Curriculum Research Project
Hosted by the Digital Accessible Futures Lab, the DISCO Curriculum Research Project explores student learning about race, gender, and disability in Digital Studies Institute (DSI) undergraduate courses at the University of Michigan. Project collaborators are surveying and interviewing students in DSI courses, building upon a pilot study launched in 2023.
This study aims to answer the following questions:
How are undergraduate students learning about social justice in the classroom, both inside and outside of their Digital Studies courses? How can instructors better support student learning about digital inequality?
How do students narrate their own experiences with or understandings of digital inequality, race and racism, disability and ableism? How do these narratives shift, if at all, over the arc of a semester?
How can we inspire the next generation of technologists and policymakers to engage in cultural critique about digital technology, identity, and inequality?
How can the field of digital studies address curricular gaps that exist in professional schools that train our future designers, programmers, and digital creators?
The study will culminate in a publicly accessible report aimed at helping college educators integrate discussions of identity into their classrooms.
Other Upcoming Projects
Microgrants for long-term community partnerships with disability-led organizations
A new undergraduate course about current issues in disability justice and digital access
A multi-day symposium about current issues in disability justice and digital access