UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). Designed for faculty and instructors who want to make small, meaningful shifts in their teaching, the series focuses on strategies drawn from Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that promote flexibility, accessibility, and inclusion.
Each 30‑minute virtual session highlights one dimension of UDL in course design—such as environments, materials, methods, access, support, and executive function.
Here’s what to expect:
- Before the session: Participants receive a short resource package (also posted on our UDL in Practice webpage), including examples and a prompt to try one small change in their course.
- During the session: Join a 30-minute facilitated discussion focused on idea-sharing, practical examples, and collaborative brainstorming. Optional time is available afterward for deeper exploration and questions with CTSI educational developers.
- After the session: Participants are invited to submit a brief reflection on what they implemented and what they noticed.
Sessions are not recorded, as the 30‑minute format is designed for community-based, real-time discussion and strategy sharing. The emphasis is on learning together in the moment, supported by materials shared in advance.
Attend one or attend them all—each session stands on its own while building toward a broader understanding of inclusive course design.
Learning Outcomes
By joining the series, participants will be able to:
- Identify barriers in course design and learner supports.
- Apply targeted UDL strategies to increase accessibility, inclusivity, and learner agency.
- Reflect on the impact of course design changes and make informed adaptations.
- Contribute to a campus‑wide culture of inclusive and equity‑minded teaching.
Upcoming Sessions
- Designing Environments (September 12, 2025) – Explore how digital, physical, and social learning spaces can support or limit inclusion, and brainstorm small changes to make your course environments more accessible.
- Designing Materials (October 10, 2025) – Work together to identify barriers in course materials and share strategies for making documents, slides, and other content more usable and inclusive.
- Designing Methods (November 14, 2025) – Collaboratively reflect on instructional approaches and generate practical ideas for communication, assessment, and feedback strategies that better support learner variability.
- Designing for Access (January 16, 2026) – Discuss with peers how to lower barriers to entry in your courses and exchange quick, practical approaches like captioning, syllabus readability, and flexible participation options.
- Designing for Support (February 13, 2026) – Share examples of how to help students persist and communicate, and co‑develop strategies such as rubrics, feedback checkpoints, and peer supports.
- Designing for Executive Function (March 13, 2026) – Brainstorm approaches to support students in planning, organizing, and following through, and leave with new strategies like checklists, weekly structures, or reflection steps.