VIRTUAL MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY

Abstract

The curriculum for a junior level course in environmental psychology covers many topics like biology, neuroscience and human behavior to illustrate how humans interact with the built environment. Mid-semester the course pivots to focus on specific user groups like children or the elderly to better understand what we need to consider when designing for different populations. The format for most of the semester is lecture based. With every passing semester capturing and retaining the student’s attention becomes more challenging. Students are often looking at their phones, texting or doing work for other classes on their laptops. The struggle to keep their attention continues to get harder until we do a hands-on exercise. During one class period we run an analog workshop to let students experience the difficulties of navigating life with disabilities. The workshop has simulation activities using “empathy kits” that offer props like weighted vests, vision impairing glasses, a walker among other items to give firsthand experience of having sensory and mobility impairments. Cards with challenges offer scenarios like “Put on the 40-pound jacket and pick up two bags of grocery” to simulate issues with obesity. Or donning glasses that severely obscured vision to simulate multiple forms of vision impairment like cataracts while reading. Students’ reactions during the activities and after showed an understanding deeper than any lecture could have offered. Going analog for this exercise brought a new opportunity to grab their full attention and gain knowledge on a much more visceral level.