Architecting Accessible and Equitable Student-centered Learning Experiences with UDL

Explore the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how they can be applied to architect student-centered learning experiences that are more accessible, inclusive, and equitable.

UDL is a framework that provides a flexible approach to designing learning experiences that strive to identify and remove barriers for all students, establish firm goals, and provide flexible pathways for success.

CONNECT & ENGAGE

In this workshop, you will have an opportunity to share your experiences and challenges in creating equitable and accessible learning environments. Explore common instructional approaches used in classrooms to identify the potential barriers that may make it challenging for students to access information or engage in learning activities. You will work collaboratively to critically analyze these traditional approaches to instruction and assessment, brainstorming how you might remove those barriers.

We will use these real-life experiences as a springboard for the rest of the workshop, grounding the UDL principles in concrete, relatable scenarios.

LEARN

Delve into the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and learn how to create student-centered, inclusive, and equitable learning experiences. You will grasp how to acknowledge and embrace learner variability, eliminate educational barriers, and establish clear learning objectives with flexible pathways to success.

The workshop will guide you in blending online and offline methods, empowering students to drive their own learning journey. By integrating UDL into your teaching strategies, you will gain the tools to design learning experiences that are accessible to all, fostering a more inclusive educational environment.

REFLECT & APPLY

Reflect on your current instructional practices and how you can begin to integrate the core beliefs of UDL to reimagine your approach to instruction, the meaning-making process, and assessment. You will have the strategies and resources you need to apply what you learned about UDL and blended learning to your instructional design to ensure all students are making progress toward firm learning goals.

Shift to Student-led Workflows with Universal Design and Blended Learning

Teachers are drowning in unrealistic expectations and doing the lion’s share of the work in classrooms. It’s time to shift from time-consuming, teacher-led workflows to sustainable student-led workflows grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and blended learning. These reimagined workflows free teachers from the front of the room to spend more time working alongside individual and small groups of learners.

CONNECT & ENGAGE

Participants will start by critically evaluating their current teacher-centric workflows, reflecting on their efficiency and effectiveness. This will help you appreciate the potential time and energy savings that could be realized through transitioning to student-led workflows.

You will then engage in a discussion about the advantages and potential challenges of such a transition, identifying the skills students need to develop for successful student-led and, often, self-directed learning. You will also identify aspects of teaching that you enjoy and consider how the shift towards student-led workflows could afford you more time to engage in these aspects of your work.

LEARN

Explore how you can shift from spending significant time at the front of the room transferring information in whole-class lectures and mini-lessons to student-led discovery with strategies like flipped instruction, the jigsaw strategy, reciprocal teaching, and expert group investigations. These strategies enable a shift from traditional lecture-based instruction to student-centered approaches that position learners to take ownership of their learning, collaborate with peers, and engage in meaningful discussions.

You will also learn how to shift from giving feedback on finished products to giving feedback throughout the learning process. Effective feedback is a powerful tool for guiding learners toward mastery, but it is often neglected due to time constraints. We'll explore sustainable strategies such as encouraging peer feedback, incorporating real-time feedback in blended learning models, and promoting student reflection on received feedback.

REFLECT & APPLY

You will reflect on your current approach to transferring information and giving students feedback and how you can begin to integrate the core beliefs of UDL combined with blended learning models and strategies to reimagine your approach.

You will have the tools and resources you need to apply what you learned about UDL and blended learning to your instructional design to remove barriers and ensure all students are making progress toward firm learning goals.

Please bring a laptop/tablet to these sessions.

Handouts

Save paper and effort where possible!

For your convenience, and to support our efforts in being "green", all handouts/files posted here have been notated with an A, B, C or D indicating the following:

(A) hardcopies needed at workshop
(B) electronic version on laptop is sufficient (for viewing during the workshop)
(C) required reading PRIOR to the workshop
(D) file not needed for workshop itself, but simply material of additional interest/reference.

(B) Architecting Accessible and Equitable Student-centered Learning Experiences with UDL

(B) Shift to Student-led Workflows with Universal Design and Blended Learning

(B) Podcast: Ask Catlin: Technology Tools & Integration