Short answer
Design educational resources and platforms with flexibility and adaptability at their core, recognizing that user needs and contexts are constantly in flux.
- Field
- Classic Design
- Source
- London Review of Education (2017)
- Method
- Epistolary conversation (a dialogue through letters)
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Academic design and literacy are not static but are dynamic, fluid concepts that evolve with user needs and contexts, much like classic designs adapt over time. This classic design research insight is drawn from a 2017 study published in London Review of Education. Using Epistolary conversation (a dialogue through letters), researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Design educational resources and platforms with flexibility and adaptability at their core, recognizing that user needs and contexts are constantly in flux.
The Fluidity of Academic Design: Embracing Evolving Literacies
Academic design and literacy are not static but are dynamic, fluid concepts that evolve with user needs and contexts, much like classic designs adapt over time.
London Review of Education · 2017
Key Findings
- 01Academic literacies are not singular, universal, or stable but are inherently mobile and context-dependent.
- 02A mobilities perspective challenges traditional, static views of literacy and scholarly work.
- 03The act of defining mobility and literacies is itself a mobile process.
Application
Design takeaway
Design educational resources and platforms with flexibility and adaptability at their core, recognizing that user needs and contexts are constantly in flux.
How to apply
When designing learning materials or platforms, consider how different users might approach them based on their unique backgrounds and how the materials might need to adapt over time.
Project actions
- 01Consider the diverse backgrounds of your target users and how their 'literacies' might differ.
- 02Design your project to be adaptable or to allow for user customization.
Method & Evidence
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Challenges conventional, static views of literacy.
- +Highlights the importance of context and user diversity.
Limitations
It can be difficult to predict all the ways users might adapt or change their approach to a design.
Reliability & validity
The epistolary method relies on the authors' interpretations and reflections, making direct replication for reliability challenging. Validity is addressed through the conceptual exploration of the mobilities perspective.
Think critically
How can a design project actively facilitate the 'mobility' of academic literacies rather than trying to standardize them?
Design Principles
"Design for fluidity: Embrace change and diversity in user needs and contexts."
Understanding academic literacies as mobile and evolving challenges designers to move beyond rigid, universal templates. This perspective encourages the creation of adaptable frameworks and resources that can accommodate diverse user backgrounds and changing scholarly practices, fostering more inclusive and effective learning environments.
What This Means for Your Design
Think of academic skills like classic designs – they might have core principles, but how people use and adapt them changes over time and in different places.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this paper when discussing how user needs and contexts influence the design of academic tools or resources, especially if your project involves diverse user groups or evolving requirements.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The concept of academic literacies as mobile and evolving, as discussed by Blommaert and Horner (2017), suggests that design solutions should not be static but rather adaptable to diverse user backgrounds and changing contexts. This perspective encourages a move away from universal templates towards more flexible frameworks that can accommodate the fluid nature of user needs and practices.
Source
London Review of Education
Mobility and academic literacies: An epistolary conversation
journal · 2017
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about the fluidity of academic design: embracing evolving literacies?
- Design educational resources and platforms with flexibility and adaptability at their core, recognizing that user needs and contexts are constantly in flux. Evidence: London Review of Education (2017).
- Why does "The Fluidity of Academic Design: Embracing Evolving Literacies" matter for design?
- Understanding academic literacies as mobile and evolving challenges designers to move beyond rigid, universal templates. This perspective encourages the creation of adaptable frameworks and resources that can accommodate diverse user backgrounds and changing scholarly practices, fostering more inclusive and effective learning environments.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Design educational resources and platforms with flexibility and adaptability at their core, recognizing that user needs and contexts are constantly in flux.
- What were the main findings?
- Academic literacies are not singular, universal, or stable but are inherently mobile and context-dependent.. A mobilities perspective challenges traditional, static views of literacy and scholarly work.. The act of defining mobility and literacies is itself a mobile process.
- What research method was used?
- Epistolary conversation (a dialogue through letters).
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2017 journal from London Review of Education.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing learning materials or platforms, consider how different users might approach them based on their unique backgrounds and how the materials might need to adapt over time.
- What are the limitations?
- The abstract nature of the 'mobilities perspective' may be challenging to operationalize in concrete design interventions.