Universal Design for Learning: An Inclusive Approach to Teaching

GTA Orientation, August 14, 2014Allison Kidd & Shannon Lavey

Assistive Technology Resource Center (ATRC)

Marla Roll Director

Shannon LaveyService Coordinator and Provider

Allison Kidd Assistive Technology IT CoordinatorAccessibility Specialist

Today’s Agenda

• Diversity in the Classroom• Students with disabilities• Various learning styles

• Assistive Technology and Accessibility• Universal Design Tips

• Creating Inclusive and Usable Learning Materials

• Word, PowerPoint• PDF

Who Are College Students Today?

They Are Diverse

• Ethnicity & Culture

• Gender

• Nontraditional

• ELL/Native language

• Disabilities

• Learning/Cognitive Styles

Types of Disabilities

Apparent

• Mobility Impairments• Visual Impairments / Blindness• Hearing Impairments / Deafness

Non-apparent

• Learning Disabilities• Attention Deficit Disorder

(ADD/ADHD)• Autism Spectrum Disorder• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)• Mental Illness

Apparent vs non-apparent disabilities

• Apparent disabilities

• Non-apparent

⅔+

Disabilities in Higher Education

• Nationally, 11.3% of undergraduates report some type of disability1

• At Colorado State University2

• 8%–11% report a disability• Non-apparent disabilities are the largest proportion and

growing• Even among students who say they have a disability,

many do not seek accommodations

• 1National Center for Education Statistics, 2008; U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2009• 2Schelly, Davies & Spooner, Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability (Feb. 2011)

Learning Styles

VARK (Fleming, 1992 and 2006)

1. Visual

2. Aural/Auditory

3. Reading/Writing

4. Kinesthetic

Multimodal (multiple preferences)

Fleming, N. D., & Mills, C. (1992). Not another inventory, rather a catalyst for reflection. To improve the academy, 11(1), 137.

Fleming, N., & Baume, D. (2006). Learning styles again: Varking up the right tree! Educational Developments, 7(4), 4.

Visual vs. Reading / Writing

What is Universal Design (UD)?

• Build in accessibility from the start• Curb cuts• Ramps and automatic door openers• TV closed captions• Ergonomic kitchen utensils

• Everyone benefits from a more flexible, user-friendly environment

• Fix the environment, not the individual

Universal Design Example

The way the ramp is built in to these steps makes them both functional and attractive.

Assistive Technology

• Digital ramp

• Technology that increases access to computers or electronic information• Text-to-speech • Voice recognition• Literacy Support Software• Word completion• Spell check• Ergonomic office equipment

So What is Electronic Accessibility?

• Can technology interact with the

electronic content?

Not Automatically!

• Content must be designed to interact

well with technology

This is Accessibility

What Makes a Document Universally Designed?

• Searchability• Copy and Paste• Bookmarks or an Interactive Table of

Contents• Text to Speech capability• Accessibility

• Keyboard access, alternative text to images, etc.

Top Tips for Universally Designed Documents

• Use Headings & Styles to Create Structure

• Provide Descriptive Alternate Text for:• Images• Links• Graphs• Video Content• Audio Content (Transcript or Captions)

• Make Scanned PDFs “Searchable”

Create Structure with StylesUse Headings

View Navigation Pane for Table of Contents

Writing Good Alternate Text

• Alternative text for images should describe the meaning of the image in its context

• Ice Cream Manufacturer• Girl Scouts of America• My Niece's Blog• Diversity Website

Source: Jesse Hausler, ATRC & The ACCESS Project

Searchable PDF – Or What is OCR?

• Stands for “Optical Character Recognition”• Software that takes an image-only PDF and

converts it to text that a computer can recognize.

• Creates a document with text that is:• Selectable• Searchable• Text-to-Speech Capable• More Usable for Everyone

A Tale of Two Documents:The Technical Side of UDL

Scanned Image PDF Searchable PDF

How to Get a Searchable PDF

• OCR at the Scanner or Copier• Look for “Searchable PDF” or “OCR” options before saving.

• OCR with Adobe Acrobat Professional• After the PDF has been created

• Morgan Library Course Reserves• E-Reserves staff can locate articles or chapters for your

class• They scan, OCR, and post the PDF online for your class to

access• Morgan Library Course Reserves (http://reserve.colostate.e

du)

Disability Accommodation or Just Good Teaching?

Add these three tips to your workflow to help all students succeed.

Universally designed documents are…

• Helpful for many• Essential for a few

Campus Resources and Supports

• Services for CSU students, faculty and staff with disabilities• Shannon Lavey – Service Coordinator & Provider• ATRC Website (http://atrc.colostate.edu)• (970) 491-6258• atrc@colostate.edu

• Trainings on UDL and accessibility• Allison Kidd – Accessibility Specialist• Hands-on TILT course offerings throughout the year• Ongoing help for making your materials universally designed• Tutorials at

Accessible By Design (http://accessibility.colostate.edu)• atrc@colostate.edu

Thank You!

References

Burgstahler & Cory (2008). Universal design in higher education: From principles to practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

Davies, Schelly & Spooner (in press). Measuring the effectiveness of universal design for learning intervention in postsecondary education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Rose, D., et al. (2006). Universal design for learning in postsecondary education: Reflections on principles and their application. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 19(2), 135-151.

Schelly, Davies & Spooner (2011). Student Perceptions of Faculty Implementation of Universal Design for Learning. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 24(1), 17-28.