As a technician in the LCC 3D Workshop, I am always hyper aware of the language we are using – particularly considering that we have such a large body of international students for whom English is an additional language. In my specialism of 3D printing this is particularly pertinent as we use lots of modelling and printing specific terms such as Boolean, mesh, voxel – words that can create additional confusion on top of already trying to wrap your head around a process that’s new to you.
The accessibility of language is something I am passionate about – I think adapting the way you talk and communicate is one of the easiest barriers to remove to enhance the experience of students with communication difficulties, be this due to neurodivergence or language difficulties. As someone who has lived and worked abroad I understand the frustration of trying to communicate when you can’t explain yourself, or understand the answer.
Prior to booking the workshop we have online inductions on Moodle, however many students will wonder in to ask questions without knowing about these. I have a colleague in laser cutting who completed the Pg Cert last year and produced a wonderful series of handout leaflets to explain parts of the laser cutting process to students, and I often get asked by students and tutors if I have a set of these for 3D printing yet.
I would like to create a series of similar handout leaflets, as well as an additional glossary leaflet which would also be printed as a poster to explain terms like mesh density, high/low poly, shells, drainage holes, wall thickness etc with illustrated examples. I think this will help with having a visual reference to point students towards to explain terms, and both glossary and leaflet will give students something to takeaway to understand and process in their own time without feeling like they are relying on asking me for help.
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Thank you Jules for sharing your proposed intervention, which involves development of handout leaflets for 3D printing.
Your proposed intervention has the potential to foster independence in students, while also responding to barriers students may encounter around language and/or information processing. It’s great that you reflect upon your own experience as someone who has lived and worked abroad, and perhaps this will be a way to articulate your positionality in your reflective report – did you find having things written down helpful in this context?
It’s great that you’re building on the series of handouts developed by your colleague. I’m wondering if this gives any potential for getting student feedback about the existing leaflets, which you could potentially build on for your own? I am sure you are already thinking about this, but it will be important to think about the accessibility of the documents. I’ve added a couple of links below which may be helpful with this.
Finally, please find some further questions/thoughts as provocations to support the development of your intervention plan:
– In our sessions, we talked about how intersectional social justice (linked to LO4) must include consideration of race, in line with Kimberlé Crenshaw’s original paper when the term intersectionality was coined. How might your proposed intervention also support anti-racist inclusive practice? (I think it has clear potential to – you just need to be more explicit).
– Be prepared to articulate the evidence base for your intervention’s importance. I recommend using dashboards.arts.ac.uk to look at relevant data for your area, such as awarding gaps, retention/continuation gaps, and NSS data.
– Remember to also draw upon relevant literature to support the rationale for your intervention, using Harvard referencing.
– Be prepared to critically evaluate your intervention. What issues/barriers might the handouts inadvertently create (if any) and how might you respond to these? Or what might need to happen next to develop the handout series further?
Link to Disability Service leaflet: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/3550bb2f-db31-4a28-8223-6a13d80001e7
Creating accessible documents: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/61338/creating-accessible-documents