Example Learning Outcomes
Incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into education can be daunting. When thinking about creating more diverse and equitable learning outcomes for design, look at how they can do at least one of four things:
Explore different ethnic & cultural design traditions and decenter whiteness
Challenge white supremacist norms and question the established power structure
Analyze the systems of oppression that design operates in
Examine personal bias
Below are some common design courses in both graduate and undergraduate education drafted through the lens of diversifying the classroom. These are not the only way DEI can be incorporated into learning outcomes, just examples—you know your institution best and where systemic issues may be overlooked. Each example below is labeled with a number of the principles listed above that the outcome addresses.
| SLO Category | Example SLO | Diversity Principle 1 | Diversity Principle 2 | Diversity Principle 3 | Diversity Principle 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Design History | Compare and contrast how information is conveyed visually throughout different cultural design traditions. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Graphic Design History | Explain how social, political, and historical events and movements shaped the design field. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Graphic Design History | Understand/appreciate different design traditions regardless of personal aesthetic and taste. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Graphic Design History | Explore design history through the lens of power. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Graphic Design History | Analyze how design has been used to perpetuate systemic inequalities throughout history. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Typography | Create typographic compositions that communicate meaning for a chosen audience. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Typography | “Critically analyze how historic precedence and the expressive characteristics of a typeface design make it an appropriate choice for a specific application.” (Meredith Davis) | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Typography | Analyze how letterforms’ structure impact legibility and readability. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Typography | Critically examine typography through the lens of power. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | Understand the institutional and systemic forces that influence the graphic design field. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | Explore/Critically examine the design process through the lens of power. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | Understand how individual experiences and background play an important role in the design process. | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | "Students will be cognizant of forces that affect the formation and reinforcement of meaning and value. These forces define who we are and how the decisions we make can cultivate the dignity of individuals and communities." (VCU) | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | "Students will engage with labor as a physical and emotional activity that is fundamental to the design process. They will understand and practice design as a process that is not driven by assumptions, presumptions or preconceptions." (VCU) | ✓ | |||
| Academic Program | "Use aesthetic judgment to make design decisions by balancing the historical, theoretical and practical concerns to create works that reveal visual literacy" (Queensborough Community College) | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Academic Program | "Exhibit the ability to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts which communication solutions must address, including recognition of the physical, cognitive, cultural and social human factors that shape design decisions." (University of Florida) | ✓ | ✓ |