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Digital Badge in UDL - Spring/Summer 2020

In partnership with the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, we are delighted to announce that AHEAD and UCD Access & Lifelong Learning are teaming up to facilitate the Digital Badge for Universal Design in Teaching and Learning in a fully online format this Spring/Summer. This course was developed by AHEAD and UCD as part of the Forum's open courses initiative. The course will run for 10 weeks from Feb 26th 2020 and will provide participants with a strong introduction to the Universal Design for Learning Framework and give them the opportunity to implement UDL approaches within the teaching activities they are currently undertaking. The course involves approximately 25 hours over the 10 week period, averaging 2.5 hours per week with a 5 hour add on later in the course for those interested in becoming future facilitators of the course themselves.

This free iteration of the course is particularly aimed at individuals or groups of individuals who are interested in rolling out the badge themselves as a facilitator at a later date (e.g. for staff in their institution). For more information on the digital badge more generally and how facilitators can roll it out themselves, visit the webpage. Please note, since one of the aims of this iteration of the course is to train future facilitators, we are limiting the number of participants per institution that can sign up to 3 should the course be over subscribed. If we reach full capacity, we will contact the latest participants to register from each institution to notify them of the situation.

There is no cost involved for participants.

Register for this Course (Max 3 per institution) »

About this Badge

Implementation of Universal Design principles in Teaching & Learning promotes inclusivity and equity while also ‘future-proofing’ your teaching. As our classrooms and lecture theatres become increasingly diverse, our practices must also adapt to reflect the changing landscape of higher education.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, which guides the development of flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences and cater for the wide range of diversity in our lecture rooms. This CPD course will give you an introduction to the concept of Universal Design for Learning and invite you to review and update your own Teaching and Learning practice.

Participants on the Course Will:

  • Reflect on the Diversity of Students in their Institutions
  • Gain a good understanding of the Universal Design for Learning framework and how it can support diverse learners
  • Redesign some elements of their teaching and learning practice based on their knowledge of UDL principles
  • Consider how they will change their practice more broadly in line with a UDL approach

 How the Course Works?

The course is delivered via a mixture of webinars and guided multimedia resources, with participants also working through group activities in online meetings as a group of three known as a Peer Triad. They will work together with their Peer Triad throughout the course.

The Peer Triad system means that you experience the course with other colleagues and share perspectives on the course content. At the end of the course, each member of the Triad confirms to the facilitators that the others have taken part in the process and that plays a major role in the release of the digital badge to certify completion.

One of the major activities participants will undertake is to redesign a teaching activity they are actively delivering in line with UDL principles and to implement the redesign during the course. This redesign happens during weeks 5-9 of the course, after the participant has undertaken significant learning about the UDL framework and sought advice from colleagues in their Peer Triad. Because of this, participants must have some form of teaching activity scheduled during this period which they can redesign (e.g. a lecture, workshop, training event, assignment etc.).

At the end of the process, the Peer Triads will meet to discuss what they learned with each other and share a brief report on their experiences.

 Course Entry Requirements

Participants must:

  • Be working as an educator in a teaching and learning capacity in Further or Higher Education (can include any role where teaching/training is delivered to students/staff e.g. teacher, librarian, teaching enhancement staff, disability officer that delivers training) 
  • Have a teaching activity (lecture/training session/class/assessment etc.) taking place between week 5 and 9 of this course (Mar 26th – Apr 30th) that they can redesign as part of the course.
  • Have an interest in playing a part in rolling the course out themselves as course facilitators in the future (e.g. to other colleagues on campus)

Please note, since one of the aims of this iteration of the course is to train future facilitators, we are limiting the number of participants per institution that can sign up to 3 should the course be over subscribed. If we reach full capacity, we will contact the latest participants to register from each institution to notify them of the situation.

 IT Requirements

This course will feature both webinars and small group online meetings which you will require a laptop/pc with a speakers/headphones, a webcam and a microphone (for best audio quality a headset rather than an internal laptop mic). The Zoom platform will be used for webinars so it’s a good idea to try and join this test Zoom link now in advance of the course starting and contact your IT administrator’s for advice if you have any problems. Similarly, the Big Blue Button platform is used for online meetings - You can test your computer/microphone/webcam for use with Big Blue Button in advance of the course beginning by clicking here, entering your name and clicking Join under the HTML5 link.

Since lots of the material on this course is delivered through multimedia, the course also requires a reasonably good internet connection capable of streaming video.

 Key Course Dates to Put in Your Diary Now!

Participants should put the key times and dates listed below in their diaries. All other course work can be done at times that suit (within specific time frames). You can download the full course schedule here.

Here are some some key dates:

  • 13:00 – 13:45, Wednesday Feb 26th - Orientation - Webinar #1 – Course introduction, tour of the platform, introduction to Peer Triads, week by week breakdown
  • 13:00 – 13:30, Thursday Mar 3rd (suggested date/time to be confirmed with your Triad colleagues) – Triad Online Meeting #1 – Introducing yourself to your colleagues
  • 13:00 – 13:45, Thursday Mar 16th (suggested date/time to be confirmed with your Triad colleagues) – Triad Online Meeting #2 – Group discussions on barriers to learning and UDL solutions
  • 13:00-13:30, Thursday Mar 18th – Webinar #2 – Introducing the Redesign Activity
  • 13:00-14:00, Thursday Mar 25th – (suggested date/time to be confirmed with your Triad colleagues) - Triad Online Meeting #3 – Brainstorm your UDL redesign
  • 13:00-13:30, Thursday Apr 30th – Webinar #3 – Submission and Getting Your Badge
  • 13:00-13:45, Thursday May 5th – (suggested date/time to be confirmed with your Triad colleagues) - Triad Online Meeting #4 – Brainstorm your UDL redesign

Book your place on this course by clicking here

Download the Full Course Schedule »

Register for This Course by Clicking Here »

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Creating Inclusive Environments in Education and Employment for People with Disabilities

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