Craig Spooner, ACCESS Project Coordinator The ACCESS Project, Colorado State University Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment with Universal Design for Learning

ObjectivesObjectives  Participants will gain a deeper understanding of UDL  What is UDL?  who benefits from it?  how can it be implemented?  how can you institutionalize UDL for lasting benefit?

AgendaAgenda  What is UDL?  Teaching  Technology  How can you institutionalize UDL?

Meeting the learning needs of ALL students

Today’s students are diverse  Ethnicity & Culture  ESL/Native language  Nontraditional  Gender  Learning Styles  Disabilities

ESL / Native Language  Potential barriers to comprehension  For both students and instructors  Affects written and verbal communication

What is your good name, sir? A.Full name B.Last name C.Nickname or pet name

 I say there are 100 Krore stars in the sky. You say the stars number 10,000 Lakh.  Do we agree?

Nontraditional Students Percentage of undergraduates with nontraditional characteristics: 1992–93 and 1999–2000

Nontraditional Students  Highly motivated & Achievement oriented  Finances and family are two of the biggest concerns  Stronger consumer orientation  Need flexible schedules  Integrate learning with life and work experiences  Want applicability to the real world  Prefer more active approaches to learning  Relatively independent  Lack of a cohort, “student life” experience  Instruction appropriate for their developmental level

Academic Preparation  2004 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary institution immediately after high school, by GPA 7

 Both short-term and long-term, apparent and non-apparent  Mobility Impairments  Blindness/Visual Impairments  Deafness/Hearing Impairments  Learning Disabilities  Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)  Autistic Spectrum Disabilities  Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) DisabilitiesDisabilities

DisabilitiesDisabilities  National statistics:  11.3% of undergraduates report some type of disability*  Colorado State University  7%–11% (ACCESS Project research, )  Non-apparent disabilities are by far the largest proportion and growing  Only a small percentage seeks accommodations *National Center for Education Statistics, 2008; U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009

DisabilitiesDisabilities  National statistics:  11.3% of undergraduates report some type of disability*  Colorado State University  7%–11% (ACCESS Project research, )  Non-apparent disabilities are by far the largest proportion and growing  Only a small percentage seeks accommodations *National Center for Education Statistics, 2008; U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009

Learning Styles 1. Visual a) Visual-Linguistic (reading and writing) b) Visual-Spatial (graphs and pictures) 2. Auditory (listening) 3. Kinesthetic (touching and moving)

Learning Styles 1. Visual a) Visual-Linguistic (reading and writing) b) Visual-Spatial (graphs and pictures) 2. Auditory (listening) 3. Kinesthetic (touching and moving)

Universal Design for Learning Universal Design for Learning is a set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and accessible course materials. teaching technology “ ”

History of UDL  Universal Design (UD)  Accommodate the widest spectrum of users without the need for subsequent adaptation  Public buildings, city streets, television, kitchen utensils…  Universal Design for Learning (UDL)  Inclusive pedagogy  Applies to both teaching and technology

UDL: a framework for inclusive pedagogy 1.Information and concepts are represented in multiple ways and in a variety of formats. 2.Students are given multiple ways to express their comprehension and mastery of a topic. 3.Students engage with new ideas and information in multiple ways.

RepresentationRepresentation

RepresentationRepresentation  Ideas and information are represented in multiple ways and in a variety of formats  Lectures  Group activities  Hands-on exercises  Text + Graphics, Audio, Video  Usable electronic formats (e.g., Word, PDF, HTML)

ExpressionExpression

ExpressionExpression  Students express comprehension and mastery in multiple ways  Oral presentation  Written essays  Projects/Portfolios/Journals  Performance  Multimedia (text/graphics/audio/video)

ExpressionExpression  Colin from our video  Student with Quadriplegia  Undergraduate in Landscape Architecture  Assignment: Create a 3D model  Physical model  Computerized model

EngagementEngagement

EngagementEngagement  Help students “engage” in multiple ways  Express your own enthusiasm!  Challenge students with meaningful, real-world assignments  Give prompt and instructive feedback on assignments  Classroom response systems (clickers)  Make yourself available to students during office hours in flexible formats

EngagementEngagement  Physics professor from India has students video tape Q&A during office hours  Individual questions answered for everyone in the course  Video  Written explanation

Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education* Good practice in undergraduate education…  encourages contact between students and faculty  develops reciprocity and cooperation among students  encourages active learning  gives prompt feedback  emphasizes time on task  communicates high expectations  respects diverse talents and ways of learning *Chickering and Gamson, 1986

Represent Express Engage

Alignment with Institutional Goals

Institution’s Strategic Goals  Increasing access and diversity  Enhancing accessibility for students with physical, learning and other disabilities  Promoting active and experiential learning opportunities  Increasing student engagement (curricular and co-curricular programs)

Instructional Philosophy

UDL and Technology

UDL and Multimedia  Educational Videos  Course Materials  Lecture Presentation Systems  Course Management Systems

What Makes a Document Universally Designed?  Search-ability  Select-ability for Copy and Paste  Bookmarks or an Interactive TOC  Text to Speech capability  Accessibility

Content, Structure, and Presentation  Content  The actual information you are providing in a document. This can include Text, Images, Videos, or Multimedia.  Structure  The organization of content is structure. This includes headings, lists, tables, emphasis, etc.  Presentation  One can add style rules to structural elements to give documents a particular appearance.

A Tale of Two PDF Documents ScannedOCR and Tags

Scanned PDFs AccessibilitySearch-AbilityCopy/PasteBookmarksText to Speech Scanned PDF Scanned PDF with OCR OCR and Tags

Make Your Own PDFs AccessibilitySearch-AbilityCopy/PasteBookmarksText to Speech Print to PDF Save As PDF Adobe PDF Plugin

Let’s Make Our Own PDFs  Microsoft Word as the Native Editor 1. Print to PDF 2. Save As PDF  lyid=F1FC413C-6D89-4F15-991B-63B07BA5F2E5 lyid=F1FC413C-6D89-4F15-991B-63B07BA5F2E5 3. Adobe Acrobat Plugin for PDF

Images and Alt Text  Alternative text for images should describe the meaning - based on the it’s context  Ice Cream Manufacturer  Girl Scouts of America  My Niece's Blog  Diversity Website

Lecture Presentation Systems  Captions and/or Transcripts  Search-ability  Navigation Options  Keyboard Accessibility  Example 1 Example 1  Example 2 Example 2

Course Management Systems  Consistency of use  Syllabus  Assignments  Readings  Discussion  Navigation  Universally Designed Documents  Accessibility

Educational Videos  Transcripts Transcripts  A written or text-based record of dictated or recorded speech. May contain additional relevant information, such as descriptions or comments.  Captions  A transcript is timed to display with the video track, it displays on screen as a caption.  Descriptive Audio  The narration of key visual elements in a video or multimedia product.

Educational Videos  In our video, who benefits from the:  Transcripts?  Captions?  Descriptive audio?

Video Captioning  Automatic Sync  Upload audio track and transcript   YouTube videos  Upload transcript in text format  Machine Automated captions   MAGpie  Works with most major video formats 

PowerPoint Presentations  Outline View  Master Slides  Notes Panel  Description of Charts and Diagrams  Adobe Presenter Output – Notes Tab  LecShare Output – Video Captions

UDL Modules  Teaching  Technology (course materials)  Microsoft Word  Styles and Headings  Images  Adobe PDF  HTML  E-Text 

Institutionalization

An Old Approach  Accessibility workshops:  Course materials and documents  Web based information  Course management systems  Instructional media  Compliance with regulations, guidelines  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)  Section 508 of Rehabilitation Act Introduction

We Failed to Gain Traction  Narrow Focus  Disability  Assistive Technology  Faculty Perception  “I don’t have students with disabilities.”  “Not my job!”  Went at it alone  Few strategic partnerships  Low on the list of administrative priorities Introduction

Philosophical Changes  Benefits for all students  Disabilities are part of the range of diversity  Enabling the learning environment  Broader definition of “accessible”  Materials usable with a wide range of technologies, including assistive technologies New Approach

Practical Changes  Topics of interest to faculty and administrators  Teaching and Learning  Persistence/Retention  Diversity  Cultural and language backgrounds  Learning styles  Abilities and Disabilities New Approach

Institutionalization Plan 1.Dissemination 2.Creation of award for UDL implementation 3.Formation of advisory group with campus Administrators 4.Strategic Campus Partnerships Institutionalization Plan

ConclusionsConclusions  Institutionalization of UDL is being achieved through:  A philosophical shift  A dissemination plan based on inclusive pedagogy  UDL Award  Advisory group of key administrators  Strategic partnerships with other university organizations  UDL Research Conclusions

Web Resources  The ACCESS Project  Video:  Tutorials:  Web Accessibility & Video Captions  WebAIM:  A List Apart:  AutomaticSync:  Legal  Section 508:  Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0:  508-WCAG Comparison:

Print Resources  Books  Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Edited by Sheryl E. Burgstahler and Rebecca C. Cory. Harvard Education Press, 2008.

The ACCESS Project, Colorado State University Funded by U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Grant #P333A Thank you! ACCESS Website: accessproject.colostate.edu Craig Spooner accessproject.colostate.edu