UDL and Intersectionality: Exploring the wide benefits of UDL in addressing learner diversity

Frederic Fovet & Ashley Clark. University of Prince Edward Island

I am using this blog as a platform for the poster session presented at the AHEAD Ireland Conference 2017, It’s Time to Talk About the ‘Why’?, @aheadireland, #udlAHEAD

Objectives of the poster session:

The intention of the poster session is to demonstrate the usefulness of UDL to diverse learners in Higher Education beyond the area of Disability.  The project highlights 12 months of best practices implementation, framed along the three UDL principles, within an MEd program in a University in Eastern Canada catering specifically to International Students.

Context:

The program in question is an 18 month MEd taught face to face.  It is composed almost exclusively of International Students.  A ‘barriers analysis’ reveals that students face a number of hurdles which include both cultural and linguistic obstacles while they adapt to an academic setting that is entirely new to them.    Instructor expectations in particular can initially be too implicit for students to be able to grasp or address them.  UDL has immediately appeared as a congenial, logical and efficient framework to address these barriers.

Use of UDL Principles and Tools with International Students:

Multiple Means of Representation

– Allowing and even encouraging students to use technology in the classroom to allow them access the support strategies that suit them.

– Using the Learning Management System systematically and thoroughly to display all course material, directives, assessment, etc.  Providing these resources in multiple media: text, video, podcasts, etc.

– Carrying out extensive and detailed refection and rewrites on Assignment Directives keeping in mind the danger of implicit messaging.

– Modelling assessment expectations with instructor samples.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression

– Using curriculum co-creation to allow students to have input on course based on their identity and background.

– Fragmenting and diversifying methods of assessment.

– Using formative assessment systematically, notably pre-submission of all assignments.

– Allowing students to submit assignments in podcast and video format when the skill assessed is not specifically academic writing.

– Using assessed presentations with extreme care and scrutiny.

– Examining the limitations of group work when entire groups of learners experience the same barriers

Multiple Means of Engagement

– Actively integrating barriers in learning to the course content and the reflections that ensue.

– Providing a rich hybrid environment of interaction (face to fc, office hours, emails, LMS forums, course hashtag on Twitter).

– Creating real world connections with course content through the systematic use of media sources for discussion and analysis.

– Explicitly incorporating instructor reflection on UDL into the course content and the interaction with the learner.

– Film club as a tool to bridge the gaps in cultural awareness of the Canadian education landscape.

– Embedded Co-facilitation of course activities with the International Student Academic Coach.

Outcomes and discussion:

Data is in the process of being collected and data analysis will soon begin but existing QA tools within the program indicate the significant impact these UDL strategies are having on learning outcomes and student satisfaction.

Relevance to the field:

The relevance to the field is significant.  Indeed UDL implementation efforts are still being waved off and dismissed on many North American campuses because it is felt their impact is limited to a minority of student – the 10% at most that register with Disability service providers.  Acknowledging and demonstrating the relevance of UDL to International students, as well as culturally diverse students, demonstrates that the framework in fact has the potential to transform teaching and learning for significant percentage of learner (on this specific campus, the percentage of International Students is 20%). This has the potential to shift UDL from a minority discourse to a majority agenda on campuses.

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