Universal Design for Learning: Developing Tools to Facilitate Faculty Implementation and Broaden Application to Support Diverse Learners

Hall, Jacob; Freedman, Justin; Rood, Carrie; Wilhelm-Chapin, Mary; Timberlake, Maria

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Project Outcome Report (139.2Kb)

Date

2019

Abstract

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) project will develop tools to support faculty members’ integration of UDL principles in their course design. Building from prescriptive elements central to instructional design and methodologies for developing instructional design models, project collaborators will construct a procedural instructional design model that integrates UDL principles. The initial model will then be presented to faculty members for feedback and implementation. To facilitate faculty members’ design of learning experiences with the UDL-based instructional model, the project will also provide a day-long retreat for faculty members. Morning sessions will emphasize UDL foundations and the aforementioned instructional model. In the afternoon, faculty members will form groups to analyze a course design and discuss specific strategies for implementing UDL principles. Faculty members’ evaluations of the model will then be used to revise the UDL-based instructional model, assess elements of this project, and set up opportunities for future implementation and dissemination of the model.

Description

Due to the pandemic, our attempts for scaling and sharing the project were significantly inhibited. Following the retreat we facilitated in January, the plan was to follow-up with faculty through focus groups to discuss their implementation of UDL, but the focus groups were cancelled. We also submitted a proposal to an international conference with the hopes of receiving feedback from experts in the field. While the proposal was not accepted, we look forward to incorporating the feedback into our future work. These setbacks have delayed our development of the proposed UDL model which would have contributed to the scalability of the work. However, the UDL workshops were well attended and received by the faculty. These materials have been shared in this report and will hopefully contribute to more widespread UDL practices on other campuses.