I really appreciate your out-loud thinking through these topics, Sarah. Something that has been rolling around in my mind lately, perhaps beyond the scope of this post (ba da ts), is about UDL vs other similar frameworks. When I worked in K12, differentiated instruction seemed to be the approach to address much of what UDL attempts to. However, I don't know that I've heard DI uttered in university hallways except in faculties of education/teachers colleges. Did DI fall out of favour? Was it replaced with UDL? Not considered? Does it do a different job than UDL?
Just some out loud wanderings. Thanks again for sharing your work!
My sense is that DI never really entered the mainstream (if we can even say there is such a thing) in higher ed pedagogy. The movement for more universal design in higher ed teaching, to the best of my knowledge, was initially lead by disability advocates, who probably favored UD/UDL because of its connection to disability rights history. Additionally, UDL rather than DI, has been written into certain higher education law and policy, which may explain its popularity in that area (e.g. higher ed opportunity act of 2008) This is a really great question though which I am probably not able to answer as accurately as I could. In general, there has always been a lot of lag and and also separation between k12 and higher education pedagogy discourse.
Accurate enough! There are lots of gaps in my knowledge about your context there (e.g. what acts are in place) so this was super helpful. Thanks Sarah!
One of my concerns is learner agency and the emphasis on self-advocacy. I'm concerned that the students who struggle with executive function may be stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, or suffer from decision paralysis by the choose-your-own-adventure pathways of UDL. Does UDL provide too much flexibility? How do I best put in the right kinds of “scaffolding” (for the lack of a better term) that provides a foundational structure for my students?
Hi Shane! Thanks for reading! I think there might be a useful distinction to be made between agency/self advocacy and a lack of structure. Structure and executive function support can coexist with self-advocacy/agency, if we are thinking about these things as working together. For example - a choice of two different project formats with a flowchart that helps students decide which one might best suit their needs at this time.
I really appreciate your out-loud thinking through these topics, Sarah. Something that has been rolling around in my mind lately, perhaps beyond the scope of this post (ba da ts), is about UDL vs other similar frameworks. When I worked in K12, differentiated instruction seemed to be the approach to address much of what UDL attempts to. However, I don't know that I've heard DI uttered in university hallways except in faculties of education/teachers colleges. Did DI fall out of favour? Was it replaced with UDL? Not considered? Does it do a different job than UDL?
Just some out loud wanderings. Thanks again for sharing your work!
My sense is that DI never really entered the mainstream (if we can even say there is such a thing) in higher ed pedagogy. The movement for more universal design in higher ed teaching, to the best of my knowledge, was initially lead by disability advocates, who probably favored UD/UDL because of its connection to disability rights history. Additionally, UDL rather than DI, has been written into certain higher education law and policy, which may explain its popularity in that area (e.g. higher ed opportunity act of 2008) This is a really great question though which I am probably not able to answer as accurately as I could. In general, there has always been a lot of lag and and also separation between k12 and higher education pedagogy discourse.
Accurate enough! There are lots of gaps in my knowledge about your context there (e.g. what acts are in place) so this was super helpful. Thanks Sarah!
This was really helpful - thanks for writing and sharing.
One of my concerns is learner agency and the emphasis on self-advocacy. I'm concerned that the students who struggle with executive function may be stressed, overwhelmed, frustrated, or suffer from decision paralysis by the choose-your-own-adventure pathways of UDL. Does UDL provide too much flexibility? How do I best put in the right kinds of “scaffolding” (for the lack of a better term) that provides a foundational structure for my students?
Hi Shane! Thanks for reading! I think there might be a useful distinction to be made between agency/self advocacy and a lack of structure. Structure and executive function support can coexist with self-advocacy/agency, if we are thinking about these things as working together. For example - a choice of two different project formats with a flowchart that helps students decide which one might best suit their needs at this time.
Thanks. I think having a flow chart would be helpful. Especially for those who want to self-identify how they would like to participate in class.
Great article. I’m trying to implement a more UDL approach to my courses, and your work is helping me.