Abstract
Universal design for learning has become the most widely used framework for creating access to education for students of all abilities, especially in the kindergarten through 12th-grade school systems. Research and utilization have begun to get attention nationwide at the undergraduate level on higher education campuses. The current research on undergraduate education is promising, but there needs to be more examination of UDL at the graduate level, specifically in graduate online education. This case study will discuss revisions to a graduate online course that fit within the UDL guidelines. The author discusses teaching strategies implemented in their course and will support their effectiveness through confidential student evaluations and comments. One of the purposes of this case study is to provide a list of strategies that other instructors can quickly adopt in their courses. A second purpose is to provide support for more formal research into the utilization of UDL in graduate online education.
TopThis chapter is authored by an adjunct lecturer of a fully online graduate course at a small university who has observed the reaction and results of course adaptations with the UDL concepts at the forefront over seven years. The author has taught this course about three times a year since the fall of 2017. The course is an 8-week online course with an average of 14.3 students in each section. Over the past six years, the author has adjusted the course shell, assignments, activities, and formal assessments to promote student access, comprehension, and application of learning outcomes.
Through preliminary data, observations, and student feedback, this instructor explains the teaching strategies adopted into the course using the UDL principles and guidelines. While this chapter primarily focuses on a healthcare administration program, the principles and framework can be adapted for use in various other courses and academic programs. By thoroughly examining one specific course, a framework can be developed to guide instructors in designing and delivering graduate-level online education that embraces the principles of UDL and, therefore, increases all learners' learning and course completion. These adjustments have resulted in positive end-of-course evaluations, demonstrating increased student satisfaction with the course and the instructor. These adjustments have resulted in positive end-of-course evaluations, demonstrating increased student satisfaction with the course and the instructor.
Initially, the instructor adjusted the course activities to promote engagement and social presence in the course based on findings through dissertation research examining academic and social development in online graduate education (Balduzzi, 2020). During these observations, it became clear that many revisions aligned well with the UDL guidelines. Through this realization, an intentional effort has been made to examine new strategies and understand if, through an intentional approach to creating engagement and social presence, a broader understanding of UDL could be adopted and implemented in the course.
The following sections will discuss the three overarching UDL guidelines, how different course activities fit within those guidelines. Each section will also feature anonymous student reflections on these assignments and activities and comments from teaching evaluations. The primary objective of this chapter is to lay the groundwork for other instructors teaching graduate online courses.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Imposter Anxiety: The feeling that graduate students do not belong in their graduate program.
Adjunct Lecturer: A contract employee who does not receive benefits but teaches courses on an as needed basis.
Collective-Style Feedback Announcement: A form of feedback where the instructor lists some of the most requested edits from all submitted documents for a specific course assignment with an assignment average for all students to see.
Voice-Over Video Feedback: Constructed comments given to students in a video format but there is no visual of the instructor.
Passion Project: An endeavor that one does not get paid for and is not a job-related responsibility.
Course Shell: The virtual classroom space.
Learning Space: Any space virtually or physically that learning occurs.