Curriculum
 Alice Anderson, Ph.D.
 E-mail: Alice.Anderson@purduecal.edu
 Ms. Jacqueline Bustos
 E-mail: jackibustos@gmail.com
 Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D.
 E-mail: Marylee.vance@purduecal.edu
Universal Design (UD) Definitions
From the Higher Education Opportunity Act of
2008 ...
 Flexibility
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In ways information is presented,
in ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills
in the ways students are engaged
 Reduces barriers in instruction
 Provides appropriate accommodations, supports,
and challenges
 Maintains high achievement expectations for all
students
A universal design approach to service delivery holds
the promise of:
 creating more inclusive postsecondary environments
 alleviating the need for most individual
accommodations
 creating a more collaborative, wide-reaching
professional role for postsecondary service providers
Keep in mind…
There may always
be the need for
some
accommodations,
such as sign
language
interpreters for
deaf students.
Advantages!!
 Little, if any, re-development is necessary when
diverse individuals enter your classes
 Planning ahead can be less time-consuming in
the long run
 Allowing all students access to all materials can
help all students learn by appealing to a variety
of learning styles! Benefits to all!!
 You learn and grow as a professional educator!
Syllabus Tips
 Write clear and specific learning objectives with expected

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

outcomes/products
Ensure activities and assignments are flexible, adaptable
and match expected outcomes
Use multiple accessible methods for assessment that test
what is important
Make information available in more than one formathard copy, digital, audio, video, narrated PPTs, etc.
Give students varying resources to help them learn
critical information
Provide for choices in assignments- multiple avenues to
accomplish course objectives
(Adapted from: Equity and Excellence in Higher Education: Universal Course Design
www.eeonline.org)
Syllabus Tips- Make your “life” a bit
easier!!
 Be familiar with technological resources (videos,
pics, graphics, screen readers, etc.)
 Understand formats accessible to screen readers
(Resource topic: universal web design)
 Keep in mind– Time invested up front decreases
time demands later!
Beyond the ADA
CLASSROOM BEST PRACTICES
Lectures
● Be as black and white as possible
"Yes/No" not "Maybe”
● Use scaffolding techniques and concrete examples to
teach abstract concepts (Gander 62).
Lecture Usability
Various theorists such as Dolmage, Kroll and
Hinckley all encourage communication with the
students. Dolmage refers to “collaborative
communication” about the curriculum flexible
usability. Knoll terms it “interdependency” and
Hinckley prefers the term “collaboration”.
Additional Classroom Aids
● Visual calendars for weekly assignments
● List objectives for each class on the board
● Do not speak to class while writing on the board
Intent of Universal Design
“Universal design is the design of products and
environments to be usable by all people, to the
greatest extent possible, without the need for
adaptation or specialized design”
Ron Mace
Disability Models:
Social Constructs
 Moral
- Pity
- Horror
 Medical
 Social
 Universal Design
Teaching and Learning Expectations
 Student Learning
Styles/Preferences
Audio
Haptic/kinetic
Visual
 Teaching Preferences
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Audio (lecture)
Visual (power point)
Haptic (in labs)
7 UD Principles
 Equitable Use
 Flexibility
 Simple and Intuitive
 Perceptible Information
 Tolerance for Error
 Low Physical Effort
 Size and Space
Areas Affected in
Education
 Curricular (teaching and
advising) *
 Technological
 Physical
AT (Special Ed)/UDL Relationship
Overcome Barriers
Universal Design
Assistive
for
Technology
Learning
Reduce Barriers
Considerations for UD in Learning (AHEAD)
 What do I want my audience to know?
 What do I want my audience to be able to do?
 What lasting impact do I want to have?
 What challenges to inclusion might my presentation style
create?
 How can I plan my presentation to provide meaningful
access to all members of my audience and minimize the
need for individual accommodations, without compromising
the essential components that I’ve identified, and in the
most inclusive way possible?
Universal Design for Instruction
 Everyone benefits from a more universally accessible
and accommodating information process
 In particular students:
- with disabilities
- non-native English speakers/
1st gen
- non-traditional age
- technologically challenged
- those with disabilities
Remember
DISABILITY IS A SOCIAL
CONSTRUCT – WHAT
ROLE YOU PLAY IN
SOCIETY IS YOUR CHOICE
Scenarios
Case Study: Ch 19, Chuck
Chuck is a low vision student who parlayed his hobby,
inventing sports equipment for visually challenged
people into national recognition in a competition for
entrepreneurs. He is a perfect example of a freshman
student with multiple identities who thrived in the
PUC Writing program, owing to the use of universal
design. The Writing Center helped Chuck acquire the
knowledge and confidence to take what he had written
in the classroom, and enter a nation-wide contest for
entrepreneurs. He finished in the top 10. What UD
approaches were utilized here?
Case Study: Ch 16, Koino
Koino attended one of the best schools in Taiwan, but
struggled with reading and comprehension. Koino’s
parents decided to send her to the US for
postsecondary education. Within the first two weeks of
the semester, Koino was struggling. She could not keep
up with the required reading and was having trouble
comprehending the lectures. She went to the
international student office and disability resources for
support. If this was your student, what would you
recommend? Where does universal design fit in?
Case Study: Ch 12, Sarah
Sarah is a first-year student at the local university. She
had an IEP for learning disability throughout HS, but
did not contact the disability services office to request
accommodations. As midterms approach, she is feeling
overwhelmed, and having difficulty keeping up with
the volume of reading assignments. She is scared but
doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Why is Sarah afraid to
request accommodations? What might be options for
Sarah to improve her academics? Where does
Universal Design fit in for her situation?
Questions? Please speak loudly and
clearly so all may hear.