3. The Wider Context

3a. Understanding and engaging with legislation

In my practice, I have regularly engaged with legislation and institutional policies that shape how learning and educational research takes place. I share some of these with corresponding reflections in the following sections.

i. Research Ethics

During my PhD studies, I conducted research following the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring that collected data is managed securely and handled in accordance to privacy laws. As a requirement from Ulster University, I completed the "Research ethics" course which was mandatory for all researchers and was a pre-requisite before submitting the research proposal to the ethics committee. My proposal went through a strenuous and critical review to ensure my proposed research study had considered and addressed all necessary ethical considerations. This included identification for possible risks during the implementation of the study and suggested mitigation options for these. As this research took place shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, I had further risks to address particularly in regards to social distancing and maintaining safety protocols.

Importance of GDPR for Research

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Consequently, I was also involved in creating appropriate documentation for all relevant participants i.e. school staff, teachers, parents and students. This included preparing relevant information sheets and associated consent and assent forms. These documents were prepared, distributed and collected prior to conducting the research to ensure they met the ethical requirements.

My research included young participants (secondary school students) and teachers. The inclusion of school students put the study in the "Category B" section as it included "vulnerable populations". This meant a more detailed application, justification and reasoning as to why students were included in the study and identification of possible risks with solutions to prevent these, to be submitted for the ethical approval. The application strongly pertained to the GDPR principles as discussed in detail below.

Lawfulness, Fairness and Transparency: Relevant information sheets, consent and assent forms were prepared and distributed to ensure potential participants that the study was approved ethically by the University. Contact and designations of myself as the researcher and the Principal investigator were shared, in case of any queries or concerns. Participants were asked to complete consent forms before-hand, and were also told that they may withdraw from participation at any time in which case the associated data would also be removed. In the cases of the young participants, parents consent was taken, and assent forms were completed by the students themselves. As the study included the use of VR, participants were explicitly asked if they experienced motion sickness, epileptic reactions or severe dizziness, in which case they would have to be excluded from the study due to safety concerns.
Purpose limitation: Information sheets and meetings with relevant stakeholders clearly conveying the purpose of the study, the intended objectives and probable outcomes. The relevant material and content was shared with the staff including principals and teachers, before being shared with the students. On starting the sessions, the purpose of the study was briefly explained again, emphasising the goals and reasons for the data collection.
Data minimisation: Data collection material, including questionnaires, audio files and video recorded data, was ensured to address the research questions. Participants were also ensured that only relevant data would be gathered to address the objectives of the study, and all unnecessary or data not linked to the research goals would be discarded.
Storage limitation: Participants were informed concerning the storage policies for the data. This included that the data would only be accessed by those involved in the study, which included the researcher and the supervisory team. Data would be kept securely and maintained as per University protocols, and would be deleted after a certain time period.
Integrity and confidentiality: To maintain confidentiality, participants were asked to only include role numbers when completing questionnaires. This was to keep the responses anonymous as names of participants were not need for the study. Data was analysed accordingly without the need of any identification. Furthermore, when integrating photos for any shared work through papers or presentations, participants faces were blurred or blocked in ways to conceal identity. Additionally, information concerning schools and classes was also kept confidential.

Reflection

Through the research process, I recognised the importance of balancing the need for meaningful and transparent data with the participants’ rights to privacy and data protection. This experience developed my understanding of the ethical and legal responsibilities associated with handling sensitive information. It has significantly influenced my approach to designing future research by embedding these principles from the start. I understand the importance of pre-planning, considering the goals of the research as well as maintaining transparency and focusing on relevant data. Additionally, it is also considering the research from the POV of the participants - how can they be best assured in terms of the focus and purpose of the research, what is expected of them and what their rights are throughout the process. Ultimately, all these factors would lead to true and sound feedback and results. However, where the benefits are clear, there are a number of challenges associated to ensuring legalities and transparencies. Firstly, the process of preparing the research around these principles becomes more strenuous and requires a significant amount of diligence. It means looking at the study from various angles, and possibly addressing any likely or unlikely associations or risks. So, in this way, a clear plan in terms of the data and objectives is necessary when moving ahead. This could be expensive in terms of time and effort, however is required to assure the adoption of ethical approaches. It is possible that the planning and preparation may be cyclical and require repeated analysis, in a way also signifying the importance of pilot and usability studies - to assess the current research methodology before going on with the final study. An additional challenge is also to keep up to date and well-aware of relevant legislative frameworks, ensuring the study addresses these to minimise shortcomings. The fast-changing world of information, especially with the onset of digital technologies, such as AI, it is possible these legislations may revise frequently. Hence, researchers would need to be well-versed and familiar with all these changes as they happen.

ii. Accessibility and Inclusion

A significant area for consideration while working with learning technology is that of accessibility and inclusion, as per the Equality Act 2010. Learning is a universal experience that must include every one equally. This means learning needs to be easily accessible for all individuals. The key tenets of the Equality Act 2010 ensures individuals are protected from discrimination, whilst allowing for equal and fair opportunities for all. In order to ensure digital accessibility within the contexts of teaching and learning, the following points have become critical in my planning for projects and/or teaching practices:

Supporting learning through accessible tools
Implementing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for online learning materials
Allowing information to be provided through various formats in order to accommodate to different learning styles and needs
Integrating aspects of "Universal design for Learning" to offer multiple means of engagement, representation and expression to learners
Raising an awareness about best practices for accessibility and inclusion for learning technology
Developing a critical viewpoint on the various types of technologies available in order to use them purposefully

Reflection

Focusing on accessibility and inclusion from the onset allows for content creation for a variety of learners, making learning more equitable. This would require detail inquiry on types of learners, including identification of strengths, weakness, needs, objectives and/or curriculum/learning goals. Additionally, it would also include variety of tools and methods, and a deep understanding of integrating these to achieve the overall purpose of inclusive learning. Establishing and creating such resources would require extensive knowledge on the available tools and approaches to effectively develop such content, which perhaps is the biggest challenge. I aim to address this by exploring various types of technologies, keeping up with relevant development of technologies and associated learning frameworks, such as the European Accessibility Act 2025, emphasing the crucialness for those involved with learning technology to have expert knowledge on the WCAG guidelines. Along with this I hope to continue developing my skills through relevant certifications and courses. Engaging with the relevant communities, such as the Association for Learning Technology, is also one of the ways I hope to continue developing my personal understanding of maintaining required standards when using digital technology for education.

Presenting a critical viewpoint on the use of VR

My experience of implementing VR for learning has been two-pronged: while VR offers an incredible amount of customised opportunities to promote immersive and engaging learning, there remains a need for significant reflection in terms of the technology's accessibility and usability. Participants suffering from motion sickness, epilepsy or visual and/or motor impairments had to be excluded from the study due to possible health risks. While there were no such cases during the experience of my research, this remains a major concern if VR is implemented on a larger scale.

In this regard, it is important to identify and address potential drawbacks and challenges of VR, in order to accommodate to the majority of learners. There is a possibility of addressing these through appropriate and well-planned research. Comparisons can be done through comparisons of VR to alternate experiences, such as desktop-based VR experiences, voice controls and adjustable viewing settings.

VR also presents a significant cost-related challenge, where possible integration in schools would require a certain budget to acquire relevant equipment. For this purpose, my research particularly explored low-cost VR solutions i.e. using low-cost headsets. My commitment lies with ensuring relevant digital technology enhances the learning experience without creating new barriers, which includes creating learning experiences that are inclusive and accessible.

Using VR cardboard headset

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iii. Copyright content in Design

Working as a designer and researcher, I have developed a strong understanding of copyright legislation and how it applies to design-based learning. In my practice, I try my best to ensure that any visual, audio, or textual content I create or use respects intellectual property rights and licensing rules. For example, in the development of the YouTube channel "Learn with Shahbukht", I use material from open-access design websites such as Freepik and Flaticon, and provide relevant attribution. In some cases I would also look up freely licensed sounds or music to include into the video, for which I explored free stock music and sound websites. Once the video is completed and uploaded, I put in the relevant attributions in the description section of the video. In other instances, I develop my own content and material to avoid infringement and ensure that the content remains innovative as well as upholds online content policies.

Screenshot of the description from one of the videos uploaded for the YouTube channel

Reflection

Navigating the landscape of copyright in digital content creation has been an essential part of my professional development as a designer. With increasing access to digital tools and platforms, the need to understand and implement copyright rules has significantly grown. In my work, I have made a focused effort to ensure that all assets used are either original, appropriately licensed/attributed or are within fair usage guidelines. One key learning has been the importance of understanding the types of Creative Commons licenses and understanding what each permits in terms of re-use, adaptation and distribution. This leads to fair usage and laws that supports content creators as well, leading to strengthening and supporting the design community. Ensuring content is fairly attributed can some times be a challenge with the expansive nature of the Internet, but it is important to understand copyright laws and follow them to the maximum extent. In the future, I hope to continue developing my understanding of content copyright laws, to follow these and ultimately license my own content to ensure originality.

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