Title:
Establishing the Criteria for an Agile Inclusive Learning Environment (AILE) in Higher Education [Download]Authors:
Itzel Berenice Guerrero Alfaro, Jaime Muñoz-Arteaga, Gabriela Citlalli López Torres, Carina Soledad González González
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Abstract:
Universities continue to face significant challenges in delivering inclusive education, particularly in addressing accessibility barriers and the limited availability of adapted learning resources for students with disabilities. Despite progress in policy development, most institutions lack structured methodologies to identify and remove these barriers iteratively. This study proposes an Inclusive Agile Scrum Model that integrates inclusion criteria, Personal Learning Environment (PLE) principles, and Scrum’s adaptive structure to support systematic, user-centered resource design in higher education. The model was applied at the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes through a case involving the adaptation of educational materials for a student with hearing impairment. Scrum roles, events, and artifacts were reconfigured to incorporate accessibility-oriented tasks, continuous feedback loops, and transparent communication channels. A pre–post evaluation demonstrated measurable improvements in accessibility, interaction, task completion, and adaptation time. To contextualize institutional needs, a comparative analysis of Mexican universities was also conducted, revealing that although most institutions provide basic infrastructure, few have formal inclusion policies, and none employ agile methodologies to guide inclusion processes. Findings show that the proposed model effectively supports the detection, prioritization, and resolution of accessibility issues while enabling rapid, iterative adaptations aligned with students’ needs. This work advances existing knowledge by moving beyond isolated uses of agile methods in education and generic inclusion models toward a conceptually grounded, replicable, and empirically validated inclusive Scrum framework. The study positions agile methodologies as a promising pathway to strengthen accessibility practices and foster more equitable learning environments in higher education.
DOI:
How to cite:
Itzel Berenice Guerrero Alfaro, Jaime Muñoz-Arteaga, Gabriela Citlalli López Torres, Carina Soledad González González, "Establishing the Criteria for an Agile Inclusive Learning Environment (AILE) in Higher Education", IEEE-RITA, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 43-53, Jan. 2026. doi: 10.1109/RITA.2026.3654840