23 October 2024
Educators and disability practitioners from across the South-West came together at University of Exeter for a GW4 Alliance funded staff development conference focused on how higher education can implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in teaching practice. Shaped around the core UDL principles of Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression, we had the opportunity to hear presentations from Universities of Bath, Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter about what works well and workshop ideas for implementation in our own settings and programmes.
When asked what attendees had learned that would impact their teaching practice, one participant responded
I have a renewed mindset around being able to implement change for the better and ideas for ‘easy wins’ in content delivery.
Prof Vrinda Nayak and Rachel Griffiths led the conference organisation, with support from the Learning Experiences & Innovation (LXI) team. UDL principles were at the forefront of organisation, with a comprehensive accessibility guide and full slide pack provided in advance to support participant preparation, plus consideration for social overwhelm and networking barriers.
…thanks for giving us ample breaks in-between sessions: whether it was to have a professional conversation with colleagues (I had lots), take a comfort break, or just decompress in the park (useful for people like me who get easily overwhelmed in social situations), that was absolutely appreciated.
Professor Nicola Martin (Professor of Social Justice and Inclusive Education, LSBU) and Dr Heather Sears (Deputy Director, Design and Delivery Lead Researcher on the Next Generative Research SuperVision Project (RSVP) and Head of Researcher Development at Coventry University) gave keynote addresses to open the conference, both reflecting on the power of educators in making a difference to learners’ experiences of higher education. Nicola gave an overview of UDL, its origins and significance in bringing social justice into higher education. Heather drew on her experiences supporting doctoral researchers to highlight the creative ways that Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) can engage with doctoral study.
Dr Dave Gatrell and Dr Emma Jenks from University of Bristol focussed on “Action and Expression”, exploring case studies of implementing inclusive assessment that support the ability of all students to demonstrate their knowledge. Professor Momna Hejmadi and Abby Osborne from University of Bath brought their experience of designing the “Patterns beyond Labels” approach to a theme of “Representation” to highlight the physical, cultural and cognitive strands of student diversity. Mike Clapp and Dr Nick Gill from University of Exeter focused on creating spaces that are welcoming to diverse groups of students under the “Engagement” theme. Mike reflected on the Learning Design team’s work on building inclusive icebreakers, finding ways to support all students to start forming connections with their cohort in authentic and meaningful ways. Nick gave a powerful introduction to the educational experience of students who have experienced forced migration, bringing a different lens to the importance of thinking more deeply about the diversity of students in our classrooms.
All the presentations were recorded and are available on YouTube!
You can also download the slides from all presentations.
Researchers and practitioners also contributed posters, with topics from University of Exeter educators including “Embedding Inclusive Learning Design in a Fully Online Postgraduate Health Related Course” (Dr Kerry Gilbert and Dr Amanda Wallace), “Inclusive Classrooms in Economics: Understanding Student Engagement using Mentimeter” (Arpita Ghosh), and “Reimagining Biosciences: Diversifying, Decolonising and Integrating Global Perspectives through Inclusive Curriculum Planning” (Dr Yusra Siddiqui).
An innovative feature of this conference was the aim to share practical knowledge, tips and resources from across the South West, aimed at highlighting effective practices. The presentations were broken up by practical workshops focused on developing this hive mind concept, and a conference Padlet collating thoughts was built throughout the day.
I took many ideas away, especially on embedding choice, supporting students to transition to University. The conference talks also helped me consider further some of the activities I plan in my teaching.
See the Padlet and contribute your own thoughts, experiences and resources.
We are continuing to grow our UDL resource bank and are excited by the opportunity provided by this first UDL Conference to develop our UDL competence and confidence across higher education in the South West.