Keywords

Social belonging is realised when individual stories contribute to collective knowledge and create a community of sharing. In analogous fashion, teachers as professionals along with learners contribute to defining the skills needed for social inclusion when they share and express a will to participate in sharing their individual experiences. By sharing personal stories, learners give voice to their experiences and their will to belong. We can only begin to understand what is specific to some people, when we recognise the power of peoples’ voices in identifying what impacts their sense of belonging and ensure that this voice contributes to and benefits a wider community who are present as active listeners and/or co-creators.

In this chapter, we will present a learning design approach for online and face-to-face learning that seeks to realise social inclusion for adult migrants and refugees. The key means to this end entails being culturally and gender sensitive, through the development of stories along each and every step of the journey towards strengthening social inclusion and an accompanying sense of belonging. Our main claim is captured by the title of this chapter: We belong and connect when we have a voice.

There is no global template for designing online learning. Each time we come together—the teacher, student and technologist—we form a new community creating a shared discourse. This is ideally a reflective and democratic space, called ‘ba’(場) in Japanese denoting a network of interactions, determined by the care and trust of participants [1], that allows us to act with consideration and respect for the skills and knowledge of others. A central argument is that there should be no bystanders—all need to be included with agency as designers. As Herbert A. Simon [2] once said, anyone who is engaged in “changing existing situations into preferred ones” is a designer.

In our approach to learning and learning design, we follow a lifelong learning tradition that emphasises self-fulfilment and social inclusion in addition to employability and adaptability [3]. Lifelong learning can be defined as

(…) all learning activity undertaken throughout life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills and competence with a personal, civic, social and/or employment-related perspective [3]

Learning, in a lifelong and also by implication in a lifewide perspective across different geographical spaces, can be formal, nonformal or informal. It can be organised or unorganised, it can take place in the workplace, in an educational institution, at home or in other activities. Not least, education can be a tool to reduce social differences, including in working life, regarding well-being and for personal development [4, 5]. Lifelong learning is also increasingly linked to digital technology and digital transformation, as a means to bridge the digital divide which increased noticeably during the COVID-19 pandemic. EU’s Digital Compass 2030 states that basic digital skills is both a prerequisite and a right to ‘fully benefit from the welfare brought by an inclusive digital society’ [6].

To reach the target group for this learning design, adult migrants and refugees, another key term is flexibility. Flexible learning is often referred to as educational offerings aimed at people, who for various reasons cannot follow ordinary, full-time studies or classes, and is flexible in the way it is organised in space and time, and how content, learning methods, and use of digital technology are adapted to the learners and their life situation, abilities, and interests [7, 8].

Although these adaptations to facilitate learning are obviously important, the significance of relevance, social identification and well-being should not be under-estimated or undervalued as barriers for learning. The assertion that active citizenship requires social inclusion rings true.

In our approach, we have sought to draw upon theories and practices regarding inclusive learning design, digital storytelling and to a certain degree also connectivism. Our methodology was originally developed and trialled as part of the Erasmus+ project ReGap, introduced below, and has been further developed based on the experiences and results from the project. Similarity over time and in different places is as important as difference, as suggested by Pip Hardy:

One of the things that we have learned is that people are far more similar than they are different. The things that really matters to people are family, good health, a safe place to live, a sense of community and a sense of belonging

(Pip Hardy, LIDA project partner and co-founder of Pilgrim Projects Ltd)Footnote 1

1 The REGAP Project—Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment

ReGap is an acronym for “Reducing the Educational Gap for migrants and refugees in EU countries with highly relevant e-learning resources offering strong social belonging”. The project was launched in 2017,Footnote 2 when the wave of refugees to Europe, the largest group escaping from the Syrian civil war, was very much in the eyes and minds of all across the world. Unfortunately, this wave was not unique, and there many who continue to experience that they have suddenly been uprooted and chosen to become suddenly immigrants in an unfamiliar country. This means the ReGap experiences continue to be relevant.

One challenge was—and always will be—is to offer meaningful, accessible and sustainable inclusion in employment, education, health and social protection services, along with an accompanying personal sense of mutual belonging and well-being shared by new arrivals and host populations. Central to this endeavour is the need to build mutual understandings of different cultures, languages, gender practices and histories. Many challenges are faced by migrants and refugees arriving in Europe, such as language barriers, knowledge of labour markets, limited access to health care and social protection systems and an often felt and experienced disconnection between law and its application in practice.

Also, the lack of digital literacy is an obstacle for many refugees and migrants, at the same time as digital technology and the Internet have turned out to be promising tools for education for this target group. ReGap developed and trialled seven open access e-learning courses that were culturally and gender sensitive, using examples and adapted specific to each country in which the resource(s) are offered: North Macedonia, Italy, Portugal and Norway. The courses met needs in employment, health, social security, education, gender and knowledge of justice systems and citizenship regulations.

Each course includes an introductory component to create socially shared participant identity and belonging and enhanced ICT skills. The courses were designed to be fully online or blended with face-to-face activities. Focus groups and trials with migrants, refugees, educators and professionals (who work and interact personally with migrants and refugees towards their inclusion) were completed (18 focus groups with 323 participants in total). An instruction video and handbook for teachers and professionals was also produced. All resources—courses and instructional materials—were translated into five languages (English, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese and North Macedonian) and adapted to the policy context and regulations in each of the partner countries.

Through this 2-year process, from 2017 to 2019, we built knowledge, skills and created a foundation for social inclusion and well-being through digital storytelling. Migrant and refugee’s own stories were incorporated as part of the learning resources. A key objective was to listen to migrants and refugees who co-participated in the development of these stories. This methodology raised the motivation to enroll and complete these courses and confirmed the importance of participants feeling social inclusion and wellbeing as they identified with the portrayal of the digital stories, issues, characters and important knowledge and skills communicated [9].

2 Designing for Social Belonging and Wellbeing

The ReGap project was inspired by recent studies, addressing the importance of a learning design that is welcoming and supports social inclusion to build a safe and inclusive learning spaces [10, 11]. As already stated, the main target groups for ReGap were migrants, refugees, and the professionals who worked with them to support their inclusion in the social structures of the host society. When arriving at a host country, those who are seeking asylum or residence may be considered a ‘surplus population’ [12], who may be particularly exposed to exclusionary practices through well-meaning inclusion, and be the target of what might be called ‘inclusive exclusion’ [13]. We need to be aware of this to prevent consequences of exclusion. As Slee [14] has noted, it is crucial to highlight the importance of belonging, and to recall as Svoen, Dobson and Bjørge [15] have suggested, inclusion can act as an operational value as we pursue and identify different indicators of inclusion rather than exclusion.

In this chapter we understand social inclusion to mean going beyond achieving explicit interaction with the social structures of the host society, such as employment, education, health and civic participation. We understand it as the recognition and full participation of the person as a citizen, along all dimensions of citizenship, navigating all the social structures of the host society and as a person who is participating in learning the new culture and sharing their own cultural background. For this to happen, asylum seekers and citizens of the host country need to connect, and have spaces, moments and opportunities, both physical and digital, to share and voice mutually shared and mutually different experiences.

The journey and experience of a refugee or migrant is increasingly lived through the presence of digital experiences [16]. With mobile devices in the hand we access the internet and people are able to keep connected with supportive networks while on the move to a new country. These can be family, people who have reached the destination country and share information and experiences with others [17]. On arrival in the host country information and knowledge about the new country is accessed from institutions, government bodies, NGOs, and other communities of people. The power of the connection to and between these networks is a form of social and learning capital, pivotal in access to resources, and as a consequence it can contribute to social well-being [16]. By having support and reaching resources through these networks, people interact with, and influence, each other, and can make informed decisions on how to start improving their lives [17].

At least three networks are accessed in both their home country and host country. One network is family and friends, along with refugee/migrant communities in the new country. A second is people giving information on events back in their home countries. A third network is the people they encounter when accessing basic services, such as health and education, humanitarian assistance and so on in the host country.

In designing for social belonging and wellbeing, we should acknowledge the power of these connections in and between these networks and try to bring them into the design process, creating bridges between them, and trying to understand, as Bernhard [18] suggests, how these support networks turn into social and cultural capital. Creating bridges between the multiple voices and narratives around the experience of being a refugee/migrant, may contribute to reduce vulnerability to wider processes of social exclusion and inequality [18]. This calls upon us to consider an approach to online learning design that acknowledges and involves involving multiple voices and stories (professional, volunteering, social, newcomers).

3 Promoting a Sense of Belonging by Utilising Digital Storytelling

The research by Kizilcec et al., [10, 11] highlights how promoting a sense of belonging when learning commences will increase participation, learning and retention as the course progresses. Taking on board this point we have ensured each participant is given the opportunity to experience their own personal belonging by creating a space to voice and affirm their most important values, feel empathy and social identification with others. One of the ways to do this we would argue is through the use of stories to communicate and share experience. This is one of t he core things we have sought to do in the ReGap project.

Digital storytelling is a good way of finding and giving words to stories. Even if digital storytelling may embrace all manner of stories created and shared through digital technology [19], the real strength in our opinion, is how it can be used as an empowering and self-reflexive creative process to listen, share, and develop personal stories, and also to create a sense of social belonging and establish a community feeling as a learning resource. As a (social) media product, a digital story is usually personal (but not necessarily self-experienced), multimodal (a personal narrator’s voice accompanied by images, video, texts and/or music), short (a few minutes), and amateurish in the way that it is made by non-professionals and doesn’t require advanced equipment [15, 20,21,22].

People voice their stories, both migrants/refugees, as well as professionals, positioning themselves in the processes of social inclusion. It seems to us that if both the learner and the educator have the opportunity to voice and affirm what is most important to them, reflecting upon experience and creating a space in which to live it; this will generate greater empathy, social identification with others and not the least, greater mutual understanding of a deeper, long-lasting character.

4 Collecting and Connecting Stories

We all have a story to tell, and when our story is heard, the person who connects with it will also connect with something within that story, either by relating it to their own experience, the information, or reaching beyond and imagining how it might be if they had lived that experience.

Accessing information through a shared story, follows the same steps as it is transformed into knowledge and then wisdom. This hasn't changed since ancient times when storytelling has similar value. It builds trust, cultivates norms, transfers tacit knowledge, and facilitates unlearning and emotional connections [23]. Finding meaningful ways to relate stories, facilitates and improves learning. How can we tap into those stories? In ReGap’s research approach the first moment of connection with peoples’ stories was through focus group discussions. This created a moment in time and an opportunity for people to share stories and experiences. They were able to talk and interact with each other and with the researchers.

There were two main groups composed of people who had in common the experience of being refugees, newcomers or established in the host country for a longer period of time, and secondly, professionals and educators whose work it was to support refugee people. The conversations that took place generated ties between all of them, and most important it resulted in the building of common understandings. Both refugees and educators shared their own stories, and also shared the stories of others, who they had met in different connections. This led to closer ties and bonds. This experience of belonging in a personal and social sense constitutes according to Roger Slee [14] an indicator of inclusion. These conversations also informed the researchers about the most relevant topics to reduce the educational gap (ReGap) and thus, led to important insights into the content for the collection of individual stories.

5 Participatory Design and Co-Creating

How inclusive are we being when we design learning without including learners and educators as co-designers? This question becomes more pertinent when the learners and the educators’ lives, experiences, background, culture, and context are diverse, and when the desired outcome of their interaction is to become effectively included in the host society. How can educators and developers in host countries create inclusive learning designs, to guarantee that the diversity of the learners is both understood and responded to in a culturally and gender responsive manner?

Learning has a strong social dimension, and the blended model aligns with this, recognizing and promoting social experiences in learning [24] and make it exciting and rewarding for all co-designers and participants to learn through and about other cultures, including the culture of the host country. If educators are aware of this, and learning materials model this cultural and gender sensitive approach, it can help students learn and be respectful of the diversity of peers and content.

From the very beginning of the project, we addressed these challenges in our methodology by actively involving participants from the target group and host culture (e.g. different professionals and community members). In particular, it is essential to not only listen to, and acknowledge their personal experiences and stories, but also to involve them in the design and implementation of the co-creation process, such that the obtained knowledge is utilised and evident in the learning resources. This approach has many similarities with Participatory Design, which is a design tradition related to democratization and decision-making power, originated from Scandinavia in the 1970s [25, 26]. Participatory Design is characterised by three core values.

The first is having a say, which means that the users should have influence and power in the decision-making process. It is worth noting that having a voice is not enough, you should also be heard and have an impact. The second value is mutual learning, which refers to the fact that neither the users nor the designers have enough knowledge of both the design possibilities and the domain/context, and they need to learn from each other to be equal contributors in the realisation of the final result. The third and last core value is co-realisation or co-creation, which simply means that the users should be involved in the design.

To understand the opportunities and limitations, the visualisation or prototyping of various alternatives is worth adopting throughout the design, implementation and evaluation [25]. According to Liz Sanders’ classical map of Design Research [27], an important difference between user-centred design and participatory design is that in the former, users are considered as subjects or reactive informers, while in the latter, they are treated as partners and active co-creators [27].

In our design approach, we strived for both user and participatory involvement in all phases of the development process, from the mapping of their needs and stories, to being co-producers in the development of content and in the trialling and dissemination of the final results.

6 The REGAP Learning Design Approach

Summing up, the theoretical framework used in the learning design for ReGap, can be visualised with three overlapping basic circles, as shown in Fig. 1: (a) lifelong learning, emphasising our philosophy of learning as a democratic tool for active citizenship, personal fulfilment and employability (b) the importance of participation and real co-creation (c) the use of storytelling as a means for empowerment, self-reflexivity and identification.

Fig. 1
A Venn diagram of three intersecting circles indicates lifelong learning, stories, and participation. The intersection of participation and lifelong learning is participatory design. The intersection of stories and participation in digital storytelling. The intersection of stories and lifelong learning is social belonging and well-being. The intersection of all three circles is inclusive learning.

The ReGap Model for learning design for inclusive learning

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In the ReGap project, learning resources were co-created together with participants from the target group and the host culture’s educational professionals and community representatives who were members of our advisory groups. Based on the focus groups’ experiences and stories from arriving to a new country, six topics were identified. In addition to an introduction course, these topics addressed employment, health, social security and welfare, education, gender and justice and citizenship, see Fig. 2.

Fig. 2
A series of 7 icons denote introduction course, employment, health from cradle to the grave, social security and welfare, education, gender, and justice and citizenship.

An overview of the ReGap courses

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The way these courses were developed, can be summarised in three steps: First, an educational model and template were developed based on focus groups, best practices and literature studies. The template includes four key dimensions: Social belonging, cultural and gender sensitivity, learning needs and teaching/learning strategies. The template was quite specific, and described topic, lesson durations, learning outcomes, online activities and face-to-face activities. In the second step, the course design and learning resources were developed, again based on the template (pedagogy) and input from the focus groups (topics and content). In the third and last step, the learning resources were piloted and evaluated, and then improved in accordance with the evaluation and feedback. Table 1 below presents an overview of the activities in each step.

Table 1 A generic version of the ReGap learning design approach presented stepwise
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7 Towards a Learning Design for Inclusive Learning

Building on the experiences and the main dimensions of the ReGap design process, we chose to further review the power of storytelling and the moments of participation and co-creation. The aim was to create an even more inclusive and cultural sensitive learning design through storytelling and the establishment of networks of support.

7.1 Step One: Finding the Stories

With focus groups being carried out with representatives from the target group (migrants and refugees) and with professionals/educators and community members in the host culture who support them, researchers were able to map needs and gather information about the experiences, perceptions and the stories of each person and group. From this step emerges the importance of support networks and the ties within them and how these are crucial for building common understandings, mutual identification and structures of support.

7.2 Step Two: Co-Create Content and Turn Stories to Learning Resources

The impact of step one is to hopefully generate the clear common understanding and sense of belonging, such that the learning resources should include and emphasize the voice of migrants and refugees in telling their own stories, about their own learning needs and experiences. The experiences from the ReGap project show that the digital story telling method was interpreted by the researchers as a powerful tool for building bonds, sense of belonging and mutual identifications. With this in mind, and before collecting the stories of others, the researchers began their experience as a group, participating in the design process by collecting and creating their own personal digital stories. This experience created a closer bonds between the researchers, reinforcing their own network and building a sense of belonging in a personal and social sense [14, 28].

This is followed by collecting the stories with the target audiences and professionals and community members, both through personal storytelling workshops. The learners together with the researchers/developers were called upon to be content producers by telling their own stories, and co-creating scripted stories based on multiple experiences. This stage includes two approaches: including the stories collected and co-created as part of the learning objects; developing a proposal for F2F activities, to be facilitated by educators; This was to create suitable opportunities for the learners who possessed diverse language proficiencies, to participate, voice and affirm their experiences and stories, and in so doing to build empathy and social identification with others and strengthen levels of commitment to learning in the courses.

7.3 Step Three: Testing the Stories’ Identification Power

Results and trials of the courses and all of its learning resources involved participants from the target group. This helped in understanding if the created learning objects/learning resources based on the stories were able to fulfill the aim of supporting recognition and social identification in addition to being relevant with regard to sharing important valuable information. Feedback was used to improve and make adjusts.

We have been able to identify many aspects that are important when developing learning resources (see also [29]). As discussed above, a main principle in our approach was to involve the target group from the start to the end along with educational professionals and community members with the goal of informing content end pedagogical methodology. Based on focus groups interviews, literature studies and previous experiences our approach emphasised:

  • Using digital storytelling as a tool to collect and present the voices of the target audiences of the courses, both for social belonging and motivation,

  • Supporting learners with poor language skills: using audio-visual elements to compensate and focus on vocabulary with simple language and short sentences,

  • Facilitating both online and F2F learning (blended learning),

  • Adding relevant and “inclusive” content and activities, building on everyday experiences and stories,

  • Designing for lack of digital literacy, with an intuitive and easy-to-use learning platform,

  • Creating open educational resources,

  • Judging cultures for whom gender roles are specific,

  • Encouraging collaboration between genders and,

  • Using gender-appropriate language [30].

Developing sensitivity to the cultural differences among learners in an online course is a key to building community, trust, and collaboration because it creates space to welcome all voices [31]. Gender roles may be specific in different cultures and avoiding typical stereotyping genders becomes important. For example, flippant remarks concerning the stereotypical housewife/student may seem cute to some but are totally inappropriate. Rather, collaboration between genders and gender-appropriate language should be the norm. It encourages equal access to learning, employment and overall social participation and inclusion. Characteristics and factors regarding gender when designing culturally diverse, online learning can involve being intentional in seeking to avoid a stereotyping of gender roles.

The case study approach to e-learning evaluation has been widely used in specific sectors and geographical areas (Higher Education and Vocational education, particularly in USA). However, due to language barriers, and in some cases to a lack of e-skills, the classic approach that includes questionnaires and tests proposed to the learner in order to obtain basic information related to motivation, interest, self-efficacy and achievements were not possible in our particular project.

Moreover, the large educational difference in levels of individuals in target groups, across and within countries involved in the ReGap project, made it hard to use a common standardized tool as a questionnaire or a test to collect data to create a the baseline. This is why it is necessary to follow a mixed approach [32], that includes evaluation activities, and also appropriate research activities to better inform and operationalize the constructs considered.

8 Conclusion

Creating learning resources to address learning needs of people who are on a life journey that is both unique and changing over time, calls for an approach that is inclusive and participatory. Without the existence of a global template to guide a design for online learning, especially for a target audience whose profiles are heterogeneous, we have argued that there is a need to draw upon the strength of relevant communities to provide input into design thinking. The community we have in mind brings together teaching professionals, migrant students and community representatives, as well as online and educational technologists and researchers. It constitutes a new community with a shared discourse. It strengthens democratic participation, social inclusion and the sense of belonging of all involved. This approach also makes it possible to map learning needs and to explore in depth the shared perceptions and experiences of each person and the group as a whole, bringing to light needs specific to their experience and indicative of their mutual understanding.

Participation in the initial design of the online learning environment, and through its actual use, makes it possible for the participants who are a sample of future users, to provide valuable feedback on how it might be improved to meet the needs of everyday struggles. These struggles are multiple and with different levels of complexity, involving language barriers, knowledge of labour markets, limited access to health care and social security systems and the disconnection between law and practice. These trials are suited for smaller groups or even those representing one-to-one situations. This mirros the importance and relevance of qualitative data collected and the diversity of languages and backgrounds within the groups.

By designing for social belonging and wellbeing the focus goes beyond the technology level that supports the online learning environment and interactions. It is the diversity of stories and experiences of migrants and refugees that is important and it needs to be included as part of the design of the online learning journey for the target participants. Encouraged to share their learning and life stories linked with personal experiences, these digital stories are shared with the future learners in the online environment. The aim is to enhance a sense of belonging shared by both the storyteller and listener. There are of courses challenges in a model such as this. For example some may not like to participate for fear of identification if their images or actual voices are used. For researchers this is something we are well-used to and ensuring that ethical consent is secured is imperative and also that anonymity is guaranteed when agreed.

The power of feeling connected empowers people into taking action, but connecting may not always happen as we expect. It becomes relevant and an imperative that connections grow and extend beyond the virtual learning environment, recognising the power of learning both through contact with the online content and through face-to-face learning activities. A design that invites both the sharing of diverse experiences and connections with wider networks, opens the possibility for new, unanticipated connections occuring.

The focus on learners who desire their own empowerment in and through creating storied content rests upon understanding that refugees and migrants are undertaking what is in fact a learning journey. Moreover, inclusion in all stages improves their wellbeing and life as they seek to find more about the host country and what it means to live there. The old adage ‘relative to opportunity’ sums up the point what while all participants might receive the same learning opportunities, they move along their learning journey at different paces and based upon the different personal and shared resources that they have acquired through prior learning and schooling.

We created stories to inform processes of learning that are sensitive to cultural and gender differences. The stories also support the understanding that including the voice of people is integral to their success and motivation in their learning journeys. The end result fosters a sense of belonging, where they can dream of a better future and move towards its realisation.