The significance of Universal Design for Learning is growing rapidly in the context of postsecondary education and pedagogy. In order to widen access to learning and create an inclusive learning environment for a diverse student population, university and college campuses in Quebec have started to work with Faculty to implement principles of Universal Design in their teaching practices. UDL promotes a proactive approach to planning a course, which can create more sustainable teaching practices reducing the need for more costly ‘retrofitting’ methods done through classroom accommodations, often used to support the needs of today’s diverse student population.
This session will present information about a UDL collaborative project between five post-secondary institutions in Montreal: McGill University, John Abbott College, Marianopolis College, Dawson College and Centennial College. Spanning a three-year process, the project culminates in the creation of a user-friendly pedagogical toolkit using a qualitative mixed method action research approach. Initial research began in the winter semester, 2014 semester and is spanning to fall, 2014.
The project’s goals are: