current design approaches and perspectives to address the needs of diverse students. In designing learning experiences, there are multiple opportunities to create environments, resources, activities, technologies, and strategies to support diverse students. Designing inclusive learning environments means that the instructional choices acknowledge, value, and build upon a rich set of knowledge, skills, back- grounds, interests, and experiences that students bring to the learning environment. When learners’ various identities (e.g., gender, linguistic, culture) become the anchors for a learning design, the learning environment consists of a robust system that supports students (Gronseth et al., 2021). Adopting an approach that prioritizes the connection between learning design1 and student identities can impact students’ success positively. In fact, research 1 For the purpose of this chapter, and considering that learning design encompasses a broader set of educational practices, we use learning design to refer to the development of online and blended learning experiences rather than instructional design. However, for the role that an individual may have in relation to the educational practices, we use a specific term to differentiate the scope of their roles (e.g., instructor, instructional designer). N. J. Cherrez (*) · E. B. McBrien · C. Scott Oregon State University – Ecampus, Corvallis, OR, USA e-mail: nadia.jaramillo@oregonstate.edu © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_3
32 shows the importance of professional development in raising instructor self-­ awareness of the different social identities that students and instructors themselves have, the challenges in addressing student diversity, and the implications of a fixed-­ mindset (O’Leary et al., 2020). In this chapter, we present an asset-based approach to raise such awareness in order to help faculty embrace the diversity of their students. Perspectives on Inclusive Learning Design A number of approaches have emerged to design inclusive educational environ- ments and address the diversity of students. These approaches include but are not limited to universal design for learning (UDL) and culturally responsive pedagogies (CRP). ​​ For instance, designing learning environments to support student unique- ness is the premise of the UDL framework (Dalton et al., 2019; Hall et al., 2012). This framework recognizes the diversity of students’ social identities which should be the norm and guide to design an inclusive learning experience (Hall et al., 2012). Research has demonstrated that UDL is an effective approach for designing flexible learning and accessible content (Al-Azawei et al., 2016), and promoting academic and social engagement (Katz, 2013). UDL was initially developed for supporting students with disabilities, but more recent efforts have focused on “plus-one” uses of UDL to go beyond accessibility and extend its use to more broadly address the intersectional nature of learners’ identities (Tobin Behling, 2018). In the quest to support diverse learners through inclusive learning design, discus- sions have turned to students’ backgrounds (e.g., culture, socio-economic status, sexuality, immigration, and linguistic heritage). These characteristics have often been viewed through a deficit lens—as problems to solve—in the form of language deficits and cultural otherness (Surtees, 2019) rather than from an asset perspective which regards these differences as strengths. Concerns about deficient views in the learning environment have led scholars to connect UDL to CRP, which argue that students from culturally diverse backgrounds must be supported in their learning with content and strategies that reflect that diversity (Gay, 2010). When used together, UDL and CRP go beyond responding to students’ diversity of skills and learning preferences; they value and incorporate students’ cultural diversity—lin- guistic, background, and norms (Bass Lawrence-Riddell, 2020; James, 2018; Kieran Anderson, 2019). This multidimensional approach supports a shift towards building upon students’ potential and capacities. Students’ language and cultural background only partially explain the intersec- tion of identity and positionality informing and motivating all participants in the learning environment. We should turn our attention to instructors and instructional designers who also play a substantial role in learning design. Given that instructors are responsible for instructional choices, it is imperative to support their profes- sional development in inclusive teaching. A body of research has shown that peda- gogical training can motivate STEM faculty to adopt teaching practices that foster N. J. Cherrez et al.
33 equitable and culturally responsive environments, and thus, contributing to student learning success (O’Leary et al., 2020). In addition, developing self-awareness and empathy for students as well as recognizing our own privileges contribute to inclu- sive pedagogy (Dewsbury Brame, 2019; Kachani et al., 2020). While student identity should be built into the learning design, we should also consider the instructors’ own positionality and identity: culture, language, gender identity, class, ability status, nationality, etc., and how these may influence their instructional choices. Instructors and instructional designers need to extend the notion of the complexity of our social identities to ourselves. How does the inter- play between all of these factors impact instructional choices and influence our own approach to course design? How do we recognize and acknowledge the assets that diverse students bring to the class and leverage those assets to create a truly inclu- sive learning space? In examining this, we offer a practical guide to go beyond self-­ awareness and approach self-interrogation grounded in the assumption of student diversity as an asset—an essential prerequisite for fostering a mindset for inclu- sive design. Self-Interrogation as a Catalyst for Inclusivity Creating educational opportunities to counteract educational inequalities requires us to first examine our own beliefs to begin cultivating a mindset that embraces learning design as a quest for social justice. To begin this quest, we must acknowl- edge the intersectional nature of identity and positionality before attempting to describe student needs. Our own social and cultural identities and perspectives can take a central, yet unconscious, role in designing and teaching blended and online courses. Let’s take culture, which is a complex concept, as an example. Many of our values, norms, and behavioral expectations are cultural and unconscious (Hall, 1976). While several frameworks have been used to develop an understanding of culture, these are limited in two ways. First, they make assumptions about particular groups and contexts. For instance, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have serious limi- tations when used to explain other people’s behavior based on their country of ori- gin (Långstedt, 2018). Therefore, using them to understand others is problematic. While we recognize the importance of cultural frameworks to help situate the con- text for a learning environment, we suggest these frameworks be used to examine one’s own culture and not to make generalizations about others; we suggest allow- ing individuals to describe themselves and their cultures, unbound by popu- lar models. In thinking about culture and language, therefore, we should use intentional reflection to interrogate our own preconceptions to illuminate our unconscious beliefs about and expectations for normative behaviors such as personal lifestyles, knowledge constructions, and individual values. While self-awareness may help in becoming more cognizant of our own feelings, emotions, and actions, its connection to the introspective “why” appears to be ineffective and may lead to more negative Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
34 attitudes (Eurich, 2018). Instead, Eurich proposes to focus on “what” –a question that likely empowers us “to act on our new insights” (para. 26). However, to illumi- nate our unconscious beliefs, we should look beyond leaping from introspection to actions without critically questioning our own preconceptions. This implies a will- ingness to examine aspects of ourselves honestly in an effort to reveal how our assumptions influence our course design choices. Self-interrogation, thus, becomes critical to create welcoming, meaningful, and connected learning experiences for all students, and in particular for students whose cultural and linguistic backgrounds differ from a Western-centric worldview favored and promoted in many academic contexts. Thus, we argue that without an inten- tional and systematic process to examine differences in expectations, norms, behav- iors, and our identities and positionality, we may perceive a violation of classroom norms, punish a student who is operating from a different set of expectations, and see students as holding a deficiency. As instructional designers, we believe it is our responsibility to engage in this process with our instructors, content developers, and colleagues to continuously conduct a self-interrogation process—develop a mindset to scrutinize our norms, behaviors, values, approaches, through questioning our design choices. Dimensions of an Inclusive Learning Design Mindset In developing a mindset for inclusive learning design, we ground our approach on a process of self-interrogation on our own expectations and positionality before mak- ing decisions around pedagogical choices and instructional materials. In this sec- tion, we present our practical guide with four critical aspects of learning design for examination. Those involved in learning design can make use of this guide consid- ering their specific contexts and resources at hand. At the end of this section, see Table 1 for guiding reflective questions. Interaction and Communication How do we develop meaningful, mutually-respected, and effective interaction and communication with students? Interaction and communication are critical in all learning modalities, especially in online and blended learning environments, and carry implications for both students and instructors (Roddy et al., 2017). For instruc- tors, these modes of instruction pose challenges related to the kinds of interaction and communication patterns to be integrated into the course. One way to address these challenges is to begin with an acknowledgement that, regardless of the mode of delivery, power dynamics between students and instructors exist (e.g., through grades, assignments, delivery of instruction). Instructors can examine their concerns about interacting with students and the types of interactions that are necessary for N. J. Cherrez et al.
35 Table 1 Inclusive mindset approach guiding questions Asset-based Curious Defining expectations Flexible Description Alignment with Four Critical Aspects of Design a Take an asset-based perspective on student performance (not a deficit perspective). (1, 2, 3) Recognize the cultural capital that each student brings to the course. (1, 2) Curious, not assuming. (1,2) Curious about students’ lives and experiences. (1, 2) Invite your students to share their expectations. (1, 2, 3, 4) Share your expectations with your students. (1, 2, 3, 4) Define terms and symbols used in the course and your discipline. Understanding the words and symbols in a discipline can increase a sense of belonging to those new to the field. (1, 3) Model proper usage of copyrighted materials (images, texts), including such licensing as Creative Commons. (1, 4) Flexible but structured. (1) Alternative assessments. (3, 4) Choices with technology. (4) Flexible cost: Open Educational Resources (OERs) are used when possible, with options for a free e-text or purchase of a paper textbook. (4) (continued) Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
36 Asset-based Curious Defining expectations Flexible Guiding Questions While it is easy to see what skills a student hasn’t mastered yet, how well do I acknowledge what a student is doing right?When students have unique experiences that differ from my own, do I automatically see those as potential strengths in the community of learners? What kinds of design choices will show that I value students? Can I see students’ linguistic systems as assets and allow for translanguaging? What can I do to better understand why some students are considered deviant from “good” language?How willing am I to interrogate the systems that ask for language that adheres to academic dispositions of each discipline? How much do I know about the multilingual capacities and multiple literacies of students? How can the course design make use of these multiple assets to level the ground for all students in my class? Do my course materials reflect a global society and diverse contexts and perspectives, or do the course materials mainly focus on the context of my own society or community? What assumptions about cultural background knowledge or shared value systems do the images in the course reveal? Do I invite students to connect the course content to their own lives and prior knowledge? What labels are used to describe student backgrounds (gender, cultural heritage, national origin, linguistic background, etc.), and are these labels chosen by the students themselves, or were the labels imposed on them?How does my own identity and positionality affect my design choices? Can the cultural and linguistic assets of students be weaved in their assignments? Are assessments relatable for a diverse range of students? What knowledge are we assessing, and what kind of knowledge is valuable to students? Have I checked to see if there are regions of the world where a tool I am requiring is not available due to censorship or other reasons? Am I assessing a student’s use of a prestige dialect (Academic English, for example) without explicitly teaching those skills, and how does that uphold systems of oppression? Is mastering a prestige dialect part of the learning outcomes of this course? Do I realize that ideas about what intellectual property is and what can be owned, bought and sold, can vary within a culture and across cultures? In what ways do I model my expectations around usage of copyrighted images and texts in my course? In what ways do I specify these expectations to students? In what ways do I impose my own cultural expectations on others?Do I assume students are familiar with the technology used in this course? How do I see interaction and communication in the context of group work? How is knowledge gained and evaluated in my discipline? Is there room for innovation and challenging the norm? What assumptions about background knowledge, literacy/academic skills, and digital skills guide the complexity of our assignments? If the use of digital tools is critical for learning and assessments, what kinds of information do these tools require me and students to share? How are these tools monetizing learning as opposed to advancing it? Do I invite students to voice feedback to me only, or do I also facilitate alternate routes for students to form communities with whom they feel comfortable sharing their voice? Do I provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their mastery? How do I respond to students who want to opt out of a technology item out of privacy concerns? Do I encourage students to use all of their linguistic resources (rather than English only) during the writing process? How willing am I to listen to students about the ways they would like to be evaluated? Even further, can students be co-designers of assessments? Do the assessments offer flexibility and choice that empowers students and enhances the learning experience? Does the flexibility I offer exist within a sound and thoughtfully designed course structure? a (1) Interaction and Communication, (2) Representation, (3) Assessments, (4) Technology for Ethical Design Table 1 (continued) N. J. Cherrez et al.
37 knowledge construction within the discipline. When designing participation and interaction guidelines or crafting feedback, we should consider that both the content of feedback and the method of delivery impact students’ sense of self-efficacy and beliefs (Hyland, 2013). For communication in particular, be aware of the multiple formats available (e.g., audio, video, text). These various modalities afford unique features that can enhance or misrepresent meaning. For instance, emphasis on writ- ten communication in online environments further increases the potential for misin- terpretations of intended meaning. However, by responding to student work through multiple means (e.g., eliciting anonymous student feedback), we can alleviate issues related to power distance perceptions (Milheim, 2017). Representation What is the value and the impact of content and language representation on stu- dents’ learning experience? Student perception of a lack of multicultural content in a course directly affects their participation and learning (Liu et al., 2010). Instructors and instructional designers can increase multicultural representation by critically questioning materials choices, thereby revealing whether the content presents a diversity of contexts and perspectives or whether the visual representations make assumptions about certain groups of people. We cannot assume that all students will evaluate the significance of the content and images through the same lens. Linguistic representation is also key. In taking a self-reflective stance, designers of learning experiences should problematize the contextual and societal circum- stances in which students from language-minority communities are marginalized. If we fail to ask ourselves hard questions about hierarchical systems that privilege those with dominant academic discourses, we fail students whose academic dis- courses are varied and shaped by their linguistic and cultural identities. An impor- tant goal in seeking social justice in education is to shift the deficiency-based perspective ascribed to multilingual students and multidialectal students whose lan- guage practices are considered problematic and in need of being fixed (Flores, 2021). Rather, we can capitalize on the linguistic diversity of our students by encouraging the use of all linguistic resources at their disposal. One strategy to achieve this is through translanguaging (Garcia Wei, 2014), which invites stu- dents to manage certain academic content in their first language or with a combina- tion of languages. Combining two or more languages to express an idea in a more meaningful way, using a second language for confirmation checks, or sharing rele- vant words in another language that may not have an equivalent in the course lan- guage are all examples of this approach (Hamman et al., 2018). Another example of this is allowing students to create journal entries or word maps in any language or combination of languages, if they so choose. Students could also be encouraged to take a global perspective and explore the publications of scholars whose works are in a language other than English if it is one that the student also speaks. The purpose of this linguistic flexibility is to facilitate a deeper level of cognitive engagement Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
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less money and paying debts. This made times better for the eastern workmen. Both the western and eastern co-operators were working on the same principles. They were all accumulating funds to purchase land, and just in proportion as the people acquired control over business they had more influence on legislation, and the power of money was correspondingly decreased. So it seems, I said, that your business organization did at last get into politics! Yes, said Norrena, it did get into politics as a business influence and what may seem strange to you, its object was to prevent the repeal of laws which had been enacted in the interest of the money monopolists. These shrewd financiers, raised a great outcry against combinations among producers to increase the price of products by using interchangeable certificates of deposit instead of money, in the transaction of business. The people were using the same methods for the improvement of their own financial condition that had been used so successfully by monopolists for their impoverishment, and the Patrons demanded that all the laws that had been enacted in favor of monopoly should remain on the statute books. They further demanded that all debts should be payable in legal tender money at the option of the debtor. I should have thought, I said, that the people would be glad to welcome the repeal of laws from which they had suffered so much. There was a time when they would, said Norrena, but not after they had adjusted their business relations to the operation of monopoly laws. Their debts were legally payable in money, and as the purchasing power of money was continually decreasing, it was to their interest to pay in money, and when all their debts were paid and the people refused any longer to take money for their products, the money kings who owned these vaults and their hoards of gold had to go in search of food. Many found homes in the co-operative communities and became valuable citizens, while a larger number had taken the alarm and emigrated to the Old World, only to meet a
worse fate a little later on, for in the less enlightened parts of the world, the Reign of Gold wound up in a Reign of Terror. The lesson taught by these ruins would fill volumes. Norrena's accurate historical knowledge and ever ready explanations, with the not less forcible comments of Oqua and others, covered every phase of this wonderful, speedy and peaceful evolution from the Era of Money Despotism to the Era of Man and Universal Freedom, Equality and Fraternity. No wonder, I thought, that these people had preserved the ruins of Kroy as a relic of their Dark Ages and a warning to humanity for all time to come. Here, human selfishness reigned supreme and the people of an entire continent had suffered in order to pour into this greedy maw the wealth which it had no power to consume. And now, this once great center of wealth, pride and fashion, was a solitude. Its aristocratic four hundred had actually been starved out by the refusal of the clodhoppers, greasy mechanics and mudsills, whom they had held in such contempt, to feed and clothe them any longer. Surely this was an object lesson well worthy of the care that had been taken to preserve it from the refining and civilizing hand of labor. Time was slowly obliterating these foot prints of a tyranny from which the people had been emancipated for ages, but it was still important that it should not be entirely forgotten, and there could be no better reminder of the evil that had impoverished and degraded the millions, as well as of the means by which it had been removed, than these ruins and the abandoned heaps of useless gold. After a day among the ruins, and full of serious reflections, we returned to the Silver King and were soon speeding down the bay. We landed at the tower, and from this point the electric cars soon transported us to our great communal home. I was fatigued and retired to my own apartment at once, to think and rest.
CHAPTER XV. Home again—Letter from Bona Dea—Electric garments—Reporter's phonograph—Testing the new airship—A World's Council—Wallaroo on Evolution—The ideals planted by Missionaries—The Eolus— Preparations for return to America—Excursion to the far North—The Watch Tower—Symbolic representation—The Farewell—The revelation to Ganoe—Cassie! Cassie! Come back! Come back! EXT morning at the breakfast table Oqua informed me that a package and letter from Bona Dea to my address, had arrived at an early hour but that it had not been delivered, as they did not wish to disturb my rest. It had been retained in the office subject to my order when I was ready to receive it. This recalled to my mind a private conversation I had with Bona Dea at Orbitello, and I surmised that her communication might have reference to that; but I was at a loss to form any opinion in regard to the package. She had told me that one of the inmates of the
Home at Lake Byblis was paying especial attention to the formation of an ideal mental picture of life and its conditions in the frozen regions. And to that end her apartments had been fitted up to represent winter scenery, and to make the impression more realistic she was provided with a refrigerator room where she subjected herself to low temperatures and was testing the heat conserving powers of various qualities of clothing. When breakfast was over I called at the office and received a large bundle, neatly wrapped and securely sealed. The address was Jack Adams, No. 1, care Nequa. This was a poser. The communication was in the official envelope of the Home and I hastened to my room, so that if need be I could have the aid of a lexicon in the translation. But when I opened it, somewhat to my surprise, I found it was written in English. Being appropriate as a part of this narrative, I insert it in full. Matrons' Home, Lake Byblis, March 1, 6894, A.M. My Dear Nequa:—On returning to the Home, I related to Meidra, the Arctic pupil of whom I told you, the substance of our conversation, and explained to her what you suggested in regard to electric garments as a means of conserving the natural heat of the body when exposed to severe cold. She informed me that she had been experimenting on that line and had succeeded in making a suit that proved to be an ample protection from the greatest cold that her refrigerator is capable of producing. She sends you this electric suit, with the request that you test it in your proposed voyage to the southern verge. She further requests me to tell you that she does not intend to permit you to deprive this inner world of the honor of having a Jack Adams among its great navigators and explorers by your simply taking advantage of one of our customs to change your name to such a feminine cognomen as Nequa. Both she and Tanqua are anxious to make your acquaintance. Meidra says that your image is
indelibly impressed on her mind by your photograph. She has an enlarged reproduction of your picture as a prominent feature in her room, and from this she reads a most admirable character. The people of the entire concave are aroused to the importance of your efforts to open up a channel of communication with the outer world. All the Grand Divisions want to participate in the honor and to that end each one has appointed a member to act with a representative from Altruria, and constitute an Inner-World Council to assist in every way possible. It has been agreed that Norrena shall represent this country and I am authorized to request you to make a date for the first meeting of the Council, as soon as possible after your trial voyage in search of a storm, as Battell expressed it. Please advise me as soon as you return, when it will suit you best to have these Inner-World Representatives call upon you, and oblige Your many friends, Bona Dea. I opened the bundle and found a beautifully quilted silk suit, soft and pliable, but of firm texture, with sandals, gloves, head-dress and visor to match. It also contained a small inlaid jewel case with a key in the lock. I opened this and found, as I supposed a beautiful locket in which I expected to see a picture of the donor, but it proved to be a delicate piece of machinery with printed instructions, which informed me that it was a phonograph for the especial use of reporters. When wound up it recorded on silver foil every word spoken. This was something new and I recalled to mind that I had frequently talked to people who wore similar lockets. Now I had found put that they probably preserved a record of every word I said, and I wondered if I had said anything that I would not like to have repeated. With people wearing lockets of this description, I realized how important it was for all to be very careful what they said; and certainly the people of this country are the most circumspect and exact in their statements, of any people with whom I have ever met.
Just as I had finished the examination of the phonograph, the bell called my attention to my private telephone, and I was requested to meet Battell at the boatyard on the roof, prepared for a flight through the air on his new airship and to take some lessons in its management. This was just what I wanted, and in a minute the elevator had landed me on the roof. I found Battell, Huston, Polaris and Dione, together with Iola, MacNair and Oqua, ready for a ride in the new airship. It was beautifully finished but much more substantial than the light airy vessels to which I had become accustomed. I complimented Battell upon its appearance, but he was too matter-of-fact to appreciate anything that might look like flattery and said with his usual honest bluntness: It is not the appearance that we care anything about, but the sailing qualities. And so far as this climate is concerned we have made decided improvements in this particular. The sailing qualities are such, that everyone wants an improved airship, all at the same time. The demand is so pressing that Captain Ganoe and myself are in honor bound to these people, to give our entire attention to supplying the world with these improvements for at least a year to come. So we have concluded to turn the whole matter over to you, of constructing a vessel that will meet the requirements of an Arctic storm. But, I asked, why should you give up this work, now that you have it so far completed, into my inexperienced hands? I should think that your improvements could be duplicated by native mechanics. So they might, said Battell, but they want all their factories readjusted, and the same improved methods of manufacture which have been introduced at Lake Byblis. Besides we could not have completed the work without your assistance. It was just as important that you should test our improvements in the conditions existing at the verges, as it was for us to manufacture them. These EXTERNAL WORLD METHODS of testing everything by ACTUAL
EXPERIMENT are absolutely necessary when we come to deal with EXTERNAL WORLD CONDITIONS. A department of the factory at Byblis has been set apart for you, where your plans and specifications will be speedily worked out. But, I asked, how can they be worked out as they should be by mechanics who know absolutely nothing about EXTERNAL WORLD CONDITIONS, such as Polar waves, Arctic storms, hurricanes and cyclones which are produced by EXTERNAL influences not existing in this INTERNAL WORLD? Will Captain Ganoe and yourself, with your external world experience and observation be there to superintend the work? Yes, I will be there, said Battell, but I want to thank you now for so forcibly presenting the reasons why the people of the inner world are anxious to avail themselves of our outer world experience in adapting their airships to outer world conditions. You certainly would not deprive them of this when they have given us so much that is indispensable to the physical, mental and moral uplifting of the people who live in the external world? It is these considerations which have influenced our decision to yield to their wishes. Whenever these people who live in this Internal World of Truth, as MacNair calls it, where an Altruistic love for humanity is the controlling impulse, see an improvement, they all want it immediately because it will enable them to do more good to others and of course we could not honorably refuse to assist them to the fullest extent of our ability. Certainly not, I said. That puts the matter in an entirely new light; but it also leaves to me, with my comparative inexperience, the whole responsibility of constructing a storm and cold proof ship. For this, I have no experience as a mechanic, and am but poorly qualified. My duties on shipboard have always been in some capacity that did not stimulate my mechanical faculties, if I have any. As an assistant to Captain Ganoe and yourself I thought there might be a place for me, but as to my ability to take the lead, I have my doubts.
I do not see how I am to get along without your co-operation and counsel. You will certainly have that, said Battell This is a country of rapid transit and we shall get together at regular intervals to compare notes. Besides, we will have the assistance of an Inner-World Association, whose representatives will constitute an Inner-World Council of the most earnest spirits, who are anxious to unite the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL worlds by opening a channel of INTER- COMMUNICATION and cultivating a mutual spirit of fraternal regard and co-operation between the two. I have thought much along these lines and realize how necessary these two great worlds are to each other and how important that the leading spirits of both should come together and work with one accord for the highest possible development of both. And that is just what they must do, said Oqua. But let us test your new ship at once and confer in regard to the work we have in hand at the same time. Thus prompted, we embarked, Battell applied the power and we began to ascend. Every required motion of the vessel had its appropriate propelling power which was under perfect control. No turning around was necessary. The new ship could dart in any given direction, at the will of the operator. I took my place at the helm with Battell and after a little practice found that I could handle it without difficulty. To me its management was much more simple than the old style which could only move in one direction. This facility with which the direction could be changed was the essential feature in order to be able to ride the storms and nullify the influence of the contending air currents which would be a constant source of danger in the outer world. In fancy, I pictured myself in a storm with sudden changes in the direction of the wind, and suiting the action to the thought I set the vessel to dodging and gyrating in every direction to the no little alarm of our Altrurian friends who had no conception of the conditions of an external world bluster.
Hold on Jack! exclaimed Battell. Don't shake the life out of us. Wait until you get into an actual storm and then dodge as rapidly as may be necessary, but there is no need of it here. I was just thinking, I said, what motions might be necessary in a regular bluster, to hold the ship steady on her course. I really feel anxious to try it, and believe that I can literally ride the storm like the petrel in such a ship as I fully believe can be made. Well, you can try as soon as you like, said Battell. I see you understand the management and I leave you to test it to your heart's content. Find all the deficiencies you can and let us know what changes may be needed, and they will be made to the best of our ability. We will now return to your home, borrow one of your old fashioned ships and return to our work at Byblis. Well, do not send it back, said Oqua, until it is remodeled according to the latest improvements. Your Department of Exchange, said Battell, has already sent in a general order for improved airships to replace those of the old style, which in effect means, that they shall all be remodeled on application. So we will send you an improved ship as soon as it can be made. It was now the second day of March and I had set my heart on getting ready to start for the outer world by the latter part of May or the first of June, so there was no time to be wasted. I determined to leave at once on my experimental voyage to the southern verge and announced my intentions to Oqua, requesting her to represent me during my absence and any arrangements that she made in my name would be satisfactory. What! she exclaimed. Do you propose to go alone? I thought Battell intended that two of your sailors should go with you? So he did, I replied, and at that time I thought I would need them, but since I have tried the vessel, I have come to the conclusion that I had better go alone. As Battell left without referring to the matter, I shall act upon the presumption that he had changed
his mind, just as he did in regard to completing a storm and cold proof airship. But, said Oqua, your journey will take a week or ten day's travel at the least, and how can you stand the constant attention to the helm without rest? No fears on that score, I said. Very much of the time will be spent in this serene atmosphere. I need only set the helm in the right direction and I can rest until I find stormy conditions. Then I will surely be able to experiment with the ship for a few hours. Oqua, seeing that I was determined, helped me to get ready. I took sufficient supplies for three weeks, although I did not expect to be gone half of that time. The trip was most interesting but I have no room to describe the voyage. Sufficient to say that I found storm conditions and intense cold much sooner than I expected. My electric garments proved to be a perfect success, but I discovered a number of deficiencies in the ship. I returned in just eight days and presented a written report, and specifications for necessary changes. Battell assured me that the new vessel should be ready for another trial journey as soon as possible. I had notified Norrena, that I would be pleased to meet the World Council at my own apartments on the fifteenth, and I was back from the southern verge on the tenth, ready to place my discoveries before them. Promptly at the time indicated, Captains Ganoe and Battell with our usual circle of Altrurian friends were present in the Council Chamber of the home, ready to receive our guests, and in a few minutes Norrena arrived with the representatives from the other Grand Divisions. He introduced them as Hylas of Atlan, Lal Roy of Budistan, Wallaroo of Noxuania and LeFroy of the Austral Isles. Coming as they did from all the Grand Divisions of the world, I expected to see people of widely different physical appearance and mental characteristics, but in this I was mistaken. While they showed marked differences, there were no such contrasts as we find between different races in the outer world. In complexion they ranged from blonde to a dark brunette, all spoke the same language,
expressed similar sentiments and in features and general deportment seemed to be building toward a common type. I made a report of my trial trip to the southern verge and also of our plans and specifications for the further improvement of the airship, that we believed would make it storm and cold proof. As these people knew practically nothing of the conditions of the frigid zones they accepted what we had to offer without criticism. They expressed themselves as highly gratified that they had with them experienced navigators who were familiar with the frozen regions and who knew what was needed in order to open up a channel of communication. At this meeting it was definitely determined that we should meet again on April 15th, which interval Battell assured us would give me an opportunity to report on another trial trip, to test the additional improvements which had been found desirable. That I should go ahead with the work of preparation in my own way, and when I was satisfied that the time had come to cross the Ice Barriers I should fix the date, so that the Council could arrange for an excursion to the most northern point of the continent of Altruria where the Life Saving Service had a signal station at an ancient watch tower that had been erected in pre-historic times. After our business meeting had closed, the representatives from the Old World plied us with questions concerning the outer world which we answered to the best of our ability. Finding that they were not a bit backward about questioning I was emboldened to ask, how it was that all the representatives from the different countries seemed to have been selected from the same race of people, while I had learned from Altrurian history that the same races of men had existed here that existed in the outer world. That was the case in ancient times, said Wallaroo of Noxuania, but at this time we have practically only one race of people in the inner world.
Here is a mystery, I said, that I would like very much to have explained. How is it that they have all merged into one type, ranging in complexion from blonde to brunette? My own explanation, said Wallaroo, is, that identity of ideals and similarity of conditions naturally lead to similarity of development, as in accordance with natural law the race is always building in the direction of its ideals. That is certainly, I said, a scientific proposition, but it does not explain why blonde, for instance, should ever become an ideal complexion among the dark races. How do you account for it? Your question, said Wallaroo, is one that should be carefully studied in the light of science and history, in order to be understood. One thing is certain, that the early inhabitants of my own country, Noxuania, were very dark, ranging from brown to black, while at present, brunette is the rule and blonde is not uncommon. But how, I asked, do you account for the change? My opinion, said Wallaroo, is that the influence of the white missionaries created a new ideal in the minds of the people and especially in the minds of the mothers, who almost worshiped them. But how is this? I asked. In the outer world, the dark races very often persecute and destroy the white missionaries. And so they did here, said Wallaroo, before Equity was established in Altruria among white people, and another class of white missionaries were sent to the dark races. These came not to promulgate metaphysical creeds, but to bring material blessings, and establish freedom, equality and fraternity. They practiced just what they preached and wherever they went, they bestowed blessings. The people, especially the women, soon came to worship them as Saviors because they sought only to do them good on the material plane which they could appreciate, and left them to free their minds from superstition in the natural way by increasing their knowledge. It is not strange, under these circumstances, that with these children
of nature, white became the ideal color. Improved material conditions, together with a scientific education, higher ideals and ample time for development have produced all the changes which have been wrought out. I found the members of the Council from the other Grand Divisions to be highly cultured people and I looked forward to meeting them in the future with pleasure. I was especially, interested in Wallaroo and LeFroy because they represented peoples which at the introduction of the present Altruistic civilization would correspond to the people now occupying Central Africa and the South Sea Islands. Wallaroo had attributed their remarkable development as physical, mental and moral beings to the higher civilization derived from the religion of humanity regardless of creeds, that had been brought to them by the Altrurian missionaries. The more I thought of these things the more I was impressed that I must visit these countries, mingle with the people and make a close study of their history. LeFroy told me that their written history commenced with the work of the missionaries of the new civilization, but much additional knowledge had been gained from archeological and ethnological researches in the light of such pre-historic traditions as had been preserved. These missionaries did not come to promulgate doctrines of a FUTURE life but to establish conditions which would confer blessings in THIS life, such as could be appreciated on the animal plane. For this reason they were welcomed as superior beings to lead them morally and spiritually. By these glimpses of a new field of discovery that was opening up before me, I was more than ever stimulated to complete the work I had in hand which was directly applicable to the solution of the great economic problem confronting the people of the outer world. As had been promised by Battell, at the Council which met on April 15th, I was able to report the deficiencies that had been discovered in the airship by my second trial trip to the southern verge during its winter season. At this meeting it was determined to name the new vessel the Eolus, though I preferred to call it the Petrel because I had demonstrated that it could ride the storm. The time for the excursion
to the Watch Tower at the northern extremity of the continent and my departure for the outer world was fixed for the twentieth of May and the next meeting of the Council on board the Silver King on the fifteenth, while enroute. This gave me really less than one month to complete my manuscript and get everything in readiness for what I regarded as the most momentous voyage of my life. While I was enrolled as a teacher of English, and the geography, history and institutions of the outer world, I had really given all of my attention to the study of the Altrurian language, and of the manner in which the great problems now confronting my own country had been solved. Every day revealed something new or presented the old in a new light. The arts and sciences had been developed to a degree that had scarcely been dreamed of in the outer world. Psychic powers such as clairvoyance, clairaudience and telepathy, which in the outer world were classed as occult by believers, and as baseless assumptions by the multitudes, were here well understood by the many, as revealed in the fact that my disguise had been so readily penetrated by native Altrurians. But at the same time they respected my right to conceal my identity. This was a marked peculiarity of these people. The right of persons to keep a secret in their own bosoms was never questioned, and when it was discovered, as I take it for granted was usually the case, it was never alluded to. Here, my assumed character of Jack Adams, the sailor, was held in the highest esteem by the few to whom I had explained the reason for it, because it had been necessary, in order to enable me to be true to my own higher sense of right. In the outer world this would have branded me as disreputable and I would have been ostracized as something vile by the so called better classes of society. After years of wandering, exposed to the perils and hardships of a sailor's life, I had found my lost lover, only to learn from his oft expressed sentiments, that he regarded such a course of life as I had pursued as so grossly disreputable that no honorable man could afford to contract a matrimonial alliance with such a woman. For this reason I had not revealed myself to him, and now that I was soon to
leave him, the question often presented itself to my mind as to whether I ought to let him remain any longer in ignorance of the fact that Cassie VanNess had stood by his side in so many dangers. The time was at hand when this question must be decided and I determined to confer with my most intimate Altrurian friends of my own sex. Bona Dea had arrived at our Home at my invitation and Oqua and Iola were present to assist in making out a program for the excursion and my departure for the outer world. My proposed journey was of course the subject of conversation, but I wanted to draw them out in regard to the personal matter that was uppermost in my mind. I wanted their advice but did not want to be too abrupt in raising a question that was calculated to call the attention of these public spirited people away from an important public question in which they were deeply interested, to the consideration of my own private affairs. Oqua, however, soon gave me the opportunity I wanted by asking: What does Captain Ganoe think of the decision of the Council and the general consensus of the opinions of those most interested, that you should have your own way about the journey and go alone if you thought best? While he did not object, I felt quite sure that he did not approve. His heart, I said, was very much set on going himself and he expresses grave fears as to my safety, notwithstanding my excursions into the stormy regions in the vicinity of the southern verge. He knows however that it was with his consent and advice that the entire matter of opening communication with the outer world was placed in my hands and I accepted the responsibility under protest. The Council regarded my proposed expedition as too perilous to risk more than one life in the attempt. But this you know is just what I wanted for reasons of my own. As a matter of fact there is less danger than in my excursions to the southern verge. I wonder sometimes what the Captain would think if he knew that it was the little girl playmate of his boyhood days and the affianced bride of his early manhood who was bidding him adieu!
And do you not intend, asked Oqua, to reveal your identity to him in some way so that when you return, no concealments will be necessary? You know that we penetrated your disguise at once but we respected your natural right to conceal your identity, and we shall continue to do so until you are willing for us to do otherwise. But I would suggest, as an act of justice to Captain Ganoe as well as to yourself, that you ought to let him know who you are. It will doubtless awaken in his mind a train of thought that will be very beneficial to him, while it will protect you from the deteriorating effects of leading a double life. But, I said, this double life was forced upon me by causes over which I had no control and hence I do not see how it can have any deteriorating effects. That was no doubt true, interrupted Bona Dea, in the present stage of your outer world civilization, but there is no necessity for it here. And the necessity being past, the continuance of the deception might be interpreted to mean that deep down in your soul you doubted the propriety of your conduct. Disguise is perfectly legitimate as a means of self protection, but when it is unnecessary, its tendency is to cultivate duplicity, a characteristic to be carefully avoided. Hence I would advise you to adopt some method of revealing your identity to Captain Ganoe at the moment of your departure; and the more open and frank you are about it, the better will be the effect on him as well as your self. Better not wait until he penetrates your disguise for himself, something he would have done long ago, but for the fact that from his education, he is guided by external appearances instead of those more subtle impressions from which there can be no concealments. I saw the force of this kind of reasoning and determined to act accordingly, and the more I thought of it, the more determined I became to be frank, honest and kind, but strong, independent and inflexible in the assertion of my natural right to think and act for myself without having my integrity and purity of character called in question, because I preferred truth to falsehood. At first I dreaded
the denouement; but the more I reflected upon it, the more necessary it appeared, and the better I was prepared for the ordeal. The hour of my departure was near. It had been arranged that the Silver King with the delegations from the other Grand Divisions should meet the Altrurian delegation at the ruins of Kroy, and I had agreed to give Pat and Mike a ride on the Eolus, from the Ice King on Lake Byblis, and land them on the Silver King while enroute for the northern extremity of the continent. I started to the Lake early on the morning of May 15th and within an hour from my departure I was on the deck of the Ice King. I found Lief and Eric, as well as Pat and Mike, ready for the journey. As soon as I had secured some scientific instruments I wanted from the equipment of the Ice King and some personal belongings which I regarded as important, I invited the sailors on board the Eolus, and in a moment more we were mounting into the air. We sailed around the lake and gave the people an opportunity of seeing the airship that was destined for the outer world. The Eolus was not built with a view to securing greater speed but for holding its course regardless of contrary winds. In speed, however, it was capable of making considerable progress against a head wind of two hundred miles an hour. I put the ship through the various movements that it was capable of making, such as stopping suddenly, moving backward, moving sidewise and suddenly rising and falling, for the benefit of the sailors and of the numerous spectators. Mike was quick to see the advantage that the Eolus had over other airships and he remarked with enthusiasm: Well Jack, it will take a lively hurricane to drive you much from your course, but how in the world will you keep from freezing? Nothing easier, I said, as I touched a button and lighted the electric burners that were placed between the inner and outer walls. In a minute the walls were hot to the touch and the air inside became sultry.
Gracious! exclaimed Mike. You can never stand this. It will roast you. Then we will cool it, I said, as I shut off part of the burners, or if this is not enough, I will shut them all off. But, said Mike, you have it so hot now that it will take an hour to cool off. Not so, I replied. I will open the doors and start the electric fans, and suiting the action to the word, a cool breeze took the place of the sultry air. But if you want it cooler, I continued, I will bring the temperature down a point or two more, and closing the doors, I opened the refrigerator compartment and in a moment we were shivering with the cold. Well! exclaimed Mike, I never knew climate to change so rapidly. I think you have not been dodging up to the Pole and back for nothing. You seem to have provided for every emergency but one, and that is the freezing of the moisture which is already obscuring your lookouts by this manufactured dose of winter. That is provided for, I said, as I started the circular lookout glasses into motion under a specially prepared brush which absorbed the moisture. Mike noticed the disappearance of the clouds on the lookouts but did not observe the cause and looked at me inquiringly. Put your hand on the glass, I said, and it will explain itself. Well I should think it would! he exclaimed as he jerked back his hand. The whole window is just a whizzing; and now I see that the cross bar is a brush that seems to have drank up the moisture. I have tried to provide for every contingency, I said, as I turned the prow of the Eolus down the valley of the Cocytas, and put her at full speed. I regard it as a matter of the first importance that a full account of our discoveries shall be transmitted to our own country. We must join the excursion on board the Silver King as soon as we can. I want to interview as many of the representatives from other
countries as possible. I must gather all the useful knowledge I can for the benefit of the external world. That is right, said Mike, and I would be far from stopping you, but I want you to be after going slow a bit. Why what is the matter? I asked, as I checked our speed. Just this, said Mike, producing a box, it will take money in the outer world to secure the publication of your book and here is our wages from the Ice King. It is of no use to us in this country, and we want it to be used to send your book broadcast. You will see that it is divided into two parcels, one belongs to Lief and Eric and the other to Pat and myself. Here Lief broke into our conversation, speaking the Altrurian language like a native, saying: We want your book to be translated into all languages,—and it will be, just as soon as our wonderful discoveries are known in any civilised country. We particularly want our own people to hear about this country, and that we are not the first Norsemen who came here. Tell them about the old Viking, and also of the Norwegian names which are found everywhere. I have noted these things, I said, as well as the part you have taken in the expedition. How you saved the Ice King by your prompt action when we were caught in the ice, and how your ability as seamen enabled us to get through after the larger part of the crew had deserted. Oh! we ask no credit for that, said Eric. We shipped for a purpose, and have in a measure found what we were looking for. When the right time comes our people will hear from us, and when they do, we may be able to add something of value to the great work for humanity which you have undertaken. All we ask for now is, that your account of our discoveries shall be given to the outside world. And I promise you, I said, that your money shall be used for that purpose, and I fully believe that what we have learned, will be the
greatest boon that could be conferred upon the people of the outer world. In the name of humanity I accept the trust you place in my hands and I shall see that your gold shall be used to emancipate your fellow workmen from the tyranny now imposed upon them by human greed. As we sped down the valley a glass of small magnifying power brought the Silver King into view gliding northward on the bay like a thing of life. I timed the Eolus so as to join the excursion on this floating crystal palace when it passed out upon the ocean. As we slowly settled in the place that had been set apart for us, the crowds gathered around and I was kept busy answering questions and explaining the use of the various attachments which experience had demonstrated to be essential to the successful navigation of the air in the external world. This was an excursion long to be remembered. The crowds of elegantly dressed people who thronged the decks of the Silver King had gathered from every part of the concave to accompany us to the northern extremity of Altruria, a distance of about 7,000 miles from the mouth of the Cocytas. It was intended that we should cover this distance in seven days, which would make the actual time of my departure on my aerial voyage, the morning of the twenty-third of May. As the excursion was to last one full week a series of entertainments was provided to make the time pass pleasantly and profitably. Music, dancing and theatrical performances were interspersed with lectures and social converse touching upon leading subjects of thought and action. The program made this journey one ceaseless round of enjoyment. The records of the conversations preserved by my locket phonograph, I regard as the most instructive and valuable historical, scientific and ethical lessons I have ever listened to, and which I hope to be able to give to the world when the occasion requires. On the evening of the twenty-second, Oqua called my attention to the kaleidoscopic lights on the Watch Tower which was to be the point where I would bid farewell to my Altrurian friends as well as
my comrades of the Ice King. In the pitch dark nights of the outer world such an exhibition would have been beautiful and grand beyond description but even here, with the reflected light which made the darkest nights comparatively light, the scene through our glasses, of the ever changing views was such, that I never tired of observing them. These lights presented all the prismatic hues of the rainbow with the intermediate shades, continually changing from one geometrical figure to another, but always coming around to a five pointed star which is the symbol and sign manual of the material civilization of this inner world; the changing colors kept pace with the changing geometrical figures, always returning to the five pointed star, until it had been reproduced in each of the seven prismatic colors. This seemed to be the regular order, but suddenly it was broken, by giving only the stars in the seven different colors in a rapid succession, until they resolved themselves into a circle, revolving swiftly on its axis. Seeing my interest in this change, Oqua said: The keeper has just noticed our approach and is operating the keys to send us a welcome in the name of the entire concave. This welcome will be repeated by every signal station on this parallel around the world. The principal use of these lights is to send messages by means of the changing figures, which are well understood by the people of this country, and especially those who navigate these northern waters. The one great drawback to their use, is, that they must be observed through glasses which are especially adapted to this purpose. Here in this inner world where it is never absolutely dark we cannot take the full advantage of these light signals, without the use of external appliances. As she spoke she set the great telescope through which I was looking to revolving so as to take in a zone all around the concave, and I observed other signal lights responding in regular order along this zone. These signal stations, continued Oqua, are under the control of the Life Saving Service, and the keepers with these glasses are
always on the lookout for mariners who may be in danger, and their signal messages notify any patrols that may observe them of the nature of the danger as well as the locality of the endangered. Had the Ice King come within the radius of any of these Signal Stations at almost any other time, you would certainly have been discovered and rescued. But at the time you came into these waters the fog had effectually checkmated our observations. For this reason we are agitating for the extension of this system to medial and equatorial latitudes, as a time has come when it seems likely that other ships like the Ice King, may drift into these placid waters where sails are useless, and hence be powerless to save themselves from certain destruction by being carried into the southern verge on ocean currents which never touch the land. On the morning of the twenty-third when I awoke, the Silver King was lying at the wharf and I had a close view of the Watch Tower and its ever changing signal lights. It was more like a lofty building than a mere tower. It was a hexagon in shape, two hundred and fifty feet in height with a large platform on top, in the center of which was a huge column like the body of a tall tree branching out into numerous arms, each supporting a series of electric lights. The mechanical contrivance by which these lights were controlled was automatic, but as occasion required could be changed by the watchman in the observatory to signal any message required to all whom it might concern. This building from outside to outside was one hundred feet at the base and fifty feet at the top, while the inside diameter was the same from top to bottom. On the outside was a spiral stairway reaching from the ground to the platform at the top and in the center was an electric elevator, connected with each of the twenty stories. The hour of my departure had come. According to the program I was to bid farewell to the members of the Inner World Council and my old comrades of the Ice King and some personal friends at the top of the tower where they had already assembled. The crew of the Silver King and her throngs of excursionists had gathered on the deck and the wharf to see me take my flight. When all was ready, I
took my place on the Eolus and rising a few feet sailed slowly around this magnificent ship, coming to a halt on the starboard quarter where Captain Thorfin, acting as spokesman, said: In the name of the people here assembled from all parts of the world who have accompanied you thus far on your daring expedition, I am requested to express to you our exalted opinion of your courage, your ability and worth, and to thank you for the inestimable service which you have undertaken to render to our people, by extending their sphere of knowledge in regard to the external world. You are now engaged in a work for which our people are powerless. We realize that we are to profit by your perils. You will ever occupy a warm place in our affections. Accept our thanks for your heroic efforts to open a channel of communication with our fellow beings of the external world. Hoping for your speedy return we bid you a loving farewell. And through you, I responded, I desire to extend my heartfelt thanks to those who are beyond the reach of my voice, for this demonstration of their interest, and may the channel of communication, which we hope to establish between the internal and the external worlds never again be closed. But as yet I have not accomplished anything to merit your thanks. I am the one who ought to be grateful to your people. I came among you a stranger and you received me as a brother. Everywhere I have met the kindest consideration and all my wants have been supplied without even the formality of asking. I have here found the living soul of humanity developed as it has never been believed to be possible in the external world. I carry with me to my own native land THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, the knowledge that HUMANITY CAN BE REDEEMED FROM SELFISHNESS AND ALL OF ITS CONSEQUENCES. In the external world, from whence I came, we have only cultivated the external, and hence have developed physical hardihood while you have developed the finer attributes of the soul which we have neglected. My ambition is to bring these two worlds together. You need our physical hardihood while we need your higher development of soul. When the leading characteristics of both are united into one
common brotherhood, both worlds will have a perfected humanity. If I can help humanity to reach this grand culmination, where both soul and body shall be developed to their utmost capacity, I shall be happy. To me, with my training, it does not seem like a daring undertaking now that I am enabled to utilize your grand discovery of the means by which the air can be navigated. Thanking you for this mark of your consideration, and promising to return as soon as possible, I bid you adieu. As I ceased speaking, I set the Eolus to moving directly to the top of the tower. This demonstrated at once to the multitudes, its superiority over the old style of airship and they gave a cheer, which was the more expressive and significant as these people are not given to anything like loud demonstrations of applause. At the platform I received cordial words of cheer from the committee, my old comrades of the Ice King and my most intimate Altrurian friends. Speaking for the committee, Lal Roy, of Budistan said: On behalf of the members of this committee, and especially of the members from the eastern hemisphere, I congratulate you upon the marked improvements you have made in our methods of aerial navigation. The construction of the Eolus marks an era in our progress that will be a monument to your memory. You will be honored and appreciated for generations to come. Excuse me, I responded. I am not entitled to the honor you would bestow upon me. Captain Battell made the first move toward the improvements that were consummated in the Eolus, and Captain Ganoe and Huston have both contributed their mechanical skill. Without them there would have been no Eolus. Hold on Jack, said Battell. In the consummation, we only carried out your suggestions. The improvements I started, were completed in accordance with your plans. Yes, said Captain Ganoe, as he clasped my hand. You were the first person I ever heard suggest the construction of an airship that
could ride the storm, and but for your suggestions every one of which was tested in your experimental journeys to the verges, we never could have succeeded. And but for your intimate knowledge of the difficulties to be overcome, I never would have consented for you to go alone. Even as it is, notwithstanding the unanimous decision of the committee, I find it very hard to reconcile myself to the thought that you are to be exposed all alone, to the cold and the storms of the polar regions. Such dangers ought to be reserved for those who have nothing to live for, and not for the young, the refined and the educated who have a bright future before them. Have no fears for me, I said. You must not forget that it is now warm weather in the north frigid zone and I will not be exposed to intense cold, and the probability is that I will have no severe storms to contend with. But I will promise this: To be careful, and if I discover any defect in the Eolus that would make the journey too hazardous, I will return at once, rather than take any chances of defeating our purpose of communicating with the outer world when we have mastered the problem of riding the storm. No doubt my observations on this voyage, will open the way for other improvements. Keep up your courage. This is but the beginning of our work. We must have airships that will enable the most sensitive, to visit the outer world, and teach our countrymen the importance of cultivating the higher attributes of the soul, which can only be developed in their fullness under the benign influence of an Altruistic civilization. Oqua here stepped forward and took me by the hand, saying: Nequa, my more than friend, go, and the blessings of our people go with you. May you reach your native land in safety and accomplish your mission. By so doing you will leave footprints on the sands of time that can never be effaced. As soon as your work is placed in the proper hands return with all speed to the many loving hearts which await you. Scarcely had she ceased speaking when Polaris, as if to continue her remarks, raising her hand and pointing to the north, said:
Yes, loving hearts will await you. And when your form has faded from our vision, in yonder deep cerulean blue, the mystic symbol of purity and truth, remember that in spirit we are with you. And I will continue to keep watch over these waters, patiently awaiting your return, as in the past I have kept watch for any of your people that might drift in here, and be left to the mercy of the currents which never touch the land. I hope to be the first to greet you on your return, but if perchance you should be lost in your perilous undertaking, I will still be flitting, to and fro, over these northern seas, awaiting the coming of your people, to assist and welcome them in the true spirit of our civilization. MacNair gave a new turn and spirit to this closing interview, by saying in his usual cheery manner: In the name of humanity I protest against preparing for the funeral before the corpse is ready. Neither am I willing to contemplate the possibility of Jack Adams ever requiring any such a service at our hands. You do not understand the kind of material of which he is composed. I know that Jack is going to make the round trip, no matter what we may be doing, and so far as I am concerned, I do not intend to give myself any uneasiness about him; and instead of bobbing around up here in this chilly atmosphere, I will go home and be ready to give Jack the cordial greeting of a fellow countryman, when he returns from this last polar expedition. MacNair is right, I said. I am not starting out to fall by the wayside, and do not forget that the Eolus will sail far above the ice- fields, and that during the high-noon of the long arctic day of six months duration. I apprehend no danger, but anticipate a pleasant excursion to my native land. But I will not go any further this time, than is absolutely necessary. I hope to meet the right persons at some of the many stations in Alaska, and if so I will return several days earlier than I have promised. I shall return as soon as possible. My life work is here, for it will take a life-time to complete the work that I have laid out for myself to do for the benefit of my countrymen who live in the external world.
As I was speaking, Captain Ganoe stood with his hand on the door of the Eolus, at if it was by right his place to have the last parting word. Captain Battell and the other comrades of the Ice King drew near. Upon their faces, I read the affectionate regard they had for me. It was a trying moment. I wanted a last word with Captain Ganoe. I wanted it impressive, kind but inflexible. I shook hands with all who stood near, and then as I held Captain Ganoe's hand I said to Oqua: Step on board, I want you to assist me a moment, and to the Captain, Wait here a moment, I have something to say to you. Oqua did as directed, and we ascended and made the circuit of the lights, while I prepared myself for the revelation I intended. Oqua handled the ship while I hastily donned the attire which characterised my sex in the outer world. I arrayed myself in the same rich satin dress that I had worn on the last evening I had spent with Raphael, at his uncle's home in New York. My golden locks made into a neat fitting wig, and put up in the game style which he had so much admired, now covered my short cropped hair. Around my neck I had the same gold chain and locket of peculiar workmanship, and the same ring on my hand, which had been his parting presents to his affianced bride. Over all I wore a cloak that came down to my feet. My toilet complete, we dropped to the level of the platform, but just outside, and Oqua with a parting pressure of the hand, and with a last injunction: Nequa, be strong, be true, but do not forget to be kind and considerate, passed from the Eolus to the platform, and moving back a few feet, I stepped to the door and throwing aside my cloak, stood arrayed before Captain Ganoe, just as I had been when I bade him adieu at our guardian's home just fifteen years before. The crowd stood spell-bound. None but Oqua, MacNair, and the crew of the Ice King had ever seen any one dressed in the costume which is peculiar to women in the outer world. Captain Ganoe stood rooted
to the spot, and gazed at me with a look of consternation, as if I was one who had just arisen from the grave, as I said: Captain Ganoe, you doubtless recognize me and I ask your attention for a moment. You will probably remember, that on the Ice King you confidently related to your scientist, Jack Adams, the story of your engagement to Cassie VanNess, and asked him if he had ever loved. He made an evasive reply. If you care to have an explicit answer to that question, ask my trusted friend Oqua. I do not wish to have that story again pass my lips. I have done with it forever. I have now taken up a new life and henceforth I am wedded to a new lover, and the wealth of my affections shall be bestowed upon humanity. The memory of the old life, and the old love, carries with it the martyrdom of all that is noblest, purest and most sacred in the soul of woman, her devotion to the chosen idol of her girlhood days. These outer world conditions so foreign to all that is good and true, make me wonder that I should ever have been so weak as to be victimized by them. But such are the consequences of a false education, which belongs to a benighted past and cannot be helped. For many long years, in my assumed character of Jack Adams, the sailor, I roamed over the high seas to find you, and during all of our perils in the ice, I stood by your side. I worshiped you with an idolatrous devotion. And all this, only to hear again and again from your lips, the expression of sentiments, that condemned all that I had done, as disreputable, unworthy and immoral. You have repeatedly declared that as an honorable man, you could never unite yourself with such a woman in the holy bonds of matrimony, no matter how much you loved her. It was for this reason, that my own self respect forbade that I should reveal my identity to you. The case of Huston was almost identical with my own, and in condemning the course which he had taken you condemned me. I took it for granted, that as an honorable man, you expressed your honest sentiments, and there was nothing for me to do but to submit to your verdict—
The Captain raised his hand as if to speak, but I checked him, saying: Hear me through. It is in no spirit of unkindness that I speak. I have waited patiently for you to so modify your views, that I could make myself known to you in the full assurance of your approval of my fidelity to our plighted troth. But you gave me no such opportunity. Oqua penetrated my disguise at first sight and many others of my inner world friends with whom I have been associated, intuitively understood that Jack Adams, the sailor, was an assumed character and why it had been adopted; but you, blinded by the crystallized errors of a false education, were ignorant of my identity. I now reveal myself to you, because I do not wish to continue this assumed character, even to escape the pain that would be inflicted by your disapproval. I do not regret the course I have taken. Under the same circumstances I would be compelled to do the same thing again, rather than be false to the higher laws of my own nature. It is true that I have repudiated, and still repudiate, any legal obligation that may be secured by fraud, misrepresentation or coercion. I now know that human laws, human customs and legal ceremonies may be the cover for the violation of God's laws which are implanted in the human soul. I have been true to these higher, God made laws of my own being, and disregard all man made laws and customs which violate the most sacred rights of the human soul. If I cannot meet you as an equal, free to think and act for myself, regardless of the arbitrary rulings of either church or state, then it will be far better for both of us, that we remain apart. I will never be bound by any ceremony that does not meet my own approval. When it comes to matters of this kind, I, Cassie VanNess, am the lawmaker. You have repeatedly expressed sentiments, which could have no other meaning, than that you regarded legal and popular ceremonies, as of more worth in your estimation, than the 'unpurchased, and unpurchasable devotion of a loving woman.' If you prefer a companion who cares more for what Mother Grundy
might say, than she does for Captain Ganoe, then I could not possibly be that companion. When I return, let all this be forgotten. Let us meet as friends, forget if we can, the past, and let each of us live our own life, true to our own convictions of what is noble, good and true. I have had one lover and lost him because I loved him too devotedly. I shall never make that mistake again. But as the widow of such a lover, I shall henceforth continue to labor for the upbuilding of all humanity, as I would gladly have lived for him, and him only. And now, farewell Raphael. I regret, not that I loved you so devotedly, but that I did not learn sooner, that it was only love with certain restrictions, and within certain specific bounds, that you wanted. Excuse my mistake and farewell. While I maintained my equilibrium, I felt that my heart would break. With my hand I waved a farewell to all, and set the Eolus in motion. As I closed the door, Captain Ganoe sprang forward and would have dashed himself from the tower but for those who stood by him. His last words have been ringing in my ears ever since as they were wafted to me on the balmy air. In a voice of agonizing entreaty, he cried out: Oh Cassie! Cassie! For God's sake, Come back! Come back! THE END.
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Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice Equity And Community Brad Hokanson

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  • 5. Educational Communications andTechnology: Issues and Innovations Brad Hokanson Marisa Exter Matthew M. Schmidt Andrew A.Tawfik Editors Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice, Equity, and Community
  • 6. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations Series Editors R. Michael Spector Department of Learning Technologies University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA M. J. Bishop College of Education, Lehigh University University System of Maryland, Bethlehem, PA, USA Dirk Ifenthaler Learning, Design and Technology University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany Allan Yuen Faculty of Education, Runme Shaw Bldg, Rm 214 University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
  • 7. This book series, published collaboratively between the AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) and Springer, represents the best and most cutting edge research in the field of educational communications and technology. The mission of the series is to document scholarship and best practices in the creation, use, and management of technologies for effective teaching and learning in a wide range of settings. The publication goal is the rapid dissemination of the latest and best research and development findings in the broad area of educational information science and technology. As such, the volumes will be representative of the latest research findings and developments in the field. Volumes will be published on a variety of topics, including: • Learning Analytics • Distance Education • Mobile Learning Technologies • Formative Feedback for Complex Learning • Personalized Learning and Instruction • Instructional Design • Virtual tutoring Additionally, the series will publish the bi-annual AECT symposium volumes, the Educational Media and Technology Yearbooks, and the extremely prestigious and well known, Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology. Currently in its 4th volume, this large and well respected Handbook will serve as an anchor for the series and a completely updated version is anticipated to publish once every 5 years. The intended audience for Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations is researchers, graduate students and professional practitioners working in the general area of educational information science and technology; this includes but is not limited to academics in colleges of education and information studies, educational researchers, instructional designers, media specialists, teachers, technology coordinators and integrators, and training professionals.
  • 8. Brad Hokanson • Marisa Exter Matthew M. Schmidt • Andrew A. Tawfik Editors Toward Inclusive Learning Design Social Justice, Equity, and Community
  • 9. ISSN 2625-0004     ISSN 2625-0012 (electronic) Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations ISBN 978-3-031-37696-2    ISBN 978-3-031-37697-9 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9 © Association for Educational Communications Technology 2023 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Paper in this product is recyclable. Editors Brad Hokanson University of Minnesota St. Paul, MN, USA Matthew M. Schmidt College of Education University of Georgia Athens, GA, USA Marisa Exter Purdue University West Lafayette, IN, USA Andrew A. Tawfik College of Education University of Memphis Memphis, TN, USA
  • 10. v Preface For the second straight year, the AECT Summer Research Symposium was held virtually. Over 40 authors presented and discussed their work, and they were joined by keynote speakers Camille Dickson-Deane and Terresa Moses. Deepak Subramony, originally invited as a keynote, was unable to attend, but has also con- tributed to this volume. The Symposium has a different general topic each year, one that is both targeted toward relevant concerns and opportunities of the present and sufficiently broad to attract writers from diverse fields and perspectives. At the same time, much of the work presented in the edited volumes of the Symposium reflect the interests of the larger AECT International Convention, which primarily deals with the use of tech- nology in education. Broadly written, this year’s symposium sought to encourage discourse and the exchange of ideas within current societal trends, and with a par- ticular focus on educational technology. Topics are selected to have currency and to be engaging for a broad range of authors, whether in educational technology, instructional/learning design, or else- where. This year’s topic was Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community, a focus spurred by the killing of George Floyd and subse- quent calls for justice and change. As with previous symposia, writings reflect broad-ranging discussions and ideas. However, unlike previous symposia, the num- ber of book chapters that are included in this year’s edited volume is unprece- dented – the largest number of chapters we have received to-date, and perhaps indicative of our topic’s importance. Writings explored a range of topics germane to themes of social justice, culture, critical race theory, diversity equity, inclusion, etc. We describe in detail the topical themes included in this edited volume in the fol- lowing section. The Symposium offers the opportunity for practitioners in education and instruc- tional design to put forward ideas and to discuss them with their peers. It brings to the open new experimental concepts as well as focused arguments, quantitative proofs, and qualitative discoveries. Discussion is dispersed and intimate, with mul- tiple opportunities for engagement. We pride ourselves on our unique and peculiar process, which we believe could serve as a lighthouse for others in the field who
  • 11. vi seek to pursue avenues for scholarship that may diverge from established tradition. In this spirit, we present to you the contents of this edited volume. Inside the Edited Volume To explore the breadth and depth of scholarship represented in the included book chapters, the editors performed a qualitative content analysis based on the keywords that the chapter authors provided. Our analysis procedure began by extracting all keywords and inputting them into an online graphic organizer, Miro (https://miro. com/), a digital tool that allows for collaborative whiteboarding and organization of sticky notes in a manner that is similar to face-to-face card sorting and affinity map- ping procedures. Following this, editors collaboratively sorted keywords into groups and labeled the groups with provisional titles. Using an axial coding process, the editors jointly classified, categorized, and refined the coding structure across mul- tiple rounds of coding (Fig. 1). Two overarching thematic areas emerged: keywords that were directly germane to the theme of the edited volume (Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Fig. 1 Graphic organizer illustrating (1) overarching thematic areas and associated thematic focus areas and (2) exploded views of two thematic focus areas Preface
  • 12. vii Justice, Equity, and Community), and those that were representative of the other content and foci of the individual chapters (e.g., technology perspectives, educa- tional and learning contexts, disciplinary perspectives). Within these overarching categories, a range of thematic foci emerged (Table 1). After having categorized keywords according to thematic focus, the editors entered all keywords and thematic foci into a spreadsheet for further analysis. Specifically, the editors first compared the keywords provided by chapter authors with the thematic foci that emerged during qualitative coding. Then, using each chapter’s keywords, the editors categorized the book chapters using associated the- matic foci. Most chapters’ keywords represented more than one thematic focus. Therefore, we created an index of all thematic foci in Table 2 and list out book chapters that included associated themes. Readers are encouraged to use this table to find chapters quickly that address the five thematic foci of this edited volume. We finished our analysis by categorizing each chapter into the focus area that best represented the chapter’s content. Because many chapters included keywords that fell into multiple focus areas, we reviewed those chapters’ abstracts and Table 1 Overarching thematic areas, thematic foci, and example keywords Themes germane to theme of edited volume Thematic focus Example keywords Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality Intersectionality, intersectional identity, gender, minorities, intellectual and physical disabilities, universal design for learning, accessibility Critical Race Theory and Human Rights Black history, racism, antiracism, human rights, critical race theory, critical pedagogy, indigenous values, abolition Social Justice Social justice, social inequality, reparations Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Diversity, equity, inclusion, educational equity, inclusivity, student diversity, inclusive learning design, inclusive design Culture and Identity Culture, social identity theory, language learners, localized context of use, cultural framework Themes representing other content and foci Thematic focus Example keywords Disciplinary Perspectives Language, STEM, geomatics engineering, neuroscience, digital civics Educational and Learning Contexts K-12 education, informal education, libraries, elementary schools, higher education, continuing education, medical training Learning Design Perspectives and Strategies Instructional design, learning experience design, learning design, design justice, UX design, needs analysis, learner analysis Instructional/Learning Strategies Inquiry, critical thinking, culturally responsive mathematics teaching, appreciative inquiry, storytelling Technology Perspectives Online learning, mobile learning, technology adoption, digital divide, 3D virtual worlds, virtual simulation Individual Foci Learner agency, perspective-taking, ethical decision-making, sustainable development goals, power and positionality in research Preface
  • 13. viii Table 2 Index of thematic foci found in this edited volume and book chapters that included associated keywords Culture and identity 1. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before… 2. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications… 3. Cultivating a Mindset for Culturally Inclusive Learning… 4. Emotional Pathway of Becoming a Professional… 5. Instructional Design and Semiotics 6. Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices… 7. Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue… 18. Forged in Fire… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… 30. “Faced with Given Circumstances”... Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality 1. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before… 9. Accountability in Learning Design… 10. Audio Description for Three-Dimensional (3D) Virtual Worlds… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 12. Expanding the Horizon… 13. On the Persistence of Pages 14. Supporting Teachers in Designing for Intersectionality… 15. The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for English Language Learners… Social Justice 15. The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap… 16. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action… 17. Factoring Power and Positionality into Research… 18. Forged in Fire… 19. How Can Instructional Design Promote… 20. Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues… 21. Social Justice Math as a Catalyst… 22. Trajectories of Student Engagement… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for ELL… 25. Designing in Pursuit of Liberation… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… Critical Race Theory and Human Rights 9. Accountability in Learning Design… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 21. Social Justice Math as a Catalyst… 24. Critical Instructional Design as Social… 25. Designing in Pursuit of Liberation… 26. Equity, Parents and Technology… 27. Human Capital, Rights, and Capabilities… 28. Reckoning with Racism in Medical… 29. Transformative Learning Experiences… (continued) Preface
  • 14. ix Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 3. Cultivating a Mindset for Culturally Inclusive Learning… 6. Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices… 7. Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue… 8. Ableism Versus Inclusion… 11. Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege… 16. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action… 17. Factoring Power and Positionality into Research… 20. Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues… 23. UDL in Educational Technologies for ELL… 24. Critical Instructional Design as Social… 28. Reckoning with Racism in Medical… 30. “Faced with Given Circumstances”… 31. A Systemic Approach Toward Needs… 32. Adapting a Neuroscience High School… 33. Asking Better Questions… 34. Business Education for Responsible Leadership… 35. Centering Learner Agency and Empowerment… 36. Collaborative Experiential Learning as Trauma-Informed… 37. Developing an Inclusive Community… 38. Knowledge Sharing for Inclusive Learning… 39. Reimagining PBL to Develop Critical… 40. Using Technology to Foster Inclusion… Table 2 (continued) collectively discussed the content of those articles so as to make a final decision about which thematic focus best described the content and focus of that chapter. Each chapter was then classified using one of the five thematic focus areas. Upon completion of this process, eight chapters fell into the Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality category, six into Critical Race Theory and Human Rights, eight into Social Justice, eleven into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and seven into Culture and Identity (Fig. 2). We used this final classification to assign book chap- ters to one of five sections, which is reflected in the table of contents and organiza- tion of the current edited volume. Preface
  • 15. x Fig. 2 Percentage of book chapters that fell into each thematic category Conclusion The analysis presented above highlights the breadth and depth of inclusive learning design included in this edited volume. One of the challenges of any exercise on inclusive thought is answering “for whom” and “how.”As to the former, the analysis identified emergence in the areas of (a) Culture and Identity, (b) Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality, (c) Social Justice, (d) Critical Race Theory and Human Rights, and (e) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Within each of these differ- ent themes, various ideas emerged that highlight the extent to which inclusive design is needed within the instructional/learning design and technology community as it leverages technology toward more just and accessible learning. Some solutions repositioned existing topics within an inclusive lens (e.g., libraries, UDL), while others proffered topics often discussed outside the traditional learning design dis- cussions, such as virtue ethics, ableism, and human capital. Yet others highlighted the devastating and pervasive impacts of COVID-19 pandemic and institutional rac- ism. Each chapter highlights the embedded challenges and presents pathways toward more equitable learning experiences for all individuals who wish to learn. On this note, we present this edited volume Toward Inclusive Learning Design: Social Justice, Equity, and Community as a testament of the vibrant discourse within our community around this topic. The Symposium Team Brad Hokanson, Marisa Exter, Matthew Schmidt, and Andrew Tawfik. Preface
  • 16. xi AECT Staff Assistance from the staff at AECT is irreplaceable and they need recognition for their distant and diverse technical assistance. A special thanks goes to Larry Vernon and Terri Lawson for their work and assistance with operating the event. Phil Harris, as now-retired AECT Executive Director continued to support, participate, and guide the symposium. Ellen Wagner as the Interim Executive Director has contin- ued her strong and supportive efforts for the symposium. Proposal Reviewers Great thanks go to the reviewers for the 2021 Summer Research Symposium. They include: Dennis Cheek, Greg Clinton, Bruce DuBoff, Marisa Exter,Wendy Friedmeyer, Noah Glaser, Colin Gray, Amy Grincewicz, Phil Harris, Hal Hinderliter, Jason McDonald, Angel Pazurak, Eugene Robinson, Jody Nyboer, Matthew Schmidt, Jill Stefaniak, and Andrew A. Tawfik. St. Paul, MN, USA Brad Hokanson West Lafayette, IN, USA Marisa Exter Athens, GA, USA Matthew M. Schmidt Memphis, TN, USA Andrew A. Tawfik Preface
  • 17. xiii Contents Part I  Culture and Identity Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning Design Within Yunnan Province, China��������������    3 Hongwu Dai and Dennis Cheek Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character Development Training��������������������������������������   15 Pamela C. Moore and Begüm Saçak Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design����������������������������������   31 Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez, Elisabeth Babcock McBrien, and Christine Scott Emotional Pathway of Becoming a Professional: Stories of Graduate Students and Recommendations for Academia����������   43 Iryna Ashby, Suzhen Duan, Carolina Cuesta, Brantly McCord, Shivani Ramoutar, Mohan Yang, Ryan Wynkoop, Wanju Huang, and Marisa Exter Instructional Design and Semiotics����������������������������������������������������������������   55 Kathryn Ley and Ruth Gannon-Cook Mobile Learning and Culturally Situated Practices for Equity in Brazil������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   71 Vivian Martins Towards Culturally Inclusive Dialogue in Online Learning������������������������   81 Barbara M. Hall and Nandita Gurjar Part II  Race, Gender, Disability, and Intersectionality Ableism Versus Inclusion: A Systems View of Accessibility Practices in Online Higher Education�����������������������������������������������������������   99 Rita Fennelly-Atkinso
  • 18. xiv Accountability in Learning Design and Research as an Ongoing Practice������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 115 Katherine Walters and T. J. Kopcha Audio Description for 3-Dimensional (3D) Virtual Worlds�������������������������� 127 Peter Leong, Melissa Peterson, and Sarah Espinosa Being Cognizant of Diversity, Intersectionality, Privilege, Equity, and Inclusion as ECT Scholar-­ Practitioners������������������ 139 Deepak Prem Subramony Expanding the Horizon: Formative Evaluation of Vocational Training Simulation Designed for Students with Intellectual Disabilities���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 149 Sanghoon Park, Jeeheon Ryu, Yeonju Tak, Seo-bin Jo, and Daeun Kim On the Persistence of Pages���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 161 Hal Hinderliter Supporting Teachers in Designing for Intersectionality������������������������������ 171 Melissa Warr and Wendy Wakefield The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Achievement Gap: A Literature Review���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 183 Meika C. Billings Dopwell, Halimat Ipesa-Balogun, and Mashiur Rahaman Part III  Social Justice Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Action: A Study of Learning Experience Designers’ Practices�������������������������������� 197 Ahmed Lachheb, Rebecca M. Quintana, Ji Hyun Yu, and Astrid N. Zamora Factoring Power and Positionality into Research on Instructional Design Interventions������������������������������������������������������������ 217 Elizabeth Boling, Ahmed Lachheb, Victoria Abramenka-Lachheb, Merve Basdogan, Rajagopal Sankaranarayanan, and Grant Chartrand Forged in Fire: A Case Study of How the Class of COVID-19 Empowered Unheard Communities in the Fight for Social Justice������������ 233 Jeanette Abrahamsen, Janelle Applequist, and Emmanuel Maduneme How Could an Instructional Design Promote Social Justice and Equity in Learning Communities? A Holistic View from Bloom’s Taxonomy, Maslow’s Hierarchy, and Quality Assurance Perspectives�������������������������������������������������������������� 243 Nazire Burcin Hamutoglu Contents
  • 19. xv Libraries as Addressing STEM Equity Issues in Underserved Urban Settings���������������������������������������������������������������������� 265 Andrew A. Tawfik, Craig Shepherd, and Linda Payne Social Justice Math as a Catalyst for Developing Independent Learners and CriticalThinkers in an Urban After-­ School Math Mentoring Program for Middle School Students ������������������������������ 279 Cassandra Brentley and Carmen Thomas-Browne Trajectories of Student Engagement with Social Justice-Informed Design Work ���������������������������������������������������������������������� 289 Colin M. Gray, Rua M. Williams, Paul C. Parsons, Austin L. Toombs, and Abbee Westbrook UDL in Educational Technologies for English Language Learners: A Scoping Review of Literature���������������������������������� 303 Douglas Ayega and Newton Buliva Part IV  Critical Race Theory and Human Rights Critical Instructional Design as Social Action in Canadian Higher Education���������������������������������������������������������������������� 321 Diane Janes, Lorraine Carter, and Katy Campbell Designing in Pursuit of Liberation���������������������������������������������������������������� 337 Terresa Moses Equity, Parents and Technology – Mother’s Post-pandemic Perspectives of Children’s Online Experiences during COVID-19������������ 349 Dwan V. Robinson and Tracy Robinson Human Capital, Rights, and Capabilities: Equitable Learning Design Based on Justice������������������������������������������������������������������ 359 Sudip K. Ghosh and Reema Sen Reckoning with Racism in Medical Practice: A Scoping Review of Inclusive Learning Design in Medical Training 2017–2021 ������ 371 Newton Buliva Transformative Learning Experiences Through Technology: Bringing Learners Together to Address Equity and Social Justice through Project-Based Language Learning in the Online Classroom�������� 385 Rachel Mamiya Hernandez, Kelly Barros Santos, and Julia Vasconcelos Gonçalves Matos Part V  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion “Faced with Given Circumstances”: A Localized Context of Use Approach ���������������������������������������������������������� 397 Kristin Herman, John Baaki, and Monica W. Tracey Contents
  • 20. xvi A Systemic Approach Toward Needs Assessment to Promote Inclusive Learning Design���������������������������������������������������������� 409 Jill E. Stefaniak and Kim Pinckney Adapting a Neuroscience High School Curriculum to Support Inclusive Online Learning������������������������������������������������������������ 421 Noah Glaser, Ido Davidesco, Luis María Pérez-Cuesta, Steven Carter, Mimi Gupta, Andrew Ferreira, Valerie Nunez, and Wendy Suzuki Asking Better Questions: Broadening Inquiry to Design More Inclusive and Equitable Learning Experiences���������������������������������� 437 Maria Hubbard and Lacretia Carroll Business Education for Responsible Leadership: Preparing Students������ 445 Amy M. Grincewicz, Cathy L. Z. DuBois, and David A. DuBois Centering Learner Agency and Empowerment: Promoting Voice and Choice in Online Courses������������������������������������������� 457 Bethany Simunich, Racheal Brooks, and Amy M. Grincewicz Collaborative Experiential Learning as Trauma-Informed Instructional Design���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 467 Hannah M. Grossman and Christopher Brown Developing an Inclusive Community in Online Programs�������������������������� 481 Yvonne Earnshaw and Mary Ann Bodine Al-Sharif Knowledge Sharing for Inclusive Learning�������������������������������������������������� 493 Megan R. Alicea Reimagining PBL to Develop Critical Thinking Skills for All Learners������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 505 Sharon Ndolo and Deborah Cockerham Using Technology to Foster Inclusion and Diversity in Higher Education: A Case study of Geospatial Tools in Engineering Education�������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 513 Shivani Ramoutar, Jennifer Richardson, Bheshem Ramlal, and Jason Tambie Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 527 Contents
  • 21. Part I Culture and Identity
  • 22. 3 Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning Design Within Yunnan Province, China Hongwu Dai and Dennis Cheek Large-scale primary and secondary educational systems are difficult to effectively manage due to their scale, inherent complexities (e.g., personnel, curricula, instruc- tional practices, examinations, diverse environments, and populations), and their loosely-coupled nature, no matter how centralized they might at first appear. They exhibit all the characteristics associated with technological systems of control, in that each of their components and varied interactions takes place within a human-­ designed system always focused on achieving certain near-term articulated goals while imposing throughout the system desired uniformity in learning experience and appropriate quality (McWalters Cheek, 2000; cf. Green et al., 1997). But learning is influenced at individual and collective levels by broader cultural influ- ences and these in turn are a product of distinct factors and contexts. How are we to properly account for the influence of these factors in our learning design efforts? A group of French historians led by Lucien Febvre and Marc Bloch, established the scholarly journal Annales d’histoire économique et sociale in 1929 to feature a broader approach to history than just politics and institutions (continuing today as Annales. Histoire, Sciences Sociales). A second-generation member of the Annales School was the distinguished French historian Fernand Braudel. He markedly influ- enced historians’ understandings of their craft and methods with a series of breath- taking analyses on different topics, including the identity of France (Braudel, 1988, H. Dai Yunnan Normal University, PRC, Kunming, China Eastern University, Philadelphia, USA e-mail: [email protected] D. Cheek (*) Values Education Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore Innovation and Entrepreneurship, IÉSEG School of Management, Lille, France e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_1
  • 23. 4 1990), the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II (Braudel, 1972), and the development of civilization and capitalism in the 15th–18th centuries (Braudel, 1981, 1982, 1984). His approach to historiography, building especially on earlier work by Bloch, took account of three main aspects of change over time using the following French terms: 1. La longue durée – time periods of hundreds of years where climate, geography, and long-term economic forces shape human societies and cultures. 2. Conjuncture – periods of decades to a generation or so where social classes and other groupings of people as well as sociological and economic factors predominate. 3. Évenément – a series of events, institutions and people that appear and disappear; or alternatively, the traditional focus of most historical writing. These three main levels of change within human societies and populations are hier- archical in terms of the power they exert regarding both scale and power. For exam- ple, geography and climate are first and foremost shaped by the movement of large tectonic plates in the past and continuing in the present, the work of volcanoes and glaciers, and geoscience processes like weathering and erosion. Climate, as distin- guished from this week’s weather, consists of long-term weather patterns and tem- peratures and involves forces exerted over vast areas (e.g., the world’s oceans and volcanoes) and across varied terrains that bring significant global, regional, and local impacts. Where people can live, where they choose to live, and how they live across time are inexorably affected by geography (including climate), going back to the earliest human beings and continuing in the present. A cultural analysis framework pulls all of these components together to develop a more informed perspective about the particular culture(s) in which we are seeking to do our design work. We see it as an important precursor to any learning design, but particularly so when designing large-scale projects and programs. Specifically, we will use for our cultural analysis framework the following five key components: (1) geography and climate factors, (2) history and anthropology factors, (3) econ- omy and society factors, (4) politics and education administration factors, and (5) management styles and learning factors. None of these components by themselves are definitive in terms of how they shape culture. Anthropology, for example, neglects or frequently underplays the larger geographic, economic, and historical contexts exerting pressures over time periods outside the memories of the local communities that anthropologists study. Educational studies often focus on socio- cognitive, nutritional, and school organization matters, while frequently underplay- ing the significant role of politics at national, regional, and local levels. This largely ignores the significance of local cultural variety and customs and longer historical and geographic contexts, including the history of education within a local area. Historical studies often focus on sociopolitical movements and players as they impact locals and their cultures, but frequently overlook or significantly underplay the mediating effects of local cultures and customs, local languages of discourse, geographic matters, and the impact of education of varied quality, duration, and access. H. Dai and D. Cheek
  • 24. 5 Our chief concern is the primary (elementary) grades public school system in Yunnan Province, PRC. This chapter focuses on the importance of geography and climate factors and history and anthropology factors to our learning design chal- lenges in Yunnan. The chapter is the last in a trilogy with the other two articles focusing respectively on economy and society factors and politics and education administration (Dai Cheek, 2021), and management styles and learning factors (Dai Cheek, 2021). The complexities that confront us required more space than any single contribution allows. Yunnan Province – Geography and Climate Factors Yunnan Province is slightly smaller in size than the US state of California. The Yuan Jiang (Yuan River) divides the province into equal halves. East of the river one finds the Yunnan-Guizua Plateau at elevations of 1000–2000 meters (3280–6562 feet) above sea level. West of the river are the mountains of Yunnan at elevations of 4000–5000 meters (13,123–16,404 feet) above sea level. This diverse terrain includes high mountain chains, active volcanoes, deep valleys, hilly areas, flat ter- rain, and river basins. Portions of the province are subjected to regular earthquakes, severe monsoons (hurricanes), scorching heat, pleasant breezes, and blizzards. One can find jungles, arid regions, fertile soils, and abundant sources of fresh water, including more lakes than any province in China. Once one leaves the river valleys, cities, and towns, you experience pervasive rurality. Yunnan, with 48.3 million inhabitants according to recent estimates by theYunnan Government (2019), has the fourth lowest population density in the nation, at 105 people per square kilometer. This results in numerous small schools scattered across the province, some even partly residential due to the long distances students must traverse and the dangerous routes they often have to take to reach the “local” school. The mythical location of the fictional Shangri-la, Yunnan contains more than half of the flora and fauna species known within China. Three major river systems beginning in either SE Qinghai Province or the Tibet Autonomous Region travel in parallel within three valleys inYunnan separated by tall mountains over 5000 meters high. The Salween (Nujiang) River then flows south through eastern Myanmar (Burma) to the Indian Ocean. The Mekong (Lancang) River flows south through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the South China Sea south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Jinsha joins with other rivers to become the mighty Yangtze (Chang Jiang) and flows northeast past Chongqing, Wuhan, and Nanjing before emptying into the East China Sea near Shanghai. Two other rivers east of the capital Kunming, the Nanpan and Beipan, join to form the Hongshui River, which flows east to become part of the Pearl River just north of Guangzhou which continues east to the famous Pearl River Delta (Toops, 2003; Veeck et al., 2021). A land-locked province, Yunnan is bounded by the two autonomous regions of Tibet to the northwest and Zuang (within Guangxi Province) to the southeast, as Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
  • 25. 6 well as the Chinese provinces of Sichuan to the north and Guizhou to the east. It adjoins the nations of Laos and Vietnam in the south and shares a long porous bor- der with Myanmar to its southwest and west. (Veeck et al., 2021). These various geographic and climatic factors certainly impinge significantly upon the people ofYunnan from year to year. The nature of the terrain and the resul- tant lack of paved roads and ready accessibility, present significant barriers to edu- cational planning, delivery of educational services, adequate staffing of both administrators and teachers in these remote areas, and stable learning environments. The next significant set of factors we will consider are those related to the long history of this Chinese province and the variegated ethnicities and cultures repre- sented within its modern boundaries. There are also obvious interactive effects among geographic and climatic factors and historical and ethnographic factors within the province. Yunnan Province – History and Anthropology Factors Yunnan has a long history of habitation going back to prehuman ancestors such as Yuanmou Man and up through Bronze Age prehistoric times (Shuyang, 2007; Chiang, 2009). At various times portions of what is today’sYunnan were controlled by dynasties and peoples from what are now the countries of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and most importantly and extensively, China. Yunnan also experienced incursions from time to time by colonial powers such as Great Britain from Burma (now Myanmar), and France from French Indochina (today’s Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos). Due to its location and remote and difficult interior,Yunnan province was one of the last areas of today’s PRC to be brought within the administrative system of clas- sical China (Tanner, 2010). Even during these periods, control was concentrated in the more densely inhabited lower altitudes of the province. Tribes in the hills and mountains maintained their autonomy and were not subject to taxes, census, con- scription labor, mandatory military service, or other obligations of imperial subjects (Scott, 2009). There is widespread evidence that informal trade was continuously undertaken by those who lived in the hills and mountains with peoples who occu- pied the valleys with both parties to such trade benefitting from unique goods and foodstuffs that the other lacked. This would set a longstanding pattern of interac- tions among what are today seen as “ethnic minorities” and the people who inhab- ited the valleys, most of whom assimilated into being part of the Han people (Scott, 2009). By the time of the Qing dynasty (1644–1919) and subsequently, Yunnan and its current borders were controlled by China and the province was a center for resis- tance against the Japanese occupying the east coastal areas during World War II (Mühlhahn, 2019). During the Ming-Qing dynasties’ violent transition in the mid-­ seventeenth century (Wong, 1995), many Ming soldiers continued their struggles H. Dai and D. Cheek
  • 26. 7 for many years out of the hills and mountains of Yunnan, ultimately melting into local ethnic populations and becoming one with them; a process repeated through- out China’s long history as vanquished peoples joined ethnic minorities throughout the borderlands as a consequence of wars, shifting fortunes, and the desire to avoid mandatory conscription for labor and/or military service (Giersch, 2006; Scott, 2009). Since ethnic minorities are clustered around regions associated with China’s exceptionally long borders, these areas by virtue of their local geographies, histo- ries, and distance from centers of Chinese power have led over the centuries to conflicts between the rulers in distant places and these local communities. Revolts lasted for decades, while others have simmered for even longer periods of time but with less violent manifestations (Tanner, 2010; Mühlhahn, 2019). It is thus impor- tant to note that this long history weighs upon decisions taken in the present by the national and provincial governments of the PRC as there are ample historical exam- ples of widespread revolts with damaging consequences among China’s borderlands. Historically, ethnic minorities in China as we know them today are a very recent development in terms of formal recognition. Even from the time of the founding of the Republic of China (1912) after the revolution of 1911 to the driving out of the Nationalists (1949), it was widely understood that there were only “five races” who made up China (the Han (Chinese), Manchus, Mongols, Hui (Muslim “Han” peo- ple), and the Tibetans (Hutchings, 2000)). The Han people, today’s overwhelmingly dominant ethnic group at about 90+ percent of the population, are themselves an amalgam of multitudinous ethnic groups (e.g., Xianbei, Qiang, Jie, Di, Qidan, and Nü Zhen) assimilated over the thousands of years of continuous cultural develop- ments in China, a land whose Anglo name “China” was coined by Westerners, not the Chinese themselves (Carrico, 2017; Joniak-Luthi, 2017; Shuyang, 2007). Several dynasties who ruled China came from outside its borders and even though they adopted Chinese culture and ways, they continued to proudly acknowledge their “foreign” heritage up through and even beyond the establishment of the PRC (Tanner, 2010; Mühlhahn, 2019). Today’s ethnic minority classifications in China owe their origins to work under- taken in the early 1950s to construct the PRC as a “unified, multinational state made up of different peoples” (Mühlhahn, 2019, p. 414). A national census in 1953–1954 allowed groups to self-classify which resulted in more than 400 distinct groups being self-identified. The government then employed social scientists to reduce thesegroupstoadesired,moremanageable,numberthroughtheEthnicClassification Project (ECP – minzu shibie).The scientists themselves reached back to a linguistics-­ based system first designed by a British army officer, Henry Rudolph Davies, who undertook a similar task in Yunnan province in 1894. The ECP began its new work in Yunnan since about 200 of the 400 self-identified groups resided there. The Yunnan groups were reduced to 25 and with 14 groups added from elsewhere, the government declared in 1954 that there were 39 formally recognized ethnicities. This number was expanded to 53 by 1964, 54 in 1965 with the addition of the Lhoba in Tibet, and 55 in 1979 with the addition of the Jinuo in Yunnan. Adding the Han Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
  • 27. 8 then made for 56 total government-recognized ethnic groups and with the end of the ECP in 1987, all 56 groups were told they could maintain their own languages, customs, and cultures (Mühlhahn, 2019: 414f.). This policy was reinforced by the government in 1984 by passage of the “Law of the PRC on Regional Ethnic Autonomy,” which was last revised in 2001. Hu Jintao at the 17th National Congress of the Chinese Community Party in October 2007, stressed the need to “cement the great unity of the people of all ethnic groups, and enhance the great solidarity of all sons and daughters of the Chinese nation…” (Mühlhahn, 2019, p. 586). Ethnographic studies of various ethnic minorities inside of China, as well as in neighboring nations, demonstrate quite convincingly that ethnicity, as defined by a certain language, group, or clan, is much more fluid than the stable labeling systems that have been created for China and other nearby nations’ ethnic minorities. People move into and out of various groups, often acquiring competency in multiple ethnic languages as a consequence of these transitions. Ethnic groups who live closer to the lowlands often blend into the local Han population for time periods when it is socially, politically, and/or economically convenient to do so. When circumstances change again, they may cease to be “Han.” Marriages across ethnic lines or the desire to marry coupled with the nonavailability of companions from one’s own ethnic group may result in acquiring another ethnic “identity.” Historically wars were also a source of continually changing allegiances and ethnic identities, includ- ing substantial numbers of Han fleeing into the hills and mountains and assimilating into other ethnic groups for purposes of personal safety, escaping military conscrip- tions or burdensome taxes, or having picked the wrong side in a war among Han peoples (Scott, 2009; Hutchings, 2000; Tanner, 2010). About 16.2 million of Yunnan’s 48.3 million inhabitants are members of about 50 government-recognized ethnic minorities (nearly 34% of the population), according to recent estimates by theYunnan Government (2019).Yunnan ranks first in the nation in both the variety and numbers of its ethnic minorities; the bulk of these minorities live in areas where they are intermingled with other minorities as well as the overwhelmingly numerous Han population. The 25 largest ethnic groups within the province having populations of 5000 or more, include the Yi, Hani, Bai, Dai, Zhuang, Miao, Hui, and Lahu. These ethnic groups move freely and frequently back and forth across the borders of the various autonomous regions, provinces, and countries that surround Yunnan, often merging with other related people groups in these surrounding countries for short or longer periods of time depending on diverse circumstances and situations. More than 80% of the ethnic minority populations in Yunnan Province live in mountainous areas, and 13 distinct ethnic groups live within the porous border regions. Eighty percent of the more than 13,000 primary (elementary) schools in the province are distributed across these remote mountainous areas and isolated from larger population centers. There are over 4000 boarding schools in ethnic regions for primary up through upper secondary students. In 2016 there were 496 national government designated ethnic primary and secondary schools and an additional 41 provincial designated ethnic primary and secondary schools. These are schools that are overwhelmingly comprised of ethnic minorities. Other minority students make H. Dai and D. Cheek
  • 28. 9 up substantial portions of other schools scattered throughout the province, but espe- cially in the rural areas that comprise much of the province’s land area. Most rural schools are small and have less than 100 students (Lei Zhang, 2014). The govern- ment reported that at the end of 2015 there were 3,350,100 ethnic minority students in the province from preschool through secondary levels. Minority students accounted for 38.6% of the population of primary (elementary) schools within Yunnan (Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, 2020), due in part to the fact that ethnic minorities were frequently not subjected to the now rescinded national one-child policy. Students and their families face enormous challenges getting to and from school in ways analogous to the countries profiled in the fascinating and sobering TV series called The Most Dangerous Ways to School. These episodes reveal primary school children’s long, treacherous and exhausting daily or weekly (for residential stu- dents) treks on foot or using multiple conveyances to their neighborhood school. They walk rickety bridges or use hazardous zip lines to cross dangerous gorges, ford rivers, contend with icy surfaces and abundant snowfalls, skirt wild and deadly ani- mals, and battle heat, insects, hunger, and exhaustion. Ethnic languages withinYunnan are diverse with multiple languages in daily use in the same regions. Twenty-three of the 25 largest ethnic groups have their own languages, and 14 of these languages have been recently taught as mother tongues in schools within the minority-majority ethnic areas. Recent pronouncements at the national level and actions taken in other provinces with significant numbers of minorities in Northeast China and the far West of China may indicate that the con- tinued teaching of minority languages may be about to change throughout other parts of the PRC. At the very least current tensions around languages other than those associated with the Han people appear to be spreading. An increased focus on the importance of the anthropology of education within the PRC emphasizes the changing natures of human societies and the need for all Chinese learners to become more aware of and more adept at understanding and cooperating with people from diverse cultural backgrounds who are likely to also hold different ideas, views, and values. Cultural differences can be identified within large and diverse nations like China with differences in accents (when speaking a lingua franca), food preferences, attire, social customs, second language choice, etc. Educational settings play a key role where the organized and systematic acqui- sition of soft skills and their applicability to varied sociocultural situations can be explored, practiced, and improved (Ba, 2021). Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
  • 29. 10 Yunnan Province – Politics and Education Administration Factors The public schools of the PRC (and even most private schools) must conform to the curricular objectives, educational goals, administrative and human resources proce- dures, and examinations systems of the national government. Standards, textbooks, instructional strategies, and examinations are centrally controlled, created, and pro- mulgated nationwide. On an international continuum of standardization across schools in terms of the prescribed curriculum, the PRC would rank as one of the more standardized systems in the world. The nation’s provincial ministries of education are responsible for all educa- tional activities within their respective province as extensions of the national gov- ernment. Provincial educational officials have extensive powers to intervene in any educational situation where it is deemed essential to the effective execution of the government’s mandates for schooling. The provincial ministries are assisted in their work to improve instruction in schools by the national system of state normal uni- versities, i.e., large state universities that produce the overwhelming bulk of the nation’s new teachers and provide professional development for existing teachers, administrators, and other school staff. Yunnan Normal University is the main pro- ducer of teachers for the province and has a longstanding professional development program for teachers and specifically for principals of both primary and secondary schools. The People’s Daily in China published an article in 2014 by President Xi Jinping advocating students of all ethnic groups should “understand each other, respect each other, tolerate each other, appreciate each other, learn from each other, help each other, and hug each other like pomegranate seeds” (Xi, 2014). Geographers have also noted that there are significant interactive effects among geographic features, economic development, and educational development throughout China (Li Yin, 2021). Geographic isolation inhibits connectivity which in turn negatively impacts further financial and economic activity. The diminished nature of such activities in these areas directly impacts the availability, accessibility, and quality of educational resources as well across all age groups. They suggest tighter and better coordination among educational, economic, and social development efforts in these geographi- cally challenging places throughout the nation because of these interactive effects. Wu (2020) noted that within education in border ethnic areas such as Yunnan, it is considered vitally necessary to continuously enhance ethnic students’ recognition of the outstanding culture of the Chinese (overwhelmingly Han-dominant) nation. The purpose of this educational effort is to prevent ethnic separatists located on China’s border areas from propagating false statements and undermining national unity. This concern has led to the implementation of additional social functions to compulsory education. These additional social functions provided by the compul- sory education program in ethnic areas brings a substantial increase in tasks for frontline teachers. The required diversified educational services pose significant challenges to teachers’ knowledge levels, language abilities, and working styles. H. Dai and D. Cheek
  • 30. 11 Teachers’ teaching energy is diffused by all these requirements and teaching quality inevitably decreases as such policies are implemented (Wu, 2020). Zhang and Fan (2019) remind us that future changes to education throughout the nation will take place within the context of stages of reform and developments in the organizational structure of China’s primary and secondary schools over the past 70 years. Zhang and Fan (2019) document that since 2001, primary and secondary schools have successively established a school-based management system that com- bines government coordination, social participation, and independent school man- agement. Consistent with school systems everywhere in the world, China’s schools are under fairly constant exposure to varying new reform measures to improve teaching and learning. The need for greater consistency within and across these school systems is becoming a more prominent theme, especially as it relates to areas inhabited by significant numbers of ethnic minorities as well as rurality and its pre- dominating effects. This requires more sophisticated, well-articulated, and widely known and practiced models of teaching that narrow gaps in compulsory education and improve learning results (e.g., Yuan Zhu, 2020). On December 21, 2020, the website of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education (2020) announced the reform of the various titles bestowed on principals of basic education schools throughout the province. A new professional ladder sys- tem for principal designation and advancement will be implemented based on the “scientific evaluation” of the principal with the resultant creation of a new series of professional ranks. The main purpose of this reform is to establish a development system, “promote the continuous growth and progress of principals,” and establish a “professional job evaluation system” for principals at all levels of primary and secondary education. Wu (2020) conducted field investigations on the development of compulsory education in nine ethnically-concentrated provinces, including Yunnan. According to his team’s investigation, the development of compulsory education in ethnic areas still faces difficulties and problems, such as the diversification of education supply functions, special school administration units, high school operating costs, and a poor supply of teachers. The difficulties and challenges of rural schools in Yunnan are similar to situations of rural schools in the United States (cf. Kinkley, 2019; Lackey, 2019) although there remain differences too in both degree and kind. Conclusion This chapter, along with its two companion articles published separately, provides ample evidence of the need to engage in extensive cultural analysis before daring to engage in learning design regarding the professional development of principals who lead public primary (elementary) schools across the vast and highly diverse prov- ince of Yunnan. Only by employing a more sophisticated and substantial approach to understanding the complex interactive effects of the five factors within this cul- tural analysis framework can we hope to make significant impact. Applying a Cultural Analysis Framework Before Engaging in Large-Scale Learning…
  • 31. 12 References Ba, Z. (2021). Mai xiang xin jiao yu ren lei xue. [Towards the “new anthropology of education” – the conception and interpretation of the new paradigm of the anthropology of education]. Educational Research, 8, 59–68. Braudel, F. (1972). The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean world in the age of Philip II. Harper Row, two volumes. Translated by Sian Reynolds. Braudel, F. (1981, 1982, 1984). Civilization capitalism 15th – 18th century. Harper Row Publishers, three volumes. Translated by Sian Reynolds. Braudel, F. (1988, 1990). The identity of France. Harper Row Publishers, two volumes. Translated by Sian Reynolds. Carrico, K. J. (2017). The great Han: Race, nationalism, and tradition in China today. University of California Press. Chiang, P. (2009). Archaeology of ancient Yunnan: Sichuan influence in the transformation of the Shizhaishan culture. VDM Verlag. Dai, H., Cheek, D. (2021). Designing effective learning experiences for diverse and scattered minority groups across Yunnan Province, China. In M. Simonson D. Seepersaud (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2021 AECT international conference, USA (Vol. 43(2), pp. 373–382). Dai, H., Cheek, D. (2021). Culturally and situationally appropriate professional develop- ment for elementary principals of ethnic majority schools in Yunnan, China. In M. Simonson D. Seepersaud (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2022 AECT international conference, USA, 44(1), 74–84. Giersch, C. P. (2006). Asian borderlands: The transformation of Qing China’s Yunnan frontier. Harvard University Press. Green, T. F., Ericson, D. P., Seidman, R. H. (1997). Predicting the behavior of the educational system. Educator’s International Press, Inc. Hutchings, G. (2000). Modern China: A guide to a century of change. Harvard University Press. Joniak-Luthi, A. (2017). The Han: China’s diverse majority. University of Washington Press. Kinkley, I. C. (2019). Population change and principal leadership behaviors in US rural schools. PhD dissertation, Michigan State University, K-12 Educational Administration. Lackey, E. H. (2019). The relationship between the supportive principal behavior dimensions and teachers’ perceptions of self-efficacy in rural schools. Ed. D. dissertation, Lincoln Memorial University. Lei, W., Zhang, X. (2014). Exploring the development policy of small-scale schools in rural areas. Educational Research and Experiment, 654–658. Li, Z., Yin, J. (2021). Wo guo jiao yu de kong jian fen xi ji qi po jie lun lue. [On the spatial differentiation of education in China and its solution: A discussion from the perspective of geography]. Contemporary Education and Culture, 13(1), 24–32. McWalters, P., Cheek, D. (2000).A state accountability system as a technology of social control: The case of Rhode Island, USA. Evaluation and Research in Education, 14(3/4), 268–276. Mühlhahn, K. (2019). Making China modern from the great Qing to Xi Jinping. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Scott, J. C. (2009). The art of not being governed: An anarchist history of upland southeast Asia. Yale University Press. Shuyang, S. (2007). A reader on China: An introduction to China’s history, culture, and civiliza- tion. Better Link Press. Tanner, H. M. (2010). China: A history. Volume 2: From the Great Qing Empire through the People’s Republic of China. Hackett Publishing. Toops, S. W. (2003). China: A geographic preface. In R. E. Gamer (Ed.), Understanding contem- porary China (2nd ed., pp. 11–28). Lynne Reinner Publishers. Veeck, G., Pannell, C. W., Shen, X., Huang, Y. (2021). China’s geography: Globalization and the dynamics of political, economic, and social change (4th ed.). Rowman Littlefield. H. Dai and D. Cheek
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  • 33. 15 Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character Development Training Pamela C. Moore and Begüm Saçak Thomas (2003) highlighted the fusion of instruction design and ethics by stating, “Our design work and what results from this work are inextricably bound with issues that are essentially ethical in nature” (p. 34). Given the presence of multiple cultural factors at play, instructional designers may encounter various ethical issues as a part of the intersectional position they hold in their organization, especially as they are involved in character development design, which requires instructional designers to promote certain cultural values and virtues that ideally constitute “desirable character traits.” The ethical dilemmas encountered by instructional designers can be contextualized in three main cultural views: (a) An organization or institution’s approach or mandates to core cultural values; (b) instructional design- er’s own values, character traits, and views; and (c) learners’ values and culture. In this chapter, the character-infused decision-making approach based on virtue ethics will be presented as a potential framework to be adapted in the context of instruc- tional design, character training design, and the intersectionality of the instructional designer’s position. P. C. Moore (*) Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, United States e-mail: [email protected] B. Saçak Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_2
  • 34. 16 Character-Infused Virtue Ethics: An Introduction According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2016), virtue ethics is an approach that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach that emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that emphasizes the consequences of actions (consequentialism). Scholars Nguyen and Crossan’s (2021) recent frame- work called “character-infused decision making” combining the character of a moral agent with decision- making mechanisms for making ethical decisions within the business context. The strength of a character-infused virtue ethics approach is that it is both bound by the situational context as well as the character of the moral agent. As the moral agent engages in virtuous acts over and over, the decision-­ making mechanisms can be strengthened. Instructional designers could also benefit from this approach when handling ethi- cal dilemmas as virtue ethics could, in fact, minimize “the individual and collective experience of what are often dysfunctional influences of the context” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, Future Research Agenda and Conclusions section). These influences of context can arise from different cultural backgrounds, an organization or institu- tion’s approach or mandates to core cultural values, instructional designer’s own values, character traits, and views, and learners’ values and culture. In the next sec- tion, these cultural views are explained within the context of instructional design. Ethics and Three “Cultural” Views in Instructional Design We begin the discussion of ethics and cultural views in instructional design by first defining the term culture. Reacting to the argument by Jahoda (2012) that culture is impossible to define, Mironenko and Sorokin (2018) propose that culture is “a mul- tidimensional phenomenon that encompasses processes, products, and results of human activity, material and spiritual, transmitted from generation to generation in a non-biological way.” Furthermore, these various aspects of culture are synthesized and evident in the actions of an individual (Mironenko Sorokin, 2018, p. 338). In this chapter, then, we refer to culture as a full phenomenon that is intrinsic to an individual or organization of individuals and influences the behavior of an individual. What is the significance of culture in the process of designing instruction? To answer this question, we must first conceptualize the relationship of the instructor, the learner, and the employing organization. In the process of creating a learning module, there is an obvious connection between the instructional designer and the learner. That is, the instructional designer creates a learning module for the learner. With the proposed definition of culture, it is safe to assert that an instructional designer embodies a particular cultural viewpoint when designing a learning mod- ule. Likewise, the learner embodies a particular cultural viewpoint in the process of learning. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
  • 35. 17 The instructional designer is also employed by an organization. It is also reason- able to assert that the organization itself has a cultural viewpoint that is influential in the process of instructional design. Literature is replete with the idea that an organization has a culture of its own. For instance, Kwantes and Glazer (2017) argue that since an organization is a social system of individuals with a common goal, then the organization itself has a culture that uniquely synthesizes the stake- holders’ cultures in fulfilling the common goal. Lepeley (2021) further defines orga- nizational culture as essentially the “personality” of the organization, which began with the values of the organizational founders (p. 4). So, the organization has a culture, but does the organization’s culture affect the design process? The answer is yes when you consider the professional ethical demands on the instructional designer. There are several mandates in the AECT Code of Ethics related to the culture of the learner and the employing organization as it applies to the professional conduct of the instructional designer. First, the code of ethics speaks to designing instruction for the benefit of the learner. Section 1 indicates the commitment to the learner: “In fulfilling obligations to the individual learner, the member: Shall protect the individual learner’s rights of access to profes- sional or instructional materials of varying points of view” (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2018). This mandate would imply that the instructional designer must consider the learner’s culture in designing edu- cational materials. Section 2 speaks to the instructional designer’s commitment to the organization. “In fulfilling obligations to society, the member: Shall accurately represent the member’s institution or organization and take adequate precautions to distinguish between personal and institutional or organizational views” (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2018). This second mandate would indicate that the instructional designer must be cognizant of the organizational views in designing instruction. By implication, the instructional designer must avoid infusing personal cultural views into the product that may differ from the employing organization’s cultural viewpoint. To assume that three cultural viewpoints have the potential to influence the end-­ product of instructional design is reasonable: the learner, the organization, and the instructional designer. (See Fig. 1) Although the intersection of the three cultural viewpoints may not be of equal import, as depicted by the gray area in Fig. 1, each viewpoint must be considered in designing instruction if the instruction is to be ethi- cally inclusive. Perhaps, the most poignant illustration of the ethical challenges inherent in the intersection of these three cultures is in the design of character devel- opment training. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 36. 18 Learner Instructional Designer Organization Fig. 1 The intersection of cultural viewpoints An Example in Character Development Design Character development is a current need in many types of organizations, such as secular, religious, military, healthcare, universities, and schools (Arbuckle, 2013; Baker, 2019; Berkowitz et al., 2020; Blakeley Higgs, 2014; Dam et al., 2019; Kress Rotstein, 2018; Lerner, 2018; McKay, 2013; Sohail et al., 2018; St. Peters Short, 2018). While character is inextricably linked to culture, the design of char- acter development curricula proves to be a good example of the intricacies of designing with cultural considerations. The following sections will highlight the need to equally consider the culture of the organization and the culture of the learner in character development design while being cognizant of the effects of the cultural biases of the designer. The Importance of Cultural Considerations The way a character trait is expressed or repressed may vary depending on the social context. One influencer is the moral code of the social group, which establishes a value system of character traits. This social value system informs the group member of which character traits should be displayed and developed (Moulin-Stożek, 2019). Since the social group dictates the desirable character traits for an individual, the instructional designer must know the preferences of the hiring organization con- cerning which character traits are desired within the organizational context. At the same time, the instructional designer must be cognizant of desirable character traits of the employee’s culture in case there is a misalignment with the organization’s desirable character traits. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
  • 37. 19 For example, Eastern culture views family considerations in employment oppor- tunities as an ethical business practice. In this culture, considering the employment of relatives displays the character strength of justice because of the high value placed on putting one’s family first. In contrast, Western culture views this practice as unjust behavior because a higher value is placed on the community or society over family considerations (Sison et al., 2020). If the employee from an Eastern culture is responsible for hiring in an organization whose culture aligns with Western culture, imagine the difficulties an instructional designer may face in designing pro- fessional training on equitable hiring practices with this type of learner. In addition to considering the cultures of the learner and the organization, the instructional designer must also be aware of cultural differences in the learners when designing character development training. Researchers Johnson and Hinton III (2018) have strongly argued that cultural differences should not be separated from character development considerations. For example, to train youth to be global citizens, it would be counter-intuitive to base character education curricula on a single culture, such as the prevalent Western culture in many character education programs. Omitting important cultural considerations can lead to a cultural gulf that may limit one’s sense of freedom to express cultural differences (Johnson Hinton III, 2018). Ethical Dilemmas for Cultural Inclusivity Instructional Designer’s and Organization’s Culture Perhaps, one of the most challenging dilemmas occurs when the values and training mandates or institutional values of the organization do not quite match that of the instructional designers’ core values. Most institutions do promote a set of specific values and invite their employees to follow those values in the workplace. As an example, Arbuckle (2013) and Baker (2019) have expressed their views that the Catholic identity and goals of a Catholic organization should trump the cultural identity and concerns of an employee, including the design of any training program. The U.S. Army has a set of core values expected to be exhibited by commissioned officers (Murray et al., 2021). Religious education often instills religious values in the learners (Hussin Tamuri, 2019; Labosier Labosier, 2018). However, what happens if the instructional designers’ values or cultural beliefs clash with the employing organization is unknown? It might be the case that oftentimes organiza- tions and their employees share a similar set of values in the first place; however, the those values or cultural approaches can diverge minimally, or in some cases, the mismatch could be too significant that the end product (the training) may not be of expected quality given the organization’s expectations, or the instructional designer may opt-out of the design work. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 38. 20 It’s important to understand the designer’s character within the context of the organization as. According to Gray and Boling (2016), designers actively inscribe values in the objects or artifacts that they design, sometimes without even being aware of them. The impact of these values, however, goes beyond the designs them- selves as these designs influence social systems and perpetuate behavioral norms for a longer period of time (Gray Boling, 2016). The effects can be significant and lead to what we might call designer’s bias. The bias and differences in ethical approach could be more visible in character education training design. There could be a fundamental disagreement on how character education should be designed based on to what extent designers’ values diverge from that of the organization they work for. Instructional Designer’s Inherent Worldviews, Values, and Culture Another difficult dilemma that instructional designers face is that all instructional designers bring with them their own set of values, culture, and inherent worldviews. Paraphrasing Thomas and Marlon Mitchell (2002), Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) observe that the worldview of the instructional designer “cannot be sepa- rated from the training that they develop” (p. 2). Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) point out that if the instructional designer is unaware of or does not consider personal cultural biases in designing instruction, the effectiveness of the instruction may be at risk. As a result, when chosen instructional strategies, communication, and student expectations are not tailored for cultural sensitivity, knowledge con- struction may be affected (Messitidis, 2018). One of the factors that exacerbate this issue could be the potential lack of multi- cultural awareness in the instructional designer. Instructional designers may not have the necessary training to accommodate and address cultural diversity in the trainings that they design. In a qualitative study of 40 online instructors, the results highlighted barriers to designing a collaborative learning environment in online instruction for multicultural learners (Kumi-Yeboah, 2018). One of the identified challenges was the lack of training to ensure cultural diversity in the instruction. Another challenge was the advance identification of the cultures represented by the learners. Furthermore, extensive and detailed knowledge may be mandatory for adequately designing training for specific character traits. For instance, gratitude can be expressed differently and have different motivations depending on the cul- ture. Morgan et al. (2015) give the example of the Tamil culture where gratitude is not always felt toward the beneficiary if the benefactor is of a higher social status. In this culture, those of higher social status have a duty to provide for those of lower social status. In such a case, the beneficiary may feel a sense of entitlement instead of gratitude. P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
  • 39. 21 One of the pressing issues is how to address a range of cultures while designing learning experiences. Should instructional designers choose primary cultures and omit the other multicultural possibilities? Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) point out that time constraints, budget constraints, organizational goals, and even an end-goal of assimilation of the learner into mainstream culture can limit the robust- ness of cultural inclusivity in instructional design. Campbell and Schwier (2014) suggest that instructional design models and approaches could also have a limiting effect on cultural inclusivity. In fact, the need to design for plural cultures is normally at odds with the need to design for a specific culture since traditionally, instructional design models and approaches advocate for identification and narrowing down the audience in the first place: “User-centered principles of instructional design suggest that a precise and narrow articulation of an audience can lead to optimal learning designs, a proposition that seems axiomatic” (Campbell Schwier, 2014, p. 358). Though this kind of approach could have its own benefits, such as meeting the needs of a certain audience, these trainings can often be shared without regard to the audience for which they were originally designed (Campbell Schwier, 2014). As an example, a specific character training initiative can be used by audiences or learners with varied cultural backgrounds— different from the audience for whom the training(s) are originally designed. All these considerations point to the implica- tion that designers need to be inclusive of all cultures by considering the future effect of their work on learners; however, this is a dilemma that instructional design- ers face given their own cultural background and possibly a lack of multicultural awareness. Learner Values and Cultural Views Learners as the audience and receivers of the training are also an important part of the equation, specifically in terms of how well these trainings are received by the target audience. When learners receive character education training, the nature of such training is interwoven with ethical values or, in some cases, mandates that have been deemed appropriate or necessary by the organization and/or instructional designers. At the same time, it is important for designers to recognize that there will likely be a great diversity of experiences that learners will bring to a course or other learning experience (Gronseth et al., 2020). Viewing learning from learners’ perspectives also results in challenging dilem- mas and questions that need to be answered. In character education training design, what is the ethical pathway when a particular value in the training has negative con- notations for the culture of some learners and positive connotations for the culture of other learners? One suggestion could be identifying cultural background and learning more about the cultures represented by the learners (Cifuentes Ozel, 2006; Gronseth et al., 2020). However, finding a compromise or a middle way to Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 40. 22 convey the intended training messages while ensuring the culturally insensitive material is at minimum for a wide audience could be a challenge. Secondly, not only instructional designers’ values could clash with an organiza- tion’s or institution’s values, but also the learners’ values or culture may not be compatible with the mandates for character training by the employing organization. Learners, especially learners from diverse backgrounds who don’t belong to main- stream culture, might and likely have different views of what constitutes desirable character traits. Culturally relevant training recognizes the culture of diverse learn- ers and uses their culture and attributes to maximize their learning (Gronseth et al., 2020; Howard, 2012). However, if an organization fails to attain culturally relevant training requirements, especially when the organization’s culture or mandates are different from that of learners, what is the best path to follow? If such misalignment exists between the cultural characteristics of the learner and the employing organi- zation, should the instructional designer act as an advocate for the learner? Through the ethical dilemmas and questions raised in this section, it is suggested that instructional design is an inherently ethical practice as it involves value judg- ments about what is considered as “good” or “bad” as attested by Gray and Boling (2016): Instructional design is ethical in the sense that it deals with designing futures (e.g., artifacts, experiences) that do not currently exist; these futures are presumed by the designer and/or stakeholders to improve conditions (a value judgment about what may be good or bad for the learner), consistent with a socially defined understanding of the “good life” design, and how an ethical awareness might alter our understanding of the commitments of professional practice (p. 974). Questions to ethical dilemmas raised in this paper are not exhaustive and have no definitive answers, but there is an urgent need for a conversation around the inter- sectionality of the instructional designer’s position as it relates to character educa- tion training designs, their respective organizations, and most importantly, learners. It’s important to remember that instructional designers bring training plans into life, and their designs could have a long-lasting impact beyond the immediate training needs that have the potential to affect social systems and influence behavioral norms (Gray Boling, 2016). Finding Harmony in Cultural Differences Given the ethical dilemmas and multiple dimensions present in character education design, instructional designers’ ethical decisions and approaches to design intersect with the organization’s values they are involved in, as well as the target audience for whom they design (see Fig. 1). At the intersection lies the presumably ideal ethical approach or harmony towards instructional design and character training. How then can instructional designers attain a level of culturally and ethically solid character design considering the intersectionality of the positions? Perhaps, the character of the instructional designer and insights from virtue ethics can be P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
  • 41. 23 central to answering some of these ethical questions since the nature of the moral agent [instructional designer in this context] could provide critical insights into ethi- cal decision making in a more broad sense (Nguyen Crossan, 2021).Although the examples and literature are centered around the unique dilemmas of cultural consid- erations in instructional design, a decision-making mechanism based on character and virtue ethics could be used as an approach to find a solution to any ethical issues that arise in instructional design. In the Nguyen and Crossan (2021) framework, ethical decision-making consists of awareness, judgment, intention, behavior, and reflection—concepts that a moral agent’s character exhibits, which are bound by the situation or context. Each com- ponent of the decision-making process is influenced by personal virtues such as integrity, temperance, humility, and courage, to name a few. In other words, the character of a person or a moral agent enters and influences each of these compo- nents such that any of these decision-making components can be either strength- ened by a strong character or compromised by a weak character (Nguyen Crossan, 2021). Considering the ethical role instructional designers play in crafting learning experiences or designs (Gray Boling, 2016), this particular framework could pro- vide approaches on how difficult ethical dilemmas, especially those that are bound by the context, or the different stakeholders involved from a character-based perspective. Awareness Moral awareness emerges when the moral agent recognizes an event to have moral qualities or consequences (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). One of the issues with awareness is that the dominant culture and their respective expectations can be preferred over other ethical values. In the instructional design field, this could be the case when the design targets a primary culture’s values by possibly omitting other cultural considerations. Even worse, what is considered ethical or acceptable for the primary culture might not be ethical or the optimal choice for other cultures. As an example, if a character-training for a religion-based organization promotes certain character traits or even language that are particular to that religion, the training may not be as effective for learners who do not share a similar background or even for the instructional designer if they subscribe to a different set of values or ethics. In addition, the aforementioned designer’s bias—the designer’s own unconscious biases and beliefs—can also have an impact on the learning experience. Being aware of the context and ethical underpinnings requires a knowledge of what actions are possible and what parties are involved as well as what resulting consequences might occur. When the character of the moral agent is involved, the perspective of the moral agent could be more proactive rather than a passive one. Still, the ethical questions or dilemmas may not be easy to resolve or even define in the first place. How should an instructional designer handle the challenging task of Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 42. 24 becoming aware of the existing ethical dilemmas, possible solutions, or their own biases in the first place? Within the context of character-infused virtue ethics frame- work, instructional designers’ strong character traits and their belief in universally accepted virtues such as being able to empathize with all parties, trying to under- stand different viewpoints, and coming from a place of compassion for the learners as well as acknowledgment of diversity could result in better awareness for immedi- ate training concerns as well as future design challenges. This character strength could also be developed since moral awareness is not a one-time occurrence but rather an emerging process (Monin Jordan, 2009; Nguyen Crossan, 2021), which means a moral agent can and should revisit the issue from different angles at different points. Instructional designers can immerse themselves in different cul- tures and viewpoints, solicit learner feedback, and seek formative evaluations to create awareness of cultural differences (Rogers et al., 2007) not only for one instance but rather on an ongoing basis. Judgment Judgment is “the deliberation of the possible courses of action and deciding which course is morally right” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 11). Moral judgment is heav- ily affected by the context, as well as the activation and prioritization of certain norms. The characteristics of the issues, as well as the context, can also activate particular values and schemas associated with certain roles or identities an individ- ual has formed to influence moral judgment (Nguyen Crossan, 2021). The crucial question is how a person makes changes or takes the presumably right course of action while exercising judgment once they become aware of a moral dilemma. A character-infused virtue ethics framework is based on the assumption that vir- tues are universally accepted for humans’ well-being and betterment. One’s charac- ter can help the moral agent in responding to the contextual influences by reprojecting which values need to be emphasized by preferring virtuous values over non-virtuous ones. However, one crucial point is that personal moral values alone are not enough to make judgments; rather, judgments should be based on universal virtues. Judgment, especially ethical judgment, is a part of the intersectional role that an instructional designer assumes in considering the need to create learning experi- ences that meet learner needs as well as organizational needs. An example would be a character training setting where a certain promoted moral value or character trait/ behavior has negative connotations for some learners. An instructional designer should exercise judgment on how to navigate the components of such training. Judgment is also crucial, especially when an instructional designer lacks the neces- sary cultural awareness to be able to create a well-designed character training for learners. Instructional designers, as needed in all professions where judgment is needed, must apply practical wisdom or judgment to determine how it should be applied in particular situations and when departures are warranted (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Thiele, 2006). P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
  • 43. 25 The character of an instructional designer also plays an important role in respond- ing to contextual influences in terms of determining which values an individual should serve by highlighting and prioritizing universal and virtuous values. If instructional designers possess an internalized knowledge of universal virtues and can incorporate these virtues (such as courage, humanity, integrity, etc.), the result- ing character training could appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Intention and Behavior Ethical intention refers to the planned action or what an individual has in mind to do (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). As in judgment and awareness, universal virtues are an important part of one’s intention, as individuals who possess strong, virtuous values are more likely to integrate these universal values into their practice. Intention may not always be purely ethical since situational forces can some- times require the selection of non-universal values over moral ones. As an example, in character training development, an organization could mandate an instructional designer create training based on organizational values. Instructional designers can often comply with organizational mandates and values by preferring the values of organizations/institutions over potentially more inclusive or universal values. This preference is, in fact, a challenge to a character as it might lead to “a lobotomy of personal character” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 12). One of the strengths of character-­ based virtue ethics is that a moral agent with a strong character should be able to distinguish universal values from other values. Though this is a difficult act, which might require an instructional designer to determine what inclusive character training looks like and move the organization in a particular direction, the character can be influential in terms of choosing the moral course of action to take. Intention alone, however, is not the sole or the main factor when it comes to act- ing or demonstrating moral behavior. Past habituated behaviors could have more impact on subsequent behaviors than intentions or conscious decisions. These behaviors, through repetition, could become the norm. It takes courage and a strong character to form good habits and practice moral behavior; in other words, moral virtues should be an important part of an individual’s identity (Nguyen Crossan, 2021; Rest, 1986). The intention of a moral agent and the courage to follow through the moral inten- tions could also be related to awareness; being aware of moral dilemmas and exhib- iting moral actions within a particular context are key to ethical decision making. For an instructional designer, ethical behavior is the visible part of a training or learning experience where the designer can incorporate their understanding of uni- versal virtues into character education training. The end product or learning solu- tion, therefore, exhibits the embodied values of an instructional designer. The challenge is incorporating organizational values while complying with core ethical values. It is improbable that a subjective piece of training such as character training can be designed by attaining ethical perfection. But it’s only when the virtues are an Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 44. 26 important part of an instructional designer’s own identity they can exhibit these moral values. Reflection Reflection is perhaps one of the most important components of the ethical decision- making process, which “brings the moral agent to the fore by recognizing that the agent has a choice to make, including the boundaries of the choice” (Nguyen Crossan, 2021, p. 16). Through the reflection process, an instructional designer can realize the role of a dominant culture and promoted values in character training, their own biases, poten- tial different ways to approach character training, and possibly hidden connotations for different learners. Reflection also symbolizes a point of departure, which means that an instructional designer can step out of the default way of viewing the givens of a situation and can step outside and take a critical look at the work that has been done or the way things have always been done within an organization. According to Luppicini (2003), an instructional designer should reflect on “the design processes and products, the design situation, and the implication of self and others in the design” (p. 78). It is especially important to pose questions such as, “What is the role of others involved?” “What do I think of myself and my role in practice?” and “What do others think about my design work?” This reflective pro- cess can help an instructional designer to become aware of different ways of think- ing about the design and in situations where implicit knowledge is embedded in the particularity of the social context. (Luppicini, 2003). Conclusion This chapter provided a brief overview of ethical dilemmas encountered by instruc- tional designers within the context of organizational constraints and mandates, instructional designers’ own inherent ethical values and cultural stance, as well as learner needs. The issues that arise from this intersectionality become even more visible in character education design, which in itself is a highly subjective area. As a potential framework to reconsider some of the dilemmas, the character-infused decision-making approach based on virtue ethics proposed by Nguyen and Crossan (2021) was presented in this paper. Instructional designers’ own character traits and approaches to virtues based on the main constructs of virtue ethics (awareness, judgment, intention and behavior, reflection) were discussed in the context of some of the dilemmas faced by instructional designers. It could be concluded that perhaps what is most needed is for the instructional designer to pursue excellence in the character trait of wisdom, i.e., the ability to discern the right actions in any given situation (Athanassoulis, 2018). Although the ethical dilemmas will always remain P. C. Moore and B. Saçak
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  • 47. 29 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2016). Virtue Ethics. In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved August 11, 2021. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-­virtue/ Thiele, L. P. (2006). The heart of judgment: Practical wisdom, neuroscience, and narrative. Cambridge University Press. Thomas, M. K. (2003). Designers’ Dilemmas. TechTrends, 47(6), 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/ BF02763282 Thomas, M., Marlon Mitchell, R. J. (2002). The third dimension of ADDIE: A cultural embrace. TechTrends, 46(2), 40–45. Character-Infused Virtue Ethics and Implications for the Design of Character…
  • 48. 31 Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design Nadia Jaramillo Cherrez, Elisabeth Babcock McBrien, and Christine Scott Learning design in its broader meaning encompasses several professional and cre- ative practices used to create, develop, implement, evaluate, and adapt educational resources and technologies to improve learning (Wagner, 2021). Considering that learning design focuses on “learner enablement regardless of where, when, or with whom our design efforts will be taking place” (Wagner, 2021, para. 2), we recog- nize that making learning design more inclusive requires us to challenge current design approaches and perspectives to address the needs of diverse students. In designing learning experiences, there are multiple opportunities to create environments, resources, activities, technologies, and strategies to support diverse students. Designing inclusive learning environments means that the instructional choices acknowledge, value, and build upon a rich set of knowledge, skills, back- grounds, interests, and experiences that students bring to the learning environment. When learners’ various identities (e.g., gender, linguistic, culture) become the anchors for a learning design, the learning environment consists of a robust system that supports students (Gronseth et al., 2021). Adopting an approach that prioritizes the connection between learning design1 and student identities can impact students’ success positively. In fact, research 1 For the purpose of this chapter, and considering that learning design encompasses a broader set of educational practices, we use learning design to refer to the development of online and blended learning experiences rather than instructional design. However, for the role that an individual may have in relation to the educational practices, we use a specific term to differentiate the scope of their roles (e.g., instructor, instructional designer). N. J. Cherrez (*) · E. B. McBrien · C. Scott Oregon State University – Ecampus, Corvallis, OR, USA e-mail: [email protected] © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023 B. Hokanson et al. (eds.), Toward Inclusive Learning Design, Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37697-9_3
  • 49. 32 shows the importance of professional development in raising instructor self-­ awareness of the different social identities that students and instructors themselves have, the challenges in addressing student diversity, and the implications of a fixed-­ mindset (O’Leary et al., 2020). In this chapter, we present an asset-based approach to raise such awareness in order to help faculty embrace the diversity of their students. Perspectives on Inclusive Learning Design A number of approaches have emerged to design inclusive educational environ- ments and address the diversity of students. These approaches include but are not limited to universal design for learning (UDL) and culturally responsive pedagogies (CRP). ​​ For instance, designing learning environments to support student unique- ness is the premise of the UDL framework (Dalton et al., 2019; Hall et al., 2012). This framework recognizes the diversity of students’ social identities which should be the norm and guide to design an inclusive learning experience (Hall et al., 2012). Research has demonstrated that UDL is an effective approach for designing flexible learning and accessible content (Al-Azawei et al., 2016), and promoting academic and social engagement (Katz, 2013). UDL was initially developed for supporting students with disabilities, but more recent efforts have focused on “plus-one” uses of UDL to go beyond accessibility and extend its use to more broadly address the intersectional nature of learners’ identities (Tobin Behling, 2018). In the quest to support diverse learners through inclusive learning design, discus- sions have turned to students’ backgrounds (e.g., culture, socio-economic status, sexuality, immigration, and linguistic heritage). These characteristics have often been viewed through a deficit lens—as problems to solve—in the form of language deficits and cultural otherness (Surtees, 2019) rather than from an asset perspective which regards these differences as strengths. Concerns about deficient views in the learning environment have led scholars to connect UDL to CRP, which argue that students from culturally diverse backgrounds must be supported in their learning with content and strategies that reflect that diversity (Gay, 2010). When used together, UDL and CRP go beyond responding to students’ diversity of skills and learning preferences; they value and incorporate students’ cultural diversity—lin- guistic, background, and norms (Bass Lawrence-Riddell, 2020; James, 2018; Kieran Anderson, 2019). This multidimensional approach supports a shift towards building upon students’ potential and capacities. Students’ language and cultural background only partially explain the intersec- tion of identity and positionality informing and motivating all participants in the learning environment. We should turn our attention to instructors and instructional designers who also play a substantial role in learning design. Given that instructors are responsible for instructional choices, it is imperative to support their profes- sional development in inclusive teaching. A body of research has shown that peda- gogical training can motivate STEM faculty to adopt teaching practices that foster N. J. Cherrez et al.
  • 50. 33 equitable and culturally responsive environments, and thus, contributing to student learning success (O’Leary et al., 2020). In addition, developing self-awareness and empathy for students as well as recognizing our own privileges contribute to inclu- sive pedagogy (Dewsbury Brame, 2019; Kachani et al., 2020). While student identity should be built into the learning design, we should also consider the instructors’ own positionality and identity: culture, language, gender identity, class, ability status, nationality, etc., and how these may influence their instructional choices. Instructors and instructional designers need to extend the notion of the complexity of our social identities to ourselves. How does the inter- play between all of these factors impact instructional choices and influence our own approach to course design? How do we recognize and acknowledge the assets that diverse students bring to the class and leverage those assets to create a truly inclu- sive learning space? In examining this, we offer a practical guide to go beyond self-­ awareness and approach self-interrogation grounded in the assumption of student diversity as an asset—an essential prerequisite for fostering a mindset for inclu- sive design. Self-Interrogation as a Catalyst for Inclusivity Creating educational opportunities to counteract educational inequalities requires us to first examine our own beliefs to begin cultivating a mindset that embraces learning design as a quest for social justice. To begin this quest, we must acknowl- edge the intersectional nature of identity and positionality before attempting to describe student needs. Our own social and cultural identities and perspectives can take a central, yet unconscious, role in designing and teaching blended and online courses. Let’s take culture, which is a complex concept, as an example. Many of our values, norms, and behavioral expectations are cultural and unconscious (Hall, 1976). While several frameworks have been used to develop an understanding of culture, these are limited in two ways. First, they make assumptions about particular groups and contexts. For instance, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have serious limi- tations when used to explain other people’s behavior based on their country of ori- gin (Långstedt, 2018). Therefore, using them to understand others is problematic. While we recognize the importance of cultural frameworks to help situate the con- text for a learning environment, we suggest these frameworks be used to examine one’s own culture and not to make generalizations about others; we suggest allow- ing individuals to describe themselves and their cultures, unbound by popu- lar models. In thinking about culture and language, therefore, we should use intentional reflection to interrogate our own preconceptions to illuminate our unconscious beliefs about and expectations for normative behaviors such as personal lifestyles, knowledge constructions, and individual values. While self-awareness may help in becoming more cognizant of our own feelings, emotions, and actions, its connection to the introspective “why” appears to be ineffective and may lead to more negative Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
  • 51. 34 attitudes (Eurich, 2018). Instead, Eurich proposes to focus on “what” –a question that likely empowers us “to act on our new insights” (para. 26). However, to illumi- nate our unconscious beliefs, we should look beyond leaping from introspection to actions without critically questioning our own preconceptions. This implies a will- ingness to examine aspects of ourselves honestly in an effort to reveal how our assumptions influence our course design choices. Self-interrogation, thus, becomes critical to create welcoming, meaningful, and connected learning experiences for all students, and in particular for students whose cultural and linguistic backgrounds differ from a Western-centric worldview favored and promoted in many academic contexts. Thus, we argue that without an inten- tional and systematic process to examine differences in expectations, norms, behav- iors, and our identities and positionality, we may perceive a violation of classroom norms, punish a student who is operating from a different set of expectations, and see students as holding a deficiency. As instructional designers, we believe it is our responsibility to engage in this process with our instructors, content developers, and colleagues to continuously conduct a self-interrogation process—develop a mindset to scrutinize our norms, behaviors, values, approaches, through questioning our design choices. Dimensions of an Inclusive Learning Design Mindset In developing a mindset for inclusive learning design, we ground our approach on a process of self-interrogation on our own expectations and positionality before mak- ing decisions around pedagogical choices and instructional materials. In this sec- tion, we present our practical guide with four critical aspects of learning design for examination. Those involved in learning design can make use of this guide consid- ering their specific contexts and resources at hand. At the end of this section, see Table 1 for guiding reflective questions. Interaction and Communication How do we develop meaningful, mutually-respected, and effective interaction and communication with students? Interaction and communication are critical in all learning modalities, especially in online and blended learning environments, and carry implications for both students and instructors (Roddy et al., 2017). For instruc- tors, these modes of instruction pose challenges related to the kinds of interaction and communication patterns to be integrated into the course. One way to address these challenges is to begin with an acknowledgement that, regardless of the mode of delivery, power dynamics between students and instructors exist (e.g., through grades, assignments, delivery of instruction). Instructors can examine their concerns about interacting with students and the types of interactions that are necessary for N. J. Cherrez et al.
  • 52. 35 Table 1 Inclusive mindset approach guiding questions Asset-based Curious Defining expectations Flexible Description Alignment with Four Critical Aspects of Design a Take an asset-based perspective on student performance (not a deficit perspective). (1, 2, 3) Recognize the cultural capital that each student brings to the course. (1, 2) Curious, not assuming. (1,2) Curious about students’ lives and experiences. (1, 2) Invite your students to share their expectations. (1, 2, 3, 4) Share your expectations with your students. (1, 2, 3, 4) Define terms and symbols used in the course and your discipline. Understanding the words and symbols in a discipline can increase a sense of belonging to those new to the field. (1, 3) Model proper usage of copyrighted materials (images, texts), including such licensing as Creative Commons. (1, 4) Flexible but structured. (1) Alternative assessments. (3, 4) Choices with technology. (4) Flexible cost: Open Educational Resources (OERs) are used when possible, with options for a free e-text or purchase of a paper textbook. (4) (continued) Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
  • 53. 36 Asset-based Curious Defining expectations Flexible Guiding Questions While it is easy to see what skills a student hasn’t mastered yet, how well do I acknowledge what a student is doing right?When students have unique experiences that differ from my own, do I automatically see those as potential strengths in the community of learners? What kinds of design choices will show that I value students? Can I see students’ linguistic systems as assets and allow for translanguaging? What can I do to better understand why some students are considered deviant from “good” language?How willing am I to interrogate the systems that ask for language that adheres to academic dispositions of each discipline? How much do I know about the multilingual capacities and multiple literacies of students? How can the course design make use of these multiple assets to level the ground for all students in my class? Do my course materials reflect a global society and diverse contexts and perspectives, or do the course materials mainly focus on the context of my own society or community? What assumptions about cultural background knowledge or shared value systems do the images in the course reveal? Do I invite students to connect the course content to their own lives and prior knowledge? What labels are used to describe student backgrounds (gender, cultural heritage, national origin, linguistic background, etc.), and are these labels chosen by the students themselves, or were the labels imposed on them?How does my own identity and positionality affect my design choices? Can the cultural and linguistic assets of students be weaved in their assignments? Are assessments relatable for a diverse range of students? What knowledge are we assessing, and what kind of knowledge is valuable to students? Have I checked to see if there are regions of the world where a tool I am requiring is not available due to censorship or other reasons? Am I assessing a student’s use of a prestige dialect (Academic English, for example) without explicitly teaching those skills, and how does that uphold systems of oppression? Is mastering a prestige dialect part of the learning outcomes of this course? Do I realize that ideas about what intellectual property is and what can be owned, bought and sold, can vary within a culture and across cultures? In what ways do I model my expectations around usage of copyrighted images and texts in my course? In what ways do I specify these expectations to students? In what ways do I impose my own cultural expectations on others?Do I assume students are familiar with the technology used in this course? How do I see interaction and communication in the context of group work? How is knowledge gained and evaluated in my discipline? Is there room for innovation and challenging the norm? What assumptions about background knowledge, literacy/academic skills, and digital skills guide the complexity of our assignments? If the use of digital tools is critical for learning and assessments, what kinds of information do these tools require me and students to share? How are these tools monetizing learning as opposed to advancing it? Do I invite students to voice feedback to me only, or do I also facilitate alternate routes for students to form communities with whom they feel comfortable sharing their voice? Do I provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their mastery? How do I respond to students who want to opt out of a technology item out of privacy concerns? Do I encourage students to use all of their linguistic resources (rather than English only) during the writing process? How willing am I to listen to students about the ways they would like to be evaluated? Even further, can students be co-designers of assessments? Do the assessments offer flexibility and choice that empowers students and enhances the learning experience? Does the flexibility I offer exist within a sound and thoughtfully designed course structure? a (1) Interaction and Communication, (2) Representation, (3) Assessments, (4) Technology for Ethical Design Table 1 (continued) N. J. Cherrez et al.
  • 54. 37 knowledge construction within the discipline. When designing participation and interaction guidelines or crafting feedback, we should consider that both the content of feedback and the method of delivery impact students’ sense of self-efficacy and beliefs (Hyland, 2013). For communication in particular, be aware of the multiple formats available (e.g., audio, video, text). These various modalities afford unique features that can enhance or misrepresent meaning. For instance, emphasis on writ- ten communication in online environments further increases the potential for misin- terpretations of intended meaning. However, by responding to student work through multiple means (e.g., eliciting anonymous student feedback), we can alleviate issues related to power distance perceptions (Milheim, 2017). Representation What is the value and the impact of content and language representation on stu- dents’ learning experience? Student perception of a lack of multicultural content in a course directly affects their participation and learning (Liu et al., 2010). Instructors and instructional designers can increase multicultural representation by critically questioning materials choices, thereby revealing whether the content presents a diversity of contexts and perspectives or whether the visual representations make assumptions about certain groups of people. We cannot assume that all students will evaluate the significance of the content and images through the same lens. Linguistic representation is also key. In taking a self-reflective stance, designers of learning experiences should problematize the contextual and societal circum- stances in which students from language-minority communities are marginalized. If we fail to ask ourselves hard questions about hierarchical systems that privilege those with dominant academic discourses, we fail students whose academic dis- courses are varied and shaped by their linguistic and cultural identities. An impor- tant goal in seeking social justice in education is to shift the deficiency-based perspective ascribed to multilingual students and multidialectal students whose lan- guage practices are considered problematic and in need of being fixed (Flores, 2021). Rather, we can capitalize on the linguistic diversity of our students by encouraging the use of all linguistic resources at their disposal. One strategy to achieve this is through translanguaging (Garcia Wei, 2014), which invites stu- dents to manage certain academic content in their first language or with a combina- tion of languages. Combining two or more languages to express an idea in a more meaningful way, using a second language for confirmation checks, or sharing rele- vant words in another language that may not have an equivalent in the course lan- guage are all examples of this approach (Hamman et al., 2018). Another example of this is allowing students to create journal entries or word maps in any language or combination of languages, if they so choose. Students could also be encouraged to take a global perspective and explore the publications of scholars whose works are in a language other than English if it is one that the student also speaks. The purpose of this linguistic flexibility is to facilitate a deeper level of cognitive engagement Cultivating a Mindset for Inclusive Learning Design
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  • 56. less money and paying debts. This made times better for the eastern workmen. Both the western and eastern co-operators were working on the same principles. They were all accumulating funds to purchase land, and just in proportion as the people acquired control over business they had more influence on legislation, and the power of money was correspondingly decreased. So it seems, I said, that your business organization did at last get into politics! Yes, said Norrena, it did get into politics as a business influence and what may seem strange to you, its object was to prevent the repeal of laws which had been enacted in the interest of the money monopolists. These shrewd financiers, raised a great outcry against combinations among producers to increase the price of products by using interchangeable certificates of deposit instead of money, in the transaction of business. The people were using the same methods for the improvement of their own financial condition that had been used so successfully by monopolists for their impoverishment, and the Patrons demanded that all the laws that had been enacted in favor of monopoly should remain on the statute books. They further demanded that all debts should be payable in legal tender money at the option of the debtor. I should have thought, I said, that the people would be glad to welcome the repeal of laws from which they had suffered so much. There was a time when they would, said Norrena, but not after they had adjusted their business relations to the operation of monopoly laws. Their debts were legally payable in money, and as the purchasing power of money was continually decreasing, it was to their interest to pay in money, and when all their debts were paid and the people refused any longer to take money for their products, the money kings who owned these vaults and their hoards of gold had to go in search of food. Many found homes in the co-operative communities and became valuable citizens, while a larger number had taken the alarm and emigrated to the Old World, only to meet a
  • 57. worse fate a little later on, for in the less enlightened parts of the world, the Reign of Gold wound up in a Reign of Terror. The lesson taught by these ruins would fill volumes. Norrena's accurate historical knowledge and ever ready explanations, with the not less forcible comments of Oqua and others, covered every phase of this wonderful, speedy and peaceful evolution from the Era of Money Despotism to the Era of Man and Universal Freedom, Equality and Fraternity. No wonder, I thought, that these people had preserved the ruins of Kroy as a relic of their Dark Ages and a warning to humanity for all time to come. Here, human selfishness reigned supreme and the people of an entire continent had suffered in order to pour into this greedy maw the wealth which it had no power to consume. And now, this once great center of wealth, pride and fashion, was a solitude. Its aristocratic four hundred had actually been starved out by the refusal of the clodhoppers, greasy mechanics and mudsills, whom they had held in such contempt, to feed and clothe them any longer. Surely this was an object lesson well worthy of the care that had been taken to preserve it from the refining and civilizing hand of labor. Time was slowly obliterating these foot prints of a tyranny from which the people had been emancipated for ages, but it was still important that it should not be entirely forgotten, and there could be no better reminder of the evil that had impoverished and degraded the millions, as well as of the means by which it had been removed, than these ruins and the abandoned heaps of useless gold. After a day among the ruins, and full of serious reflections, we returned to the Silver King and were soon speeding down the bay. We landed at the tower, and from this point the electric cars soon transported us to our great communal home. I was fatigued and retired to my own apartment at once, to think and rest.
  • 58. CHAPTER XV. Home again—Letter from Bona Dea—Electric garments—Reporter's phonograph—Testing the new airship—A World's Council—Wallaroo on Evolution—The ideals planted by Missionaries—The Eolus— Preparations for return to America—Excursion to the far North—The Watch Tower—Symbolic representation—The Farewell—The revelation to Ganoe—Cassie! Cassie! Come back! Come back! EXT morning at the breakfast table Oqua informed me that a package and letter from Bona Dea to my address, had arrived at an early hour but that it had not been delivered, as they did not wish to disturb my rest. It had been retained in the office subject to my order when I was ready to receive it. This recalled to my mind a private conversation I had with Bona Dea at Orbitello, and I surmised that her communication might have reference to that; but I was at a loss to form any opinion in regard to the package. She had told me that one of the inmates of the
  • 59. Home at Lake Byblis was paying especial attention to the formation of an ideal mental picture of life and its conditions in the frozen regions. And to that end her apartments had been fitted up to represent winter scenery, and to make the impression more realistic she was provided with a refrigerator room where she subjected herself to low temperatures and was testing the heat conserving powers of various qualities of clothing. When breakfast was over I called at the office and received a large bundle, neatly wrapped and securely sealed. The address was Jack Adams, No. 1, care Nequa. This was a poser. The communication was in the official envelope of the Home and I hastened to my room, so that if need be I could have the aid of a lexicon in the translation. But when I opened it, somewhat to my surprise, I found it was written in English. Being appropriate as a part of this narrative, I insert it in full. Matrons' Home, Lake Byblis, March 1, 6894, A.M. My Dear Nequa:—On returning to the Home, I related to Meidra, the Arctic pupil of whom I told you, the substance of our conversation, and explained to her what you suggested in regard to electric garments as a means of conserving the natural heat of the body when exposed to severe cold. She informed me that she had been experimenting on that line and had succeeded in making a suit that proved to be an ample protection from the greatest cold that her refrigerator is capable of producing. She sends you this electric suit, with the request that you test it in your proposed voyage to the southern verge. She further requests me to tell you that she does not intend to permit you to deprive this inner world of the honor of having a Jack Adams among its great navigators and explorers by your simply taking advantage of one of our customs to change your name to such a feminine cognomen as Nequa. Both she and Tanqua are anxious to make your acquaintance. Meidra says that your image is
  • 60. indelibly impressed on her mind by your photograph. She has an enlarged reproduction of your picture as a prominent feature in her room, and from this she reads a most admirable character. The people of the entire concave are aroused to the importance of your efforts to open up a channel of communication with the outer world. All the Grand Divisions want to participate in the honor and to that end each one has appointed a member to act with a representative from Altruria, and constitute an Inner-World Council to assist in every way possible. It has been agreed that Norrena shall represent this country and I am authorized to request you to make a date for the first meeting of the Council, as soon as possible after your trial voyage in search of a storm, as Battell expressed it. Please advise me as soon as you return, when it will suit you best to have these Inner-World Representatives call upon you, and oblige Your many friends, Bona Dea. I opened the bundle and found a beautifully quilted silk suit, soft and pliable, but of firm texture, with sandals, gloves, head-dress and visor to match. It also contained a small inlaid jewel case with a key in the lock. I opened this and found, as I supposed a beautiful locket in which I expected to see a picture of the donor, but it proved to be a delicate piece of machinery with printed instructions, which informed me that it was a phonograph for the especial use of reporters. When wound up it recorded on silver foil every word spoken. This was something new and I recalled to mind that I had frequently talked to people who wore similar lockets. Now I had found put that they probably preserved a record of every word I said, and I wondered if I had said anything that I would not like to have repeated. With people wearing lockets of this description, I realized how important it was for all to be very careful what they said; and certainly the people of this country are the most circumspect and exact in their statements, of any people with whom I have ever met.
  • 61. Just as I had finished the examination of the phonograph, the bell called my attention to my private telephone, and I was requested to meet Battell at the boatyard on the roof, prepared for a flight through the air on his new airship and to take some lessons in its management. This was just what I wanted, and in a minute the elevator had landed me on the roof. I found Battell, Huston, Polaris and Dione, together with Iola, MacNair and Oqua, ready for a ride in the new airship. It was beautifully finished but much more substantial than the light airy vessels to which I had become accustomed. I complimented Battell upon its appearance, but he was too matter-of-fact to appreciate anything that might look like flattery and said with his usual honest bluntness: It is not the appearance that we care anything about, but the sailing qualities. And so far as this climate is concerned we have made decided improvements in this particular. The sailing qualities are such, that everyone wants an improved airship, all at the same time. The demand is so pressing that Captain Ganoe and myself are in honor bound to these people, to give our entire attention to supplying the world with these improvements for at least a year to come. So we have concluded to turn the whole matter over to you, of constructing a vessel that will meet the requirements of an Arctic storm. But, I asked, why should you give up this work, now that you have it so far completed, into my inexperienced hands? I should think that your improvements could be duplicated by native mechanics. So they might, said Battell, but they want all their factories readjusted, and the same improved methods of manufacture which have been introduced at Lake Byblis. Besides we could not have completed the work without your assistance. It was just as important that you should test our improvements in the conditions existing at the verges, as it was for us to manufacture them. These EXTERNAL WORLD METHODS of testing everything by ACTUAL
  • 62. EXPERIMENT are absolutely necessary when we come to deal with EXTERNAL WORLD CONDITIONS. A department of the factory at Byblis has been set apart for you, where your plans and specifications will be speedily worked out. But, I asked, how can they be worked out as they should be by mechanics who know absolutely nothing about EXTERNAL WORLD CONDITIONS, such as Polar waves, Arctic storms, hurricanes and cyclones which are produced by EXTERNAL influences not existing in this INTERNAL WORLD? Will Captain Ganoe and yourself, with your external world experience and observation be there to superintend the work? Yes, I will be there, said Battell, but I want to thank you now for so forcibly presenting the reasons why the people of the inner world are anxious to avail themselves of our outer world experience in adapting their airships to outer world conditions. You certainly would not deprive them of this when they have given us so much that is indispensable to the physical, mental and moral uplifting of the people who live in the external world? It is these considerations which have influenced our decision to yield to their wishes. Whenever these people who live in this Internal World of Truth, as MacNair calls it, where an Altruistic love for humanity is the controlling impulse, see an improvement, they all want it immediately because it will enable them to do more good to others and of course we could not honorably refuse to assist them to the fullest extent of our ability. Certainly not, I said. That puts the matter in an entirely new light; but it also leaves to me, with my comparative inexperience, the whole responsibility of constructing a storm and cold proof ship. For this, I have no experience as a mechanic, and am but poorly qualified. My duties on shipboard have always been in some capacity that did not stimulate my mechanical faculties, if I have any. As an assistant to Captain Ganoe and yourself I thought there might be a place for me, but as to my ability to take the lead, I have my doubts.
  • 63. I do not see how I am to get along without your co-operation and counsel. You will certainly have that, said Battell This is a country of rapid transit and we shall get together at regular intervals to compare notes. Besides, we will have the assistance of an Inner-World Association, whose representatives will constitute an Inner-World Council of the most earnest spirits, who are anxious to unite the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL worlds by opening a channel of INTER- COMMUNICATION and cultivating a mutual spirit of fraternal regard and co-operation between the two. I have thought much along these lines and realize how necessary these two great worlds are to each other and how important that the leading spirits of both should come together and work with one accord for the highest possible development of both. And that is just what they must do, said Oqua. But let us test your new ship at once and confer in regard to the work we have in hand at the same time. Thus prompted, we embarked, Battell applied the power and we began to ascend. Every required motion of the vessel had its appropriate propelling power which was under perfect control. No turning around was necessary. The new ship could dart in any given direction, at the will of the operator. I took my place at the helm with Battell and after a little practice found that I could handle it without difficulty. To me its management was much more simple than the old style which could only move in one direction. This facility with which the direction could be changed was the essential feature in order to be able to ride the storms and nullify the influence of the contending air currents which would be a constant source of danger in the outer world. In fancy, I pictured myself in a storm with sudden changes in the direction of the wind, and suiting the action to the thought I set the vessel to dodging and gyrating in every direction to the no little alarm of our Altrurian friends who had no conception of the conditions of an external world bluster.
  • 64. Hold on Jack! exclaimed Battell. Don't shake the life out of us. Wait until you get into an actual storm and then dodge as rapidly as may be necessary, but there is no need of it here. I was just thinking, I said, what motions might be necessary in a regular bluster, to hold the ship steady on her course. I really feel anxious to try it, and believe that I can literally ride the storm like the petrel in such a ship as I fully believe can be made. Well, you can try as soon as you like, said Battell. I see you understand the management and I leave you to test it to your heart's content. Find all the deficiencies you can and let us know what changes may be needed, and they will be made to the best of our ability. We will now return to your home, borrow one of your old fashioned ships and return to our work at Byblis. Well, do not send it back, said Oqua, until it is remodeled according to the latest improvements. Your Department of Exchange, said Battell, has already sent in a general order for improved airships to replace those of the old style, which in effect means, that they shall all be remodeled on application. So we will send you an improved ship as soon as it can be made. It was now the second day of March and I had set my heart on getting ready to start for the outer world by the latter part of May or the first of June, so there was no time to be wasted. I determined to leave at once on my experimental voyage to the southern verge and announced my intentions to Oqua, requesting her to represent me during my absence and any arrangements that she made in my name would be satisfactory. What! she exclaimed. Do you propose to go alone? I thought Battell intended that two of your sailors should go with you? So he did, I replied, and at that time I thought I would need them, but since I have tried the vessel, I have come to the conclusion that I had better go alone. As Battell left without referring to the matter, I shall act upon the presumption that he had changed
  • 65. his mind, just as he did in regard to completing a storm and cold proof airship. But, said Oqua, your journey will take a week or ten day's travel at the least, and how can you stand the constant attention to the helm without rest? No fears on that score, I said. Very much of the time will be spent in this serene atmosphere. I need only set the helm in the right direction and I can rest until I find stormy conditions. Then I will surely be able to experiment with the ship for a few hours. Oqua, seeing that I was determined, helped me to get ready. I took sufficient supplies for three weeks, although I did not expect to be gone half of that time. The trip was most interesting but I have no room to describe the voyage. Sufficient to say that I found storm conditions and intense cold much sooner than I expected. My electric garments proved to be a perfect success, but I discovered a number of deficiencies in the ship. I returned in just eight days and presented a written report, and specifications for necessary changes. Battell assured me that the new vessel should be ready for another trial journey as soon as possible. I had notified Norrena, that I would be pleased to meet the World Council at my own apartments on the fifteenth, and I was back from the southern verge on the tenth, ready to place my discoveries before them. Promptly at the time indicated, Captains Ganoe and Battell with our usual circle of Altrurian friends were present in the Council Chamber of the home, ready to receive our guests, and in a few minutes Norrena arrived with the representatives from the other Grand Divisions. He introduced them as Hylas of Atlan, Lal Roy of Budistan, Wallaroo of Noxuania and LeFroy of the Austral Isles. Coming as they did from all the Grand Divisions of the world, I expected to see people of widely different physical appearance and mental characteristics, but in this I was mistaken. While they showed marked differences, there were no such contrasts as we find between different races in the outer world. In complexion they ranged from blonde to a dark brunette, all spoke the same language,
  • 66. expressed similar sentiments and in features and general deportment seemed to be building toward a common type. I made a report of my trial trip to the southern verge and also of our plans and specifications for the further improvement of the airship, that we believed would make it storm and cold proof. As these people knew practically nothing of the conditions of the frigid zones they accepted what we had to offer without criticism. They expressed themselves as highly gratified that they had with them experienced navigators who were familiar with the frozen regions and who knew what was needed in order to open up a channel of communication. At this meeting it was definitely determined that we should meet again on April 15th, which interval Battell assured us would give me an opportunity to report on another trial trip, to test the additional improvements which had been found desirable. That I should go ahead with the work of preparation in my own way, and when I was satisfied that the time had come to cross the Ice Barriers I should fix the date, so that the Council could arrange for an excursion to the most northern point of the continent of Altruria where the Life Saving Service had a signal station at an ancient watch tower that had been erected in pre-historic times. After our business meeting had closed, the representatives from the Old World plied us with questions concerning the outer world which we answered to the best of our ability. Finding that they were not a bit backward about questioning I was emboldened to ask, how it was that all the representatives from the different countries seemed to have been selected from the same race of people, while I had learned from Altrurian history that the same races of men had existed here that existed in the outer world. That was the case in ancient times, said Wallaroo of Noxuania, but at this time we have practically only one race of people in the inner world.
  • 67. Here is a mystery, I said, that I would like very much to have explained. How is it that they have all merged into one type, ranging in complexion from blonde to brunette? My own explanation, said Wallaroo, is, that identity of ideals and similarity of conditions naturally lead to similarity of development, as in accordance with natural law the race is always building in the direction of its ideals. That is certainly, I said, a scientific proposition, but it does not explain why blonde, for instance, should ever become an ideal complexion among the dark races. How do you account for it? Your question, said Wallaroo, is one that should be carefully studied in the light of science and history, in order to be understood. One thing is certain, that the early inhabitants of my own country, Noxuania, were very dark, ranging from brown to black, while at present, brunette is the rule and blonde is not uncommon. But how, I asked, do you account for the change? My opinion, said Wallaroo, is that the influence of the white missionaries created a new ideal in the minds of the people and especially in the minds of the mothers, who almost worshiped them. But how is this? I asked. In the outer world, the dark races very often persecute and destroy the white missionaries. And so they did here, said Wallaroo, before Equity was established in Altruria among white people, and another class of white missionaries were sent to the dark races. These came not to promulgate metaphysical creeds, but to bring material blessings, and establish freedom, equality and fraternity. They practiced just what they preached and wherever they went, they bestowed blessings. The people, especially the women, soon came to worship them as Saviors because they sought only to do them good on the material plane which they could appreciate, and left them to free their minds from superstition in the natural way by increasing their knowledge. It is not strange, under these circumstances, that with these children
  • 68. of nature, white became the ideal color. Improved material conditions, together with a scientific education, higher ideals and ample time for development have produced all the changes which have been wrought out. I found the members of the Council from the other Grand Divisions to be highly cultured people and I looked forward to meeting them in the future with pleasure. I was especially, interested in Wallaroo and LeFroy because they represented peoples which at the introduction of the present Altruistic civilization would correspond to the people now occupying Central Africa and the South Sea Islands. Wallaroo had attributed their remarkable development as physical, mental and moral beings to the higher civilization derived from the religion of humanity regardless of creeds, that had been brought to them by the Altrurian missionaries. The more I thought of these things the more I was impressed that I must visit these countries, mingle with the people and make a close study of their history. LeFroy told me that their written history commenced with the work of the missionaries of the new civilization, but much additional knowledge had been gained from archeological and ethnological researches in the light of such pre-historic traditions as had been preserved. These missionaries did not come to promulgate doctrines of a FUTURE life but to establish conditions which would confer blessings in THIS life, such as could be appreciated on the animal plane. For this reason they were welcomed as superior beings to lead them morally and spiritually. By these glimpses of a new field of discovery that was opening up before me, I was more than ever stimulated to complete the work I had in hand which was directly applicable to the solution of the great economic problem confronting the people of the outer world. As had been promised by Battell, at the Council which met on April 15th, I was able to report the deficiencies that had been discovered in the airship by my second trial trip to the southern verge during its winter season. At this meeting it was determined to name the new vessel the Eolus, though I preferred to call it the Petrel because I had demonstrated that it could ride the storm. The time for the excursion
  • 69. to the Watch Tower at the northern extremity of the continent and my departure for the outer world was fixed for the twentieth of May and the next meeting of the Council on board the Silver King on the fifteenth, while enroute. This gave me really less than one month to complete my manuscript and get everything in readiness for what I regarded as the most momentous voyage of my life. While I was enrolled as a teacher of English, and the geography, history and institutions of the outer world, I had really given all of my attention to the study of the Altrurian language, and of the manner in which the great problems now confronting my own country had been solved. Every day revealed something new or presented the old in a new light. The arts and sciences had been developed to a degree that had scarcely been dreamed of in the outer world. Psychic powers such as clairvoyance, clairaudience and telepathy, which in the outer world were classed as occult by believers, and as baseless assumptions by the multitudes, were here well understood by the many, as revealed in the fact that my disguise had been so readily penetrated by native Altrurians. But at the same time they respected my right to conceal my identity. This was a marked peculiarity of these people. The right of persons to keep a secret in their own bosoms was never questioned, and when it was discovered, as I take it for granted was usually the case, it was never alluded to. Here, my assumed character of Jack Adams, the sailor, was held in the highest esteem by the few to whom I had explained the reason for it, because it had been necessary, in order to enable me to be true to my own higher sense of right. In the outer world this would have branded me as disreputable and I would have been ostracized as something vile by the so called better classes of society. After years of wandering, exposed to the perils and hardships of a sailor's life, I had found my lost lover, only to learn from his oft expressed sentiments, that he regarded such a course of life as I had pursued as so grossly disreputable that no honorable man could afford to contract a matrimonial alliance with such a woman. For this reason I had not revealed myself to him, and now that I was soon to
  • 70. leave him, the question often presented itself to my mind as to whether I ought to let him remain any longer in ignorance of the fact that Cassie VanNess had stood by his side in so many dangers. The time was at hand when this question must be decided and I determined to confer with my most intimate Altrurian friends of my own sex. Bona Dea had arrived at our Home at my invitation and Oqua and Iola were present to assist in making out a program for the excursion and my departure for the outer world. My proposed journey was of course the subject of conversation, but I wanted to draw them out in regard to the personal matter that was uppermost in my mind. I wanted their advice but did not want to be too abrupt in raising a question that was calculated to call the attention of these public spirited people away from an important public question in which they were deeply interested, to the consideration of my own private affairs. Oqua, however, soon gave me the opportunity I wanted by asking: What does Captain Ganoe think of the decision of the Council and the general consensus of the opinions of those most interested, that you should have your own way about the journey and go alone if you thought best? While he did not object, I felt quite sure that he did not approve. His heart, I said, was very much set on going himself and he expresses grave fears as to my safety, notwithstanding my excursions into the stormy regions in the vicinity of the southern verge. He knows however that it was with his consent and advice that the entire matter of opening communication with the outer world was placed in my hands and I accepted the responsibility under protest. The Council regarded my proposed expedition as too perilous to risk more than one life in the attempt. But this you know is just what I wanted for reasons of my own. As a matter of fact there is less danger than in my excursions to the southern verge. I wonder sometimes what the Captain would think if he knew that it was the little girl playmate of his boyhood days and the affianced bride of his early manhood who was bidding him adieu!
  • 71. And do you not intend, asked Oqua, to reveal your identity to him in some way so that when you return, no concealments will be necessary? You know that we penetrated your disguise at once but we respected your natural right to conceal your identity, and we shall continue to do so until you are willing for us to do otherwise. But I would suggest, as an act of justice to Captain Ganoe as well as to yourself, that you ought to let him know who you are. It will doubtless awaken in his mind a train of thought that will be very beneficial to him, while it will protect you from the deteriorating effects of leading a double life. But, I said, this double life was forced upon me by causes over which I had no control and hence I do not see how it can have any deteriorating effects. That was no doubt true, interrupted Bona Dea, in the present stage of your outer world civilization, but there is no necessity for it here. And the necessity being past, the continuance of the deception might be interpreted to mean that deep down in your soul you doubted the propriety of your conduct. Disguise is perfectly legitimate as a means of self protection, but when it is unnecessary, its tendency is to cultivate duplicity, a characteristic to be carefully avoided. Hence I would advise you to adopt some method of revealing your identity to Captain Ganoe at the moment of your departure; and the more open and frank you are about it, the better will be the effect on him as well as your self. Better not wait until he penetrates your disguise for himself, something he would have done long ago, but for the fact that from his education, he is guided by external appearances instead of those more subtle impressions from which there can be no concealments. I saw the force of this kind of reasoning and determined to act accordingly, and the more I thought of it, the more determined I became to be frank, honest and kind, but strong, independent and inflexible in the assertion of my natural right to think and act for myself without having my integrity and purity of character called in question, because I preferred truth to falsehood. At first I dreaded
  • 72. the denouement; but the more I reflected upon it, the more necessary it appeared, and the better I was prepared for the ordeal. The hour of my departure was near. It had been arranged that the Silver King with the delegations from the other Grand Divisions should meet the Altrurian delegation at the ruins of Kroy, and I had agreed to give Pat and Mike a ride on the Eolus, from the Ice King on Lake Byblis, and land them on the Silver King while enroute for the northern extremity of the continent. I started to the Lake early on the morning of May 15th and within an hour from my departure I was on the deck of the Ice King. I found Lief and Eric, as well as Pat and Mike, ready for the journey. As soon as I had secured some scientific instruments I wanted from the equipment of the Ice King and some personal belongings which I regarded as important, I invited the sailors on board the Eolus, and in a moment more we were mounting into the air. We sailed around the lake and gave the people an opportunity of seeing the airship that was destined for the outer world. The Eolus was not built with a view to securing greater speed but for holding its course regardless of contrary winds. In speed, however, it was capable of making considerable progress against a head wind of two hundred miles an hour. I put the ship through the various movements that it was capable of making, such as stopping suddenly, moving backward, moving sidewise and suddenly rising and falling, for the benefit of the sailors and of the numerous spectators. Mike was quick to see the advantage that the Eolus had over other airships and he remarked with enthusiasm: Well Jack, it will take a lively hurricane to drive you much from your course, but how in the world will you keep from freezing? Nothing easier, I said, as I touched a button and lighted the electric burners that were placed between the inner and outer walls. In a minute the walls were hot to the touch and the air inside became sultry.
  • 73. Gracious! exclaimed Mike. You can never stand this. It will roast you. Then we will cool it, I said, as I shut off part of the burners, or if this is not enough, I will shut them all off. But, said Mike, you have it so hot now that it will take an hour to cool off. Not so, I replied. I will open the doors and start the electric fans, and suiting the action to the word, a cool breeze took the place of the sultry air. But if you want it cooler, I continued, I will bring the temperature down a point or two more, and closing the doors, I opened the refrigerator compartment and in a moment we were shivering with the cold. Well! exclaimed Mike, I never knew climate to change so rapidly. I think you have not been dodging up to the Pole and back for nothing. You seem to have provided for every emergency but one, and that is the freezing of the moisture which is already obscuring your lookouts by this manufactured dose of winter. That is provided for, I said, as I started the circular lookout glasses into motion under a specially prepared brush which absorbed the moisture. Mike noticed the disappearance of the clouds on the lookouts but did not observe the cause and looked at me inquiringly. Put your hand on the glass, I said, and it will explain itself. Well I should think it would! he exclaimed as he jerked back his hand. The whole window is just a whizzing; and now I see that the cross bar is a brush that seems to have drank up the moisture. I have tried to provide for every contingency, I said, as I turned the prow of the Eolus down the valley of the Cocytas, and put her at full speed. I regard it as a matter of the first importance that a full account of our discoveries shall be transmitted to our own country. We must join the excursion on board the Silver King as soon as we can. I want to interview as many of the representatives from other
  • 74. countries as possible. I must gather all the useful knowledge I can for the benefit of the external world. That is right, said Mike, and I would be far from stopping you, but I want you to be after going slow a bit. Why what is the matter? I asked, as I checked our speed. Just this, said Mike, producing a box, it will take money in the outer world to secure the publication of your book and here is our wages from the Ice King. It is of no use to us in this country, and we want it to be used to send your book broadcast. You will see that it is divided into two parcels, one belongs to Lief and Eric and the other to Pat and myself. Here Lief broke into our conversation, speaking the Altrurian language like a native, saying: We want your book to be translated into all languages,—and it will be, just as soon as our wonderful discoveries are known in any civilised country. We particularly want our own people to hear about this country, and that we are not the first Norsemen who came here. Tell them about the old Viking, and also of the Norwegian names which are found everywhere. I have noted these things, I said, as well as the part you have taken in the expedition. How you saved the Ice King by your prompt action when we were caught in the ice, and how your ability as seamen enabled us to get through after the larger part of the crew had deserted. Oh! we ask no credit for that, said Eric. We shipped for a purpose, and have in a measure found what we were looking for. When the right time comes our people will hear from us, and when they do, we may be able to add something of value to the great work for humanity which you have undertaken. All we ask for now is, that your account of our discoveries shall be given to the outside world. And I promise you, I said, that your money shall be used for that purpose, and I fully believe that what we have learned, will be the
  • 75. greatest boon that could be conferred upon the people of the outer world. In the name of humanity I accept the trust you place in my hands and I shall see that your gold shall be used to emancipate your fellow workmen from the tyranny now imposed upon them by human greed. As we sped down the valley a glass of small magnifying power brought the Silver King into view gliding northward on the bay like a thing of life. I timed the Eolus so as to join the excursion on this floating crystal palace when it passed out upon the ocean. As we slowly settled in the place that had been set apart for us, the crowds gathered around and I was kept busy answering questions and explaining the use of the various attachments which experience had demonstrated to be essential to the successful navigation of the air in the external world. This was an excursion long to be remembered. The crowds of elegantly dressed people who thronged the decks of the Silver King had gathered from every part of the concave to accompany us to the northern extremity of Altruria, a distance of about 7,000 miles from the mouth of the Cocytas. It was intended that we should cover this distance in seven days, which would make the actual time of my departure on my aerial voyage, the morning of the twenty-third of May. As the excursion was to last one full week a series of entertainments was provided to make the time pass pleasantly and profitably. Music, dancing and theatrical performances were interspersed with lectures and social converse touching upon leading subjects of thought and action. The program made this journey one ceaseless round of enjoyment. The records of the conversations preserved by my locket phonograph, I regard as the most instructive and valuable historical, scientific and ethical lessons I have ever listened to, and which I hope to be able to give to the world when the occasion requires. On the evening of the twenty-second, Oqua called my attention to the kaleidoscopic lights on the Watch Tower which was to be the point where I would bid farewell to my Altrurian friends as well as
  • 76. my comrades of the Ice King. In the pitch dark nights of the outer world such an exhibition would have been beautiful and grand beyond description but even here, with the reflected light which made the darkest nights comparatively light, the scene through our glasses, of the ever changing views was such, that I never tired of observing them. These lights presented all the prismatic hues of the rainbow with the intermediate shades, continually changing from one geometrical figure to another, but always coming around to a five pointed star which is the symbol and sign manual of the material civilization of this inner world; the changing colors kept pace with the changing geometrical figures, always returning to the five pointed star, until it had been reproduced in each of the seven prismatic colors. This seemed to be the regular order, but suddenly it was broken, by giving only the stars in the seven different colors in a rapid succession, until they resolved themselves into a circle, revolving swiftly on its axis. Seeing my interest in this change, Oqua said: The keeper has just noticed our approach and is operating the keys to send us a welcome in the name of the entire concave. This welcome will be repeated by every signal station on this parallel around the world. The principal use of these lights is to send messages by means of the changing figures, which are well understood by the people of this country, and especially those who navigate these northern waters. The one great drawback to their use, is, that they must be observed through glasses which are especially adapted to this purpose. Here in this inner world where it is never absolutely dark we cannot take the full advantage of these light signals, without the use of external appliances. As she spoke she set the great telescope through which I was looking to revolving so as to take in a zone all around the concave, and I observed other signal lights responding in regular order along this zone. These signal stations, continued Oqua, are under the control of the Life Saving Service, and the keepers with these glasses are
  • 77. always on the lookout for mariners who may be in danger, and their signal messages notify any patrols that may observe them of the nature of the danger as well as the locality of the endangered. Had the Ice King come within the radius of any of these Signal Stations at almost any other time, you would certainly have been discovered and rescued. But at the time you came into these waters the fog had effectually checkmated our observations. For this reason we are agitating for the extension of this system to medial and equatorial latitudes, as a time has come when it seems likely that other ships like the Ice King, may drift into these placid waters where sails are useless, and hence be powerless to save themselves from certain destruction by being carried into the southern verge on ocean currents which never touch the land. On the morning of the twenty-third when I awoke, the Silver King was lying at the wharf and I had a close view of the Watch Tower and its ever changing signal lights. It was more like a lofty building than a mere tower. It was a hexagon in shape, two hundred and fifty feet in height with a large platform on top, in the center of which was a huge column like the body of a tall tree branching out into numerous arms, each supporting a series of electric lights. The mechanical contrivance by which these lights were controlled was automatic, but as occasion required could be changed by the watchman in the observatory to signal any message required to all whom it might concern. This building from outside to outside was one hundred feet at the base and fifty feet at the top, while the inside diameter was the same from top to bottom. On the outside was a spiral stairway reaching from the ground to the platform at the top and in the center was an electric elevator, connected with each of the twenty stories. The hour of my departure had come. According to the program I was to bid farewell to the members of the Inner World Council and my old comrades of the Ice King and some personal friends at the top of the tower where they had already assembled. The crew of the Silver King and her throngs of excursionists had gathered on the deck and the wharf to see me take my flight. When all was ready, I
  • 78. took my place on the Eolus and rising a few feet sailed slowly around this magnificent ship, coming to a halt on the starboard quarter where Captain Thorfin, acting as spokesman, said: In the name of the people here assembled from all parts of the world who have accompanied you thus far on your daring expedition, I am requested to express to you our exalted opinion of your courage, your ability and worth, and to thank you for the inestimable service which you have undertaken to render to our people, by extending their sphere of knowledge in regard to the external world. You are now engaged in a work for which our people are powerless. We realize that we are to profit by your perils. You will ever occupy a warm place in our affections. Accept our thanks for your heroic efforts to open a channel of communication with our fellow beings of the external world. Hoping for your speedy return we bid you a loving farewell. And through you, I responded, I desire to extend my heartfelt thanks to those who are beyond the reach of my voice, for this demonstration of their interest, and may the channel of communication, which we hope to establish between the internal and the external worlds never again be closed. But as yet I have not accomplished anything to merit your thanks. I am the one who ought to be grateful to your people. I came among you a stranger and you received me as a brother. Everywhere I have met the kindest consideration and all my wants have been supplied without even the formality of asking. I have here found the living soul of humanity developed as it has never been believed to be possible in the external world. I carry with me to my own native land THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, the knowledge that HUMANITY CAN BE REDEEMED FROM SELFISHNESS AND ALL OF ITS CONSEQUENCES. In the external world, from whence I came, we have only cultivated the external, and hence have developed physical hardihood while you have developed the finer attributes of the soul which we have neglected. My ambition is to bring these two worlds together. You need our physical hardihood while we need your higher development of soul. When the leading characteristics of both are united into one
  • 79. common brotherhood, both worlds will have a perfected humanity. If I can help humanity to reach this grand culmination, where both soul and body shall be developed to their utmost capacity, I shall be happy. To me, with my training, it does not seem like a daring undertaking now that I am enabled to utilize your grand discovery of the means by which the air can be navigated. Thanking you for this mark of your consideration, and promising to return as soon as possible, I bid you adieu. As I ceased speaking, I set the Eolus to moving directly to the top of the tower. This demonstrated at once to the multitudes, its superiority over the old style of airship and they gave a cheer, which was the more expressive and significant as these people are not given to anything like loud demonstrations of applause. At the platform I received cordial words of cheer from the committee, my old comrades of the Ice King and my most intimate Altrurian friends. Speaking for the committee, Lal Roy, of Budistan said: On behalf of the members of this committee, and especially of the members from the eastern hemisphere, I congratulate you upon the marked improvements you have made in our methods of aerial navigation. The construction of the Eolus marks an era in our progress that will be a monument to your memory. You will be honored and appreciated for generations to come. Excuse me, I responded. I am not entitled to the honor you would bestow upon me. Captain Battell made the first move toward the improvements that were consummated in the Eolus, and Captain Ganoe and Huston have both contributed their mechanical skill. Without them there would have been no Eolus. Hold on Jack, said Battell. In the consummation, we only carried out your suggestions. The improvements I started, were completed in accordance with your plans. Yes, said Captain Ganoe, as he clasped my hand. You were the first person I ever heard suggest the construction of an airship that
  • 80. could ride the storm, and but for your suggestions every one of which was tested in your experimental journeys to the verges, we never could have succeeded. And but for your intimate knowledge of the difficulties to be overcome, I never would have consented for you to go alone. Even as it is, notwithstanding the unanimous decision of the committee, I find it very hard to reconcile myself to the thought that you are to be exposed all alone, to the cold and the storms of the polar regions. Such dangers ought to be reserved for those who have nothing to live for, and not for the young, the refined and the educated who have a bright future before them. Have no fears for me, I said. You must not forget that it is now warm weather in the north frigid zone and I will not be exposed to intense cold, and the probability is that I will have no severe storms to contend with. But I will promise this: To be careful, and if I discover any defect in the Eolus that would make the journey too hazardous, I will return at once, rather than take any chances of defeating our purpose of communicating with the outer world when we have mastered the problem of riding the storm. No doubt my observations on this voyage, will open the way for other improvements. Keep up your courage. This is but the beginning of our work. We must have airships that will enable the most sensitive, to visit the outer world, and teach our countrymen the importance of cultivating the higher attributes of the soul, which can only be developed in their fullness under the benign influence of an Altruistic civilization. Oqua here stepped forward and took me by the hand, saying: Nequa, my more than friend, go, and the blessings of our people go with you. May you reach your native land in safety and accomplish your mission. By so doing you will leave footprints on the sands of time that can never be effaced. As soon as your work is placed in the proper hands return with all speed to the many loving hearts which await you. Scarcely had she ceased speaking when Polaris, as if to continue her remarks, raising her hand and pointing to the north, said:
  • 81. Yes, loving hearts will await you. And when your form has faded from our vision, in yonder deep cerulean blue, the mystic symbol of purity and truth, remember that in spirit we are with you. And I will continue to keep watch over these waters, patiently awaiting your return, as in the past I have kept watch for any of your people that might drift in here, and be left to the mercy of the currents which never touch the land. I hope to be the first to greet you on your return, but if perchance you should be lost in your perilous undertaking, I will still be flitting, to and fro, over these northern seas, awaiting the coming of your people, to assist and welcome them in the true spirit of our civilization. MacNair gave a new turn and spirit to this closing interview, by saying in his usual cheery manner: In the name of humanity I protest against preparing for the funeral before the corpse is ready. Neither am I willing to contemplate the possibility of Jack Adams ever requiring any such a service at our hands. You do not understand the kind of material of which he is composed. I know that Jack is going to make the round trip, no matter what we may be doing, and so far as I am concerned, I do not intend to give myself any uneasiness about him; and instead of bobbing around up here in this chilly atmosphere, I will go home and be ready to give Jack the cordial greeting of a fellow countryman, when he returns from this last polar expedition. MacNair is right, I said. I am not starting out to fall by the wayside, and do not forget that the Eolus will sail far above the ice- fields, and that during the high-noon of the long arctic day of six months duration. I apprehend no danger, but anticipate a pleasant excursion to my native land. But I will not go any further this time, than is absolutely necessary. I hope to meet the right persons at some of the many stations in Alaska, and if so I will return several days earlier than I have promised. I shall return as soon as possible. My life work is here, for it will take a life-time to complete the work that I have laid out for myself to do for the benefit of my countrymen who live in the external world.
  • 82. As I was speaking, Captain Ganoe stood with his hand on the door of the Eolus, at if it was by right his place to have the last parting word. Captain Battell and the other comrades of the Ice King drew near. Upon their faces, I read the affectionate regard they had for me. It was a trying moment. I wanted a last word with Captain Ganoe. I wanted it impressive, kind but inflexible. I shook hands with all who stood near, and then as I held Captain Ganoe's hand I said to Oqua: Step on board, I want you to assist me a moment, and to the Captain, Wait here a moment, I have something to say to you. Oqua did as directed, and we ascended and made the circuit of the lights, while I prepared myself for the revelation I intended. Oqua handled the ship while I hastily donned the attire which characterised my sex in the outer world. I arrayed myself in the same rich satin dress that I had worn on the last evening I had spent with Raphael, at his uncle's home in New York. My golden locks made into a neat fitting wig, and put up in the game style which he had so much admired, now covered my short cropped hair. Around my neck I had the same gold chain and locket of peculiar workmanship, and the same ring on my hand, which had been his parting presents to his affianced bride. Over all I wore a cloak that came down to my feet. My toilet complete, we dropped to the level of the platform, but just outside, and Oqua with a parting pressure of the hand, and with a last injunction: Nequa, be strong, be true, but do not forget to be kind and considerate, passed from the Eolus to the platform, and moving back a few feet, I stepped to the door and throwing aside my cloak, stood arrayed before Captain Ganoe, just as I had been when I bade him adieu at our guardian's home just fifteen years before. The crowd stood spell-bound. None but Oqua, MacNair, and the crew of the Ice King had ever seen any one dressed in the costume which is peculiar to women in the outer world. Captain Ganoe stood rooted
  • 83. to the spot, and gazed at me with a look of consternation, as if I was one who had just arisen from the grave, as I said: Captain Ganoe, you doubtless recognize me and I ask your attention for a moment. You will probably remember, that on the Ice King you confidently related to your scientist, Jack Adams, the story of your engagement to Cassie VanNess, and asked him if he had ever loved. He made an evasive reply. If you care to have an explicit answer to that question, ask my trusted friend Oqua. I do not wish to have that story again pass my lips. I have done with it forever. I have now taken up a new life and henceforth I am wedded to a new lover, and the wealth of my affections shall be bestowed upon humanity. The memory of the old life, and the old love, carries with it the martyrdom of all that is noblest, purest and most sacred in the soul of woman, her devotion to the chosen idol of her girlhood days. These outer world conditions so foreign to all that is good and true, make me wonder that I should ever have been so weak as to be victimized by them. But such are the consequences of a false education, which belongs to a benighted past and cannot be helped. For many long years, in my assumed character of Jack Adams, the sailor, I roamed over the high seas to find you, and during all of our perils in the ice, I stood by your side. I worshiped you with an idolatrous devotion. And all this, only to hear again and again from your lips, the expression of sentiments, that condemned all that I had done, as disreputable, unworthy and immoral. You have repeatedly declared that as an honorable man, you could never unite yourself with such a woman in the holy bonds of matrimony, no matter how much you loved her. It was for this reason, that my own self respect forbade that I should reveal my identity to you. The case of Huston was almost identical with my own, and in condemning the course which he had taken you condemned me. I took it for granted, that as an honorable man, you expressed your honest sentiments, and there was nothing for me to do but to submit to your verdict—
  • 84. The Captain raised his hand as if to speak, but I checked him, saying: Hear me through. It is in no spirit of unkindness that I speak. I have waited patiently for you to so modify your views, that I could make myself known to you in the full assurance of your approval of my fidelity to our plighted troth. But you gave me no such opportunity. Oqua penetrated my disguise at first sight and many others of my inner world friends with whom I have been associated, intuitively understood that Jack Adams, the sailor, was an assumed character and why it had been adopted; but you, blinded by the crystallized errors of a false education, were ignorant of my identity. I now reveal myself to you, because I do not wish to continue this assumed character, even to escape the pain that would be inflicted by your disapproval. I do not regret the course I have taken. Under the same circumstances I would be compelled to do the same thing again, rather than be false to the higher laws of my own nature. It is true that I have repudiated, and still repudiate, any legal obligation that may be secured by fraud, misrepresentation or coercion. I now know that human laws, human customs and legal ceremonies may be the cover for the violation of God's laws which are implanted in the human soul. I have been true to these higher, God made laws of my own being, and disregard all man made laws and customs which violate the most sacred rights of the human soul. If I cannot meet you as an equal, free to think and act for myself, regardless of the arbitrary rulings of either church or state, then it will be far better for both of us, that we remain apart. I will never be bound by any ceremony that does not meet my own approval. When it comes to matters of this kind, I, Cassie VanNess, am the lawmaker. You have repeatedly expressed sentiments, which could have no other meaning, than that you regarded legal and popular ceremonies, as of more worth in your estimation, than the 'unpurchased, and unpurchasable devotion of a loving woman.' If you prefer a companion who cares more for what Mother Grundy
  • 85. might say, than she does for Captain Ganoe, then I could not possibly be that companion. When I return, let all this be forgotten. Let us meet as friends, forget if we can, the past, and let each of us live our own life, true to our own convictions of what is noble, good and true. I have had one lover and lost him because I loved him too devotedly. I shall never make that mistake again. But as the widow of such a lover, I shall henceforth continue to labor for the upbuilding of all humanity, as I would gladly have lived for him, and him only. And now, farewell Raphael. I regret, not that I loved you so devotedly, but that I did not learn sooner, that it was only love with certain restrictions, and within certain specific bounds, that you wanted. Excuse my mistake and farewell. While I maintained my equilibrium, I felt that my heart would break. With my hand I waved a farewell to all, and set the Eolus in motion. As I closed the door, Captain Ganoe sprang forward and would have dashed himself from the tower but for those who stood by him. His last words have been ringing in my ears ever since as they were wafted to me on the balmy air. In a voice of agonizing entreaty, he cried out: Oh Cassie! Cassie! For God's sake, Come back! Come back! THE END.
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