Universal Design for Learning in Higher Ed

Many faculty members participate in evaluating the effectiveness of courses and academic programs every year. When evidence suggests a need for a curricular or instructional change, faculty then investigate and implement that change. Because Universal Design for Learning guidelines have the potential to positively impact a course revision in any discipline, all faculty who are engaged in course revision are incentivized to participate in an online course that teaches them about UDL while also utilizing many UDL guidelines. As a culminating activity in the online course, faculty are asked to describe which UDL guidelines they experienced in the course. The result has been an increased awareness of UDL among faculty and the incorporation of some UDL guidelines as components of course assessment, revision and re-evaluation.

Outcome: After participating in this 1 day workshop, either online or face to face, faculty will be able to promote expectations and beliefs that optimize learner motivation. Faculty will identify one goal that they will accomplish to improve the universal design of one course in the next 6 months.