Using Universal Design for Learning to Optimize Flexibility in Assessment and Class Activities While Maximizing Alignment With Course Objectives

Abstract

<jats:p>Diverse learners are increasingly present in higher education (HE) and now represent a significant percentage of the student body. HE pedagogy has not always evolved rapidly enough to meet the expectations of non-traditional learners, and there is at present, at times, a distinct clash of culture. The new for pedagogical renewal is particularly felt in the area of classroom activities—with the traditional lecture increasingly under criticism—and assessment. Universal design for learning (UDL) is appearing increasingly promising in this landscape, but there remain doubts, for many faculty members, as to how one can inject more flexibility into classroom activities and assessment without affecting standards or learning objectives. This chapter will examine a phenomenological exploration of the ways UDL serves as a convenient framework for reflection on the transformation of classroom activities and assessment. </jats:p>

Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Inclusion in the Higher Education Classroom: Tips for the Next Decade of Implementation

“…This said, without providing readily applicable and generic strategies, it is possible for UDL literature to describe this process of reflection from the phenomenological perspective of instructors who have engaged with this process. It is therefore likely -and hoped -that an emerging body of literature will appear in the coming decade and offer instructors a more detailed and complete picture of what pedagogy for the 21st century might look like once UDL is being applied with intent [55].…”