Universal Design for Learning and Digital Fabrication as means to create inclusive teaching environments for students with and without visual impairments
The teaching of chemistry, as a fundamental discipline in the educational curriculum, has traditionally been facilitated through the use of the classical periodic table, a tool that organizes the chemical elements. However, many students face difficulties in dealing with key concepts such as atomic number, electronic configuration and the location of elements in this table. These difficulties are even more pronounced in the case of students with visual impairment (VI), who encounter additional barriers in accessing and understanding this structured information. Faced with this situation, the present research aims to explore and develop alternative learning mechanisms that allow students with and without VI to understand more effectively the arrangement of the chemical elements and their relationship with the electronic configuration.
To achieve this goal, two essential requirements are established: first, that learning be inclusive and accessible to all students, and second, that it be easily transferable to diverse educational realities, regardless of the context or the particular characteristics of the students. In this sense, the creation of inclusive educational environments that allow the teaching of chemistry in an effective way for students with and without VI is proposed. It is argued that Universal Design for Learning (UDL), by offering principles of flexibility in the educational process, combined with digital fabrication (DF) technologies, especially 3D printing, has the potential to meet these requirements and transform chemistry education.
The research is aimed at answering the primary research question: How do universal design for learning and digital fabrication contribute to the development of inclusive educational environments in chemistry education for students with and without visual impairment? To address this question, three secondary research questions are developed. The first inquires into how UDL principles can be integrated with DF tools to design and implement inclusive and effective learning environments in the context of chemistry education. The second question explores whether it is possible to develop inclusive tools that enhance the chemistry teaching-learning process for students with and without VI. The third question examines the potential of FD technologies to support inclusive learning, both in the design of materials and in the creation of accessible resources.
The methodology used in this research is Design Based Research (DBR), which allowed the creation of an alternative tool to the traditional periodic table, using UDL principles and DF technologies. Experimentation was carried out with students and teachers from Catalonia (Spain) and Lima (Peru). Experts from the Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles (ONCE) also participated.
The evaluation of the results was conducted through mixed methods, combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches, which provided a comprehensive view of the effectiveness of the tool in the teaching-learning process. The findings revealed a significant synergy between UDL and DF technologies, which contributed to the creation of a more inclusive, accessible and effective educational environment for all students.
This thesis highlights the importance of integrating UDL and FD as innovative and complementary elements for the creation of inclusive educational environments. In addition, it offers new perspectives on the design of accessible educational materials, with the aim of improving chemistry teaching and making it more inclusive, allowing students with and without VI to better access and understand key chemistry concepts.