Methodological guide for the creation of educational materials based on patterns of needs and design

Abstract

Teachers face different roles according to the educational needs a student population may require. One of these roles has to do with the teachers´ relationship with the design of educational materials. This paper aims to provide an introductory methodological guide for the creation of educational materials, based on specific patterns of needs and design. It is expected that teachers can also perceive their teaching role as an effective teacher-designer considering four components: needs analysis (NA), instructional design (ID), universal design for learning (UDL), and graphic design (GD). NA is fundamental in the process of creating educational materials to developing actions such as needs inquiry and analysis, allowing the teacher-designer to reflect on the educational material. The use of an ID model provides strong support in the construction of educational materials and allows teacher-designers to generate coherent products that meet the real needs of the student population. The principles of UDL help to make the design of educational resources accessible to the target population. GD goes from being an aesthetic component to making pedagogical contributions, by enhancing the final quality of the material in terms of imagery, color palette, and selected typography. Lastly, educational materials should not lose their main purpose. In this sense, a teacher-designer has to follow patterns of needs and design that can address how particular individuals learn and what they specifically require so a material becomes a functional and successful contribution for the learning process.