Voices From the Field

There is increasing pressure on universities in the United States to meet the needs of diverse learners. This fact increases the urgency for implementation and scaling up of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education. This qualitative study draws two major insights from interviews with six faculty members from universities and colleges around the United States who have experienced a degree of success (personal to institutional) in implementing UDL. First, successful implementation and scaling up of UDL initiatives often occur when UDL is presented in response to a clear problem, issue, or inquiry rather than more direct approaches. Second, I articulate an emerging conceptualization of “levels” of implementation and apparent aspects that enable an institution or group to move from lower to higher tiers.

[1]  Linda Darling-Hammond,et al.  Does Teacher Preparation Matter? Evidence about Teacher Certification, Teach for America, and Teacher Effectiveness , 2005 .

[2]  M. Rioux,et al.  A time for the universal right to education: back to basics , 2010 .

[3]  Brian R. Bryant,et al.  A Review of Research on Universal Design Educational Models , 2014 .

[4]  Debra Hart,et al.  Expanding the Paradigm: Postsecondary Education Options for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disabilities , 2010 .

[5]  Janet S. Arndt,et al.  Transforming Universal Design for Learning in Early Childhood Teacher Education from College Classroom to Early Childhood Classroom , 2007 .

[6]  Kathleen Gradel,et al.  Putting Universal Design for Learning on the Higher Ed Agenda , 2009 .

[7]  R. M. Reardon,et al.  Exploring Faculty Learning Communities: Building Connections among Teaching, Learning, and Technology , 2008 .

[8]  Patrick O'Keeffe,et al.  A Sense of Belonging: Improving Student Retention. , 2013 .

[9]  P. Davies,et al.  Student Perceptions of Faculty Implementation of Universal Design for Learning. , 2011 .

[10]  V. Timmons,et al.  Making it work: teachers’ perspectives on inclusion , 2009 .

[11]  Victoria L. Graf,et al.  Gaining Access to General Education: The Promise of Universal Design for Learning , 2007 .

[12]  Fred Spooner,et al.  Effects of Training in Universal Design for Learning on Lesson Plan Development , 2007 .

[13]  E. Sosu,et al.  Does initial teacher education make a difference? The impact of teacher preparation on student teachers’ attitudes towards educational inclusion , 2010 .

[14]  Woo Sik Jung.  Preservice Teacher Training for Successful Inclusion , 2007 .

[15]  Jody Siker,et al.  Improved Lesson Planning With Universal Design for Learning (UDL) , 2013 .

[16]  Jamie N. DeWaters,et al.  A Quest for website accessibility in higher education institutions , 2008, Internet High. Educ..

[17]  Bernhard Streitwieser.  Internationalisation of higher education and global mobility , 2014 .

[18]  M. Pearson.  Modeling Universal Design for Learning Techniques to Support Multicultural Education for Pre-Service Secondary Educators. , 2015 .

[19]  Dave L. Edyburn,et al.  Would You Recognize Universal Design for Learning if You Saw it? Ten Propositions for New Directions for the Second Decade of UDL , 2010 .

[20]  Edward M. Vitelli.  Universal Design for Learning , 2015 .

[21]  Jamilia J. Blake,et al.  PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS AT RISK FOR ACADEMIC FAILURE: THE ROLES OF ACHIEVEMENT VALUES AND BEHAVIORAL ENGAGEMENT , 2013 .