TIE Fellowship: Faculty Pilot Group on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Project Description:
1. Need: research on post-secondary education reveals that students with disabilities are a growing demographic in post-secondary education, but their graduation and academic success continues to be negatively impacted by access issues. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an established approach to teaching and learning that attempts to address access issues in the design process.
2. Goals: this project was designed as an initial phase of faculty engagement with and application of UDL in curriculum and course design. We recruited 15 participants (10 faculty members) to be part of the pilot learning group, which learned UDL through in person and online content, and implemented changes to a specific course with technical support during the 2018-19 academic year.
3. Unusual Features: this initiative integrates a learning community model with a research initiative. Self-selected members of the faculty pilot group are also engaged in research to provide data to inform expanding UDL at the University of Wyoming, and also to inform best practices in UDL for post-secondary institutions nationally.
Phase I of the project will be to launch and support a faculty pilot group, and to provide research opportunities and technical support for all faculty participants. Phase II will be developed out of the successes and learning from the pilot group to design a sustainable structure of trainings, periodic boot camps, and technical assistance to further develop competence and commitment to UDL across campus.
This is a proposal for a long-term project to integrate universal design for learning (UDL) practices across campus. This proposal provides details for Phase I of this initiative, which will take place in AY 2018-19, with research completed during summer of 2019. During this period, I plan to collaborate through the TIE Fellowship program with curriculum designers and technical experts at ECTL to develop and deliver a faculty training program in UDL, grounded in disability studies frameworks. We will draw on the LAMP Model to inform our training design, and we plan to have members of the pilot group remain active as trainers in subsequent years.
Core Function(s):
Continuing Education/Community Training
Area of Emphasis
Other - Cultural Diversity
Target Audience:
Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Disadvantaged Circumstances, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State, National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
