Designing for All: Universal Design for Learning @ LaGuardia

RESPONDING CAMPUS: LaGuardia Community College

TEAM LEADER: Assistant Dean Eric Hofmann PHONE: 718-482-5189

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

I. Project Goals and Objectives

With CUNY funding and by utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts and principles to guide our work, LaGuardia Community College will improve the accessibility of its teaching and learning resources. By ensuring that faculty and staff are both (1) aware of UDL concepts and (2) applying UDL when they design learning materials, all LaGuardia students - regardless of their varied physical and learning abilities - will have full access to the resources they need for learning.

Co-led by Assistant Dean Eric Hofmann, Director of the LaGuardia Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), Professor Tameka Battle of Health Science, Jhonny Nelson, Director of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), Jennifer Polish, a CUNY Graduate Center PhD candidate and Humanities Alliance Fellow, Jetmir Troshani, Instructional Services Training Coordinator, and Priscilla Stadler, CTL Associate Director, a cross-divisional team will facilitate the project, consisting of the following components:

·  Researching the field of UDL and best practices for implementation with educators at CUNY and beyond; connecting with CUNY colleagues to share resources and learn;

·  Surveying representative samples of LaGuardia students identify the most pressing needs for accessible instructional materials;

·  Promoting widespread faculty awareness of challenges faced by students who are unable to access course materials or resources due to their physical, emotional and learning abilities;

·  Surfacing issues related to the abilities of faculty members to access and use technologies.

·  Recommending strategies and developing a plan for implementing UDL effectively at the college;

·  Providing training for faculty and instructional staff with the skills and support needed to successfully implement UDL principles into their coursework;

·  Supporting faculty through Student Technology Mentors trained in UDL; and

·  Creating a resource bank consisting of available UDL resources, and developing additional LaGuardia-specific resources as needed.

II. DfA’s 3 Project Phases

Phase 1: Initial Faculty Research and Students’ Needs Assessment

In 2014/15, a cross-divisional team of faculty and staff was charged with evaluating the accessibility of technology at the college, for which we conducted focus groups. During that process, we identified three significant needs at the college:

1.  promoting faculty awareness of students’ differing abilities and barriers to accessing materials they need to learn;

2.  surveying a wider variety of LaGuardia students’ needs for accessible instructional materials in further detail; and

3.  providing support for faculty to design accessible learning materials.

The Designing for All (DfA) project would enable us to address these needs and to use Universal Design for Learning. UDL is a comprehensive research-based framework based on the brain’s recognition, strategic and affective networks: the “what”, “how” and “why” of learning.

The DfA project will help us understand how best to move forward as an accessible learning institution and the most effective ways to accomplish this. We will begin with a DfA faculty/staff/student research team investigating UDL and its applications for higher education students and faculty, as well as the specific needs of our LaGuardia students. The research will utilize existing resources from CUNY and beyond. In conjunction with our students’ needs assessment survey results, our research team of faculty and staff—with input from students of varied abilities—will help us determine how best to address LaGuardia students’ needs for accessible learning materials. In addition:

·  All team members will be encouraged to attend the 8th Annual CUNY Accessibility Conference in April 2017. Five students recommended by the Office for Students with Disabilities will provide valuable input for the DfA project team, so that from the initial phase of DfA their experience deeply informs the work we do.

·  Six team members will attend the two-day Fall Introduction to Universal Design for Learning Institute given by CAST, the Center for Applied Special Technology in Massachusetts, and bring back what they’ve learned to share with colleagues and inform the DfA project.

·  Three of the student Instructional Design Assistants affiliated with LaGuardia’s Center for Teaching and Learning will begin training to provide tech support for DfA faculty designing or revising materials based on UDL concepts.

Phase 2: Fall 2017- Continued Research and Pilot Implementation

·  Six DfA faculty and staff team members will attend the UDL Two-Day Introductory Institute offered by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) in Massachusetts in October. The team member who attend will be encouraged to use this as a “Train the Trainer” opportunity to share what they learn with colleagues in Phase 3.

·  Student Technology Mentors will be trained in UDL to provide support to DfA faculty designing or revising materials based on UDL concepts.

·  Drawing on DfA team members’ research and the student needs assessment survey, we will pilot the implementation of learning materials design will begin during Fall 2017. This will be an opportunity for faculty team members to work with 2 – 3 resources they use with courses already and evaluate the accessibility of the resources. If revisions are needed so that all students are able to access the materials, they will be initiated.

·  The DfA team members will also work with our IT and Instructional Services partners at the college to ensure that all the technologies we need to work with have been tested and are ready for classroom use.

·  Finally, we will plan a DfA resource website and develop beta site.

Phase 3: Spring 2018- Pilot Implementation, Resource Development, and Recommendations

·  Our four DfA faculty will complete UDL-based revisions of their course materials so all are accessible to any learner regardless of their varied abilities.

·  DfA faculty and staff will lead a workshop open to all about using UDL for designing learning materials.

·  LaGuardia’s DfA/UDL Resource site launches.

·  Five students recommended by the Office for Students with Disabilities will provide valuable input for the DfA project team, so their experience informs the final report’s recommendations for next steps.

III. Designing for All Project Budget and Timeline

Time Period / Activity / Personnel / Estimated Budget
Phase I
Spring/Summer 2017 / Recruit 4 faculty as pilot researchers/implementers / DfA / 1200
Project Associate support / Project Associate / 1700
Student survey administration / Students / 600
Student Advisory Team stipend / 5 student advisors / 500
Phase II – Fall 2017 / Conference Travel & Fees / 3 faculty, 3 staff / 6600
Materials & UDL conversion software / 3000
Project Associate support / Project Associate / 1700
Pilot UDL materials - beta / 4 faculty / 1200
Phase III – Spring 2018 / Faculty Revise Courses, Lead Workshop for Colleagues / 3 hours release for 4 faculty / 13,224
Project Associate support / Project Associate / 1700
Student Advisory Team stipend / 5 student advisors inform team / 500
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