A Case for Institution Specific UDL Research

"A Case for Institution Specific UDL Research" was originally delivered, in person, on October 3, 2019, as a session offering at the Third Pan-Canadian Conference held at Royal Roads University, Victoria, British Columbia. The content below provides material from the session with additional information from the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project to provide context. This chapter also includes content from the participant questions that were addressed within the delivered session.

Why

In 2015, Mohawk College elected to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for a variety of reasons. First, as a post-secondary educational institution, the College understood that effective learning is impacted by a number of factors including “[c]onceptions, processes, and interdependence of learning, class climate and social and emotional well-being, as well as academic self-concept and school engagement” (Katz & Sokal, 2016, p. 38). Second, UDL was aligned with Mohawk College’s strategic mandate and values, which include being “student focused”, “committed to excellence” and “inclusive” (Strategic Plan, 2016). UDL guidelines, by explicit design are learner focused; promote curriculum design, development, and delivery excellence for all learners; and have been developed specifically to promote inclusion. Third, the UDL framework has the capacity to support the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities legislative mandate in Ontario. Mohawk College has a number of accessibility targets to meet, no later than 2025 (“2017-20 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology”, 2018) and UDL has the ability to significantly improve accessibility to reach many of these targets at the course level. Last, Mohawk College courses are technology enabled, ensuring that the technological infrastructure already existed to support college-wide UDL implementation.

It should be noted that Mohawk College is a “blended learning” institution, meaning that all of Mohawk College’s courses, with very few exceptions, are technology enabled. As defined by the institution:

Blended learning integrates both face-to-face learning and online learning in the delivery of a course.

A blended course is designed to integrate face-to-face and online activities so that they reinforce, elaborate on, and complement one another, instead of treating the online component as an add-on or duplicate of what is taught in the classroom (“What is blended learning?”, n.d.).

The rationale for and benefit of UDL implementation at Mohawk College was clear, but the logistics of how it could be done was uncertain.

Now Seems Apt for a Metaphor

Embarking on UDL implementation in higher education is akin to taking a road trip in a foreign country with a very tall driver and a compact rental car: It is going to be uncomfortable for some (definitely the driver), is likely going to have a rough start, and does not have great prospects for making it to the destination.

At Mohawk College, the journey to college-wide UDL implementation was daunting. We had general research, which was primarily focused on K to 12, was not Canadian, or was based on vastly different post-secondary contexts. The research that existed certainly gave us a start, but it was not what we needed to go the distance. We knew where we wanted to go, but only vaguely, and we were not totally sure of where we were. In this metaphor, we could not change the height of our driver, nor the size of the car, but we could get better maps! Better still we could get updated, responsive, GPS informed maps. It became apparent that institution specific UDL research was required if we were going to make it to our destination. In addition, having a map of the surrounding region to our destination would provide us with an idea of where we could eventually be, or where else we might like to go. UDL implementation requires direction, alternate pathways, route options, and ways to avoid the roadblocks. Institution specific research eventually became the responsive maps that guided us on our journey to college-wide UDL implementation.

Research Project Overview

Purpose of the Research Project

In order to implement UDL, Mohawk College committed resources and support for faculty. However, as UDL implementation process began, two critical challenges were identified:

1. Mohawk College did not have a measurable UDL standard for implementation in technology-enabled courses.
2. Faculty required direction and resources to objectively evaluate their implementation and efficacy of UDL within their technology-enabled courses.

In 2017, Mohawk College began the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project. The College received a $100000 grant from eCampusOntario to complete the research and produce publicly available deliverables.

The research project was completed in 2018 and included:

• A literature review
• Accommodations audit
• Learning management system (LMS) audit
• Faculty pre- and post- surveys
• Student pre- and post- surveys
• Survey for students with disabilities

The Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project aimed to develop:

• A strategic data-informed approach for UDL implementation.
• A UDL standard for Mohawk College’s technology-enabled courses.
• A UDL measurement tool for faculty.

Deliverables

The UDL research project yielded the UDL Standard for Mohawk College and the UDL Course Assessment.

UDL Standard

The primary goal of developing a college-wide standard for UDL implementation was “to promote the advancement of Mohawk College’s commitment to inclusion and access in all learning environments” (“Universal Design for Learning”, 2020). Taking into consideration the unique blended context of the teaching and learning environment at Mohawk College, the UDL Standard “is not prescriptive, and is meant to provide consideration options to support the design, development, and delivery of curriculum” and supports faculty autonomy (“Universal Design for Learning”, 2020). Instead, the Standard asks those applying UDL to their courses to consider specific elements in the design, development, and delivery phases of their courses.

The UDL Standard for Mohawk College was adopted in 2018 and can be accessed publicly on the College’s UDL landing page. The Standard now serves to demonstrate UDL implementation as an institutional responsibility and has offered a tangible goal for educators to strive for.

UDL Course Assessment

The second deliverable of the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project was a tool for faculty to measure their own UDL implementation within their blended courses. The UDL Course Assessment was developed to meet this project goal. In addition, it was hoped that the UDL Course Assessment could function as a vehicle to provide targeted resources for UDL elements and how they could be implemented using the capabilities of the LMS. Like the UDL Standard, the UDL Course Assessment can be accessed publicly and is updated as technology advances and needs evolve.

Challenges

Embarking on institution specific research is challenging; there are no ideal models to follow, or direction from comparable previous research to help navigation. Mohawk College’s research challenges are worth sharing to provide context and support for the future higher education research journeys of others.

Obtaining a Significant Sample

For the student and faculty pre- and post- surveys, obtaining a significant sample from courses where UDL had been implemented and where students were actively engaged in using UDL in their learning environments was a challenge as Mohawk College did not yet have widespread implementation. Fortunately, there were pockets of grassroots UDL implementation that could be used to provide a reasonable sample size for the research project.

Timing

There were a number of elements that impacted the timing of the research project. Some delays could be anticipated while others were unexpected. Our anticipated delays included bureaucratic and funding ones, both of which postponed the research start date and procurement of project related equipment and resources. Our most significant unexpected delay was a five week faculty work stoppage, which forced us to adapt the timeline for the Fall semester data gathering element of the project. Building ample additional time into each phase of the research project was helpful to support changing timelines. Having an excellent support team who was able to adapt quickly and provide creative problem solving was invaluable during these timing challenges, whether anticipated or not.

Obtaining Existing Data

Obtaining data that already existed within the institution was an unanticipated challenge. The data existed, and the collators of the data had committed to the research project. However, challenges in obtaining the required information persisted throughout much of the project. These intuitional challenges required administrative support to navigate the interdepartmental challenges and obtain the necessary data.

Navigating a Hierarchical System

Many post-secondary academic institutions function within a hierarchical system and Mohawk College is not unique in this regard. These systems create a variety of barriers including impeding access to data, adding delays, and potentially limiting prompt accesses to funding. Fortunately, we had a core team of dedicated administrative staff to support system navigation when challenges were experienced.

As the implementation of UDL grows at Mohawk College, elements of the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project will need to be replicated. For us, and for those embarking on their own UDL research journey, finding grassroots support, building ample time into the project plan, and having leadership support must be part of the research approach.

Successes

With any large, multifaceted research undertaking, challenges are to be anticipated. The key takeaway should be that the successes are worth it! Often research projects focus solely on the deliverables; those tangible elements that will endure beyond the research report. While the deliverables were an essential element to Mohawk College and eCampusOntario, the additional successes of the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project have proven to be incredibly useful to Mohawk College in the years since.

Validity

Many of the ideas Mohawk College had about its UDL implementation approach were verified through the research project. For example, the original plan was to develop UDL implementation priorities based on commonly used accommodations by students with disabilities. The assumption was that if there was a learning environment barrier regularly experienced by this population of students, the same barrier certainly existed for others and it should be targeted for a UDL implementation. Once the research was complete, our assumption was proven by the faculty and student surveys. We hypothesized that there were UDL elements that could be delivered broadly through the LMS; we gained valuable data proving the validity of this, as well. These are just a couple of examples of how the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project provided validity to Mohawk College’s initial UDL implementation approach.

Access to Information

Research forces a post-secondary institution to explore their systems in ways that may not have been done before. The Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project challenged long held assumptions about the institution’s common accommodations, the learning preferences of students, the teaching preferences of faculty, and what the LMS was actually capable of. The data we were able to gather through this project gave us valuable insight into the systemic barriers and culture challenges we needed to shift.

Context Specific Priorities

Higher education institutions often specialize in specific fields or areas of study and have a much larger applicant pool creating a more diverse student population with broader needs. Mohawk College is not unique in this regard; our student population consists of students who identify as having a disability (approximately 12%), first generation students (approximately 20%), students who are Indigenous (approximately 2%), students accessing the Ontario Student Assistance Program (approximately 70%), as well as approximately 2000 international students from more than 70 countries (2017-20 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology, 2019).

Higher education institutions have specific populations they need to support and curricular priorities they need to meet. The Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project better identified the needs of Mohawk College’s unique populations and prioritized their learning needs. These priorities are reflected in the project deliverables, as well as the College’s strategic planning for UDL implementation.

Lasting Resources

Mohawk College’s UDL Standard and UDL Course Assessment continue to support faculty, staff, and administration to navigate UDL implementation in their respective areas. While the UDL Standard has not required updating yet, the UDL Courses Assessment is now in its third iteration to ensure it is current with technology and meets the changing needs of our faculty. In addition, the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project found and highlighted faculty leaders in UDL who we were able to leverage to develop resources for other faculty. The research project data helped the College to determine where to invest in technology solutions and purchased additional software for the LMS to provide improved content options like DocReader to compliment ReadSpeaker. Professional development opportunities and resource development priorities were established using data from the research project.

Viable Implementation Plan

Anecdotally, it appears that post-secondary institutions in Ontario are implementing UDL primarily through grassroots initiatives with a lack of broad, institutional commitment. One of the goals of the research project was to gain a strategic, college-wide implementation plan for UDL. In order to solidify institutional commitment a broad UDL implementation needed to be proven viable. The research project gave Mohawk College, and the Centre for Teaching & Learning specifically, a 5-year, data driven UDL implementation plan.

The Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project yielded the College the maps we needed. We gained directions for navigating research challenges at our institution, as well as a clear destination regarding Mohawk College’s UDL implementation. In addition, Mohawk College now has a map for future research, which will be invaluable for a replication study.

Why You Should Do This

While elements of a UDL implementation strategy can certainly be gleaned from existing UDL research, a comprehensive approach that addresses the specific needs of a post-secondary institution requires a thorough understanding of the context in which UDL will be applied. With any journey, even the ones with an ideal sized driver and car, and with updated GPS maps, there will be challenges. However, once complete, the successes are far more significant than just the deliverables. The end result of the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project:

• Provided clear direction and a viable, strategic plan for Mohawk College’s UDL implementation.
• Developed valuable resources in addition to the proposed deliverables.
• Constructed a research approach for future UDL study at Mohawk College.

In addition, Mohawk College gained a wealth of faculty and student data regarding teaching and learning needs, priorities, as well as preferences. Having data that directly supports and informs Mohawk College’s UDL implementation has been incredibly powerful. Faculty have been more willing to engage with UDL for their curriculum design, development, and delivery knowing that the College’s direction is based on their colleagues’ and our learners’ experiences with UDL.

UDL is highly contextual and so is its implementation. Implementing UDL in a post-secondary institution is an extensive journey; it needs to be done well. Current research can inform a direction for implementation planning, but the variability of context and existing tools should be considered in order to get a complete map. After Mohawk College’s research experience it is apparent to us that institution specific research is key to the growth of UDL in higher education.

How You Can Start

Post-secondary institution specific UDL research in post-secondary does not have to involve large financial grants or an extensive time commitment. If needed, elements of the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project could have been completed piecemeal. With minimal time or funding it is possible to:

• Do a review of common accommodations to target implementation efforts.
• Audit LMS capabilities to know how existing technology can be leveraged to support UDL implementers and their learners.
• Informally survey faculty regarding their UDL practices at professional development offerings or departmental meetings.
• Informally conduct or support check-ins with learners to see which UDL elements are working and where growth could occur.
• Connect with departments that support specific populations to review common needs and determine how UDL can provide solutions.

UDL research does not need to be all, or nothing. You do not necessarily need all of the maps, but getting a map or two will certainly help.

Lastly, beyond the benefits to the implementing institution, higher education, as a community, needs more UDL research. Much of the current research is an extrapolation of elementary and secondary school UDL implementation and is not specific to the unique context of post-secondary. All UDL travellers in higher education will benefit from the research and best practices gleaned from others. Having another institution’s map may provide some direction and encourage someone else to start their research journey.

References

2017-20 Strategic Mandate Agreement: Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology. (2018, May 4). Ontario. Retrieved April 18, 2020 from https://edtechbooks.org/-nzp

Accessibility rules for educational institutions. (October 22, 2019). Ontario. Retrieved April 3, 2020, from https://edtechbooks.org/-Dyh

Benton Kearney, D. (2019, October 3). A case for institution specific UDL research [presentation]. Third Pan-Canadian Conference, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Katz, J., & Sokal, L. (2016). Universal design for learning as a bridge to inclusion: A qualitative report of student voices. International Journal of Whole Schooling, 12(2), 36-63. Retrieved April 16, 2020 from https://edtechbooks.org/-LGdT

Mohawk College. (2016). Strategic Plan 2016-2021. Retrieved March 31, 2020, from https://edtechbooks.org/-ojs

Mohawk College. (2020). Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved April 12, 2020, from https://edtechbooks.org/-gPgPZ

Mohawk College. (n.d.). What is blended learning? Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://edtechbooks.org/-yZXu