Jeanne L. Higbee, Irene M. Duranczyk, Multicultural Awareness Project for Institutional Transformation: Making the Case for Universal Instructional Design Jeanne L. Higbee, Irene M. Duranczyk, & David Ghere University of Minnesota Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Access Network (EAN), Galway, Ireland, June, 2007

Contact Information Jeanne L. Higbee, higbe002@umn.edu Irene M. Duranczyk, duran026@umn.edu David Ghere, ghere001@umn.edu Center for Research on Developmental Education and Urban Literacy (CRDEUL), http://www.education.umn.edu/crdeul Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation (PASS IT), http://www.education.umn.edu/passit

Agenda History of MAP IT & Theoretical Framework Summary of Relevant Findings The PASS IT Project The Intersection of Multicultural Awareness and Universal Instructional Design for Institutional Transformation: Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID) Questions and Discussion

10 MAP-IT Guiding Principles Development of Social Skills Extra Curricular / Co-curricular Activities Educational Support Services Shared Cultural Values Culturally-Sensitive Assessment Institutional Governance / Organization / Equity Decision Making / Collaboration / Supportive Environment Professional Development Programs Equitable Learning Opportunities Ways of Knowing

Theoretical Framework: Banks’ 5 Dimensions of Multicultural Education Content integration Knowledge construction Prejudice reduction Equity pedagogy Empowering school culture

MAP IT Student Findings Conducted spring 2004 Students enrolled in GC 1422: Writing Lab 406 of 629 students registered in the course responded = 65% response rate 403 questionnaires were complete/usable Response choices: 1 = never or almost never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = often, 4 = almost always or always Demographics = how students identified themselves

Student Demographics 48% female, 45% male, 1% transgender 75% native speakers of English 6% students with disabilities 42% Caucasian 16% Asian American; 6% Asian 12% African American; 4% African 6% Hispanic/Latina/Latino 4% Biracial/multiracial 1% Pacific Islander 0% Native American

MAP IT Faculty-Staff Findings From spring 06 administration (not same administration as discussed in the paper; this data is provided in the monograph) 41 of 164 GC employees responded = 25% response rate No demographic data collected Purpose: To provide a multiculturalism baseline for transition from General College to Dept. of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning

Area Faculty/ Staff Mean Student Means Commitment to Diversity 3.59 3.15-3.59 Organizational Structure 3.21 2.16-2.52 Professional Development 3.42 3.15 Equal Opportunities for Success 3.36 3.45 Awareness of Social Context 3.35 2.94-3.21

Area Faculty/Staff Mean Student Means Acquiring Effective Social Skills 3.14 2.80-3.08 Developmental Support Services 3.37 Ideas Valued by Many Cultures 3.31 2.97 Extracurricular and Co-curricular 2.65 2.88 Culturally Sensitive Assessment 2.75-3.15 2.45-3.12

Areas for Concern From Student Results At U of M, have you been discriminated against? M = 1.49, median & mode = 1 Does discrimination hinder your opportunities to participate fully in the General College? M = 1.66, median & mode = 1 Are you concerned about your safety on this campus? M =1.83, median = 2, mode = 1

Concerns (cont.) Do administrators, faculty, and staff talk openly and constructively with you about multicultural issues? M = 2.80 Do you have opportunities to interact with appropriate role models? M = 2.87 Opportunities for civic engagement? M = 2.36 Have you participated in university activities outside of class that promote multicultural understanding? M = 2.26

Pedagogy and Student Services for Institutional Transformation (PASS IT) Funded by U.S. Dept. of Ed. Goal is to enhance learning for all students both within and outside the classroom through implementation of Universal Design and Universal Instructional Design Exploring differences in course pass rates for students with disabilities, and also the extent to which separate accommodations are no longer necessary

Definition of Universal Design Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design Source: The Center for Universal Design (1997)

Not just “one size fits all . . .” Applied to higher education, the primary goal of Universal Design is to create inclusive, flexible, customizable products, courses, programs, activities, and environments.

Universal Instructional Design Create a respectful learning environment Determine essential course components Establish clear expectations and feedback Develop natural supports for learning, including through use of technology Use multiple teaching strategies Provide multiple types of opportunities to demonstrate knowledge Encourage contact between students and faculty Source: North Carolina State University, 1997; based on Chickering & Gamson, 1987

Implementing UID Consider all possible students who might enroll in a course (or make use of a program or service) and design the course content, pedagogy, and physical space (or office or program) to ensure that all students will have equal access and feel welcomed

PASS IT Data 2005-2006: In UID classes, pass rate for students with disabilities was 87.8% (n = 41); pass rate for students who do not have disabilities was 89.8% (n = 617) F 2006: In UID classes, pass rate for students with disabilities was 90% (n = 59); pass rate for students who do not have disabilities was 92% (n = 1550) At the U of Minnesota, of the 31 students with disabilities, 29 did not require any separate accommodations

Next Logical Steps Extending implementation of Universal Instructional Design to think more broadly about access and success for students from underrepresented populations Considering misunderstandings related to the “universal” in UID Developing a model for Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID) that builds on the work of MAP IT and PASS IT

Integrated Multicultural Instructional Design (IMID): Guiding Principles to Create Action Steps to Enhance Students’ Multicultural Educational Experiences

IMID Guiding Principles (see pp. 12-13 of paper) Value difference Articulate commitment to diversity Establish respectful and supportive learning environment Promote understanding of how contexts shape learning Determine essential course components Embed skill development

IMID Guiding Principles (cont.) Communicate clear expectations Provide constructive feedback Integrate multicultural perspectives Teach ideas valued by many cultures Provide natural supports Use diverse teaching methods Create multiple ways for demonstrating knowledge

IMID Guiding Principles (cont.) Use culturally-sensitive assessments Promote interaction among and between faculty and students

Diversity and the Postsecondary Experience and MAP IT report available free of charge in pdf format on the CRDEUL Web site, http://www.education.umn.edu/crdeul