AISHE-J - The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
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The The TCD Sense Map's Role in Fostering Sensory Inclusivity at Trinity College Dublin: none
No full textAbstract:Trinity College Dublin's commitment to inclusivity has taken a significant leap forward with the development of the TCD Sense Map. This innovative tool was designed to empower Trinity students and staff to better navigate college environments, by providing detailed information on the sensory characteristics, physical access, and use of spaces. It further provides a platform for students and staff to share knowledge about various spaces. This article delves into the project's background, objectives, and the collaborative efforts that made it possible, highlighting its impact on creating a more inclusive educational environment. This development is part of the overall TCD Sense project at Trinity College Dublin, which focuses on sensory inclusivity for neurodivergent students as well as the whole university community. The project aims to enhance sensory experiences across the campus, incorporating neurodivergent perspectives in planning and execution. It involves a collaborative effort across various university departments, emphasising the importance of user feedback and continuous updates. The initiative is part of a broader commitment to inclusivity and accessibility in higher education, illustrating Trinity College's dedication to supporting
Universal Design for Learning as a Two-Pronged Approach to Inclusive Practice in Initial Teacher Education in Ireland.
No full textThis paper examines Universal Design for Learning as a two-pronged approach to inclusive practice in Initial teacher Education programmes. The paper begins by examining diversity within the student population both in ITE programmes and Post-Primary classrooms hence demonstrating a felt need for a UDL approach to teaching, learning and assessment. The paper then goes on to discuss what we mean by inclusive education and how this is manifested in the Céim Standards for Initial Teacher Education. The paper then examines UDL as an inclusive pedagogical framework for practice and finally discusses how this may be utilised in ITE and in teaching at post-primary level. The paper concludes by highlighting the barriers to implementing a UDL framework in ITE programmes as well as emphasizing the opportunities and benefits
Exploring Staff and Faculty Perceptions of the Impact of Non-inclusive Design on Student Mental Health in Higher Education: Awareness, Impact and Responsiveness.
No full textThis study examined the perceptions of three stakeholder groups (faculty, instructional designers, and accessibility services personnel) in relation to the impact of the design of instruction and assessment on student mental health – within a post-secondary campus in Western Canada. The study adopts a broad post-modern paradigm when examining impairment and disability and focuses on the social model of disability as a lens. The methodological approach adopted draws from the phenomenological tradition, but also borrows some tools from narrative enquiry. Inductive coding was carried out to extract thematic categories from the initial 3 interviews. These categories were then used to carry out a thematic analysis of all 13 semi-directive interviews. The themes which emerged from the analysis with most impact include: (i) impact of faulty design on student mental health, (ii) varying stakeholder awareness of this impact, (iii) notion of context specific awareness, (iv) lack of tangible proactive intervention in this sphere, (v) lack of communication between stakeholders, (vi) tension between learner mental health and the notion of challenging pedagogical outcome. The findings overall suggest that a significant degree of awareness does exist across the campus in question with regards to the impact of design of the learning experience on the mental health of students. The degree of awareness about the impact of design on student mental health varies depending on the stakeholder involved and the context, but little proactive intervention to frame guidelines, for inclusive redesign that might be conducive to good mental health, is observable in this post-secondary landscape. Communication across campus stakeholder groups is identified as a significant obstacle to transformation. The article widens the contextualization of these findings through the lens of an ecological analysis of power dynamics and communication patterns in relation to teaching and learning across a campus.
Universal Design for Learning Policy in Tertiary Education in Ireland: Are We Ready to Commit?
No full textThe demographics of Irish tertiary education are changing rapidly, with a growing diversity in the learner population bringing many opportunities and challenges for the sector to consider. Traditionally in Ireland, approaches to supporting diverse learners, such as those with disabilities, were predominantly through methods of differentiation and reasonable accommodation, arguably associated with the medical model of disability. Increased diversity, however, makes this approach alone unsustainable. The numbers of learners registered with support services, for example, has increased dramatically, with services now overstretched. In Ireland, focus is shifting to a greater emphasis on universal supports, synonymous with the social model of disability. There is growing interest in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a way in which to reduce barriers and give all learners equal opportunities. Despite this, little is known about the extent to which UDL is embedded in tertiary education policy and practice. The aim of this chapter is to examine the role of UDL in tertiary education in Ireland, focussing on three main areas: UDL within national tertiary education policy; institutional responses to UDL policy; and interest in UDL by educators.
Acknowledgement: This chapter was originally published in the Handbook of Higher Education and Disability edited by Joseph W. Madaus and Lyman L. Dukes III, in 2023 by Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. It is reproduced with kind permission
The Relationship Between Note taking, Revision, and Learning in Tertiary Education: A Review of Literature
No full textThe aim of this paper is to highlight the complexity and the central importance to academic achievement of taking and reviewing notes at third level. Based on a review of internationalliterature the paper describes note-taking and reviewing as the process of encoding and externally storing new material, for the purpose of advancing learning and attainment in assessment. It outlines research on the benefits of typed versus handwritten methods of note-taking, with the overriding outcome demonstrating that taking notes, either by longhand or typing, produces superior results than not taking and reviewing notes. The remainder of the review focuses on the status of note-taking instruction in third-level colleges and universities. It is noted that despite the centrality of notetaking to educational success, and the positive impact of instruction on taking notes, skills training and modelling are generally not taught or embedded in the curricula in tertiary education. Furthermore, the paper describes teaching strategies alongside linear and non-linear note-taking methods that have been shown to encourage students to take and revise notes which has, in turn, led to the enhancement of learning. The conclusion reviews the main points of the article and its limitations, such as the reference to, but lack of detail on the influence of cognitive and metacognitive functions on note taking. A further review of literature including the examination of these factors would contribute to a deeper understanding of how note-takingand revision increases students’ capacity for recall, comprehension, and knowledge.Key words: encoding; external storage; instruction; linear and non-linear note-taking;longhand and typing
Enacting Business Education Employability Skills Through a UDL Lens
No full textAbstract.
This article introduces the notion of synergies between employability skills embedded within the university curriculum and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. It draws on a previous study which examined the disjuncture between espoused and that of actual teaching and assessment practice of employability skills within the business curriculum. While that study produced a typology to aid in the development of these skills, this paper now considers how a UDL perspective might make the teaching more relevant to individual students and in doing so more inclusive. We argue that employability skills applied through a UDL lens is particularly appropriate since they have a common goal – to create expert learners. As defined by the UDL guidelines (CAST, 2018) such learners are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, as well as being strategic and goal-directed. While this is one example of UDL underpinning effective teaching and assessment practice, it also reflects a growing awareness around the potential of UDL within higher education curriculum design
Embracing Diversity: Navigating Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (HE) for First-Year Undergraduate Students.
No full textThis paper presents reflections from a fledgling higher education (HE) lecturer navigating the integration of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into the pedagogical landscape for first-year undergraduate Education and Training students. With a keen focus on enhancing inclusivity, the lecturer engages in a critical examination of teaching practices, striving to create an environment catering to diverse learning needs. The implementation of UDL, a framework promoting flexible instructional methods, emerges as a central theme, as this educator explores innovative approaches to address the varied academic backgrounds and diverse learning needs of undergraduate first-year students.
Through self-reflection and experiential insights, this paper unfolds the lecturer's evolving understanding of UDL and its application in higher education contexts. Challenges encountered, successes achieved, and lessons learned from integral parts of the narrative, shedding light on the dynamic process of incorporating inclusive practices. As the lecturer grapples with adapting traditional teaching methodologies, the paper captures the transformative journey toward fostering an inclusive learning environment that not only accommodates but also celebrates the diversity inherent in the first-year undergraduate student population. Ultimately, this exploration contributes valuable perspectives to the ongoing discourse on implementing UDL in HE for the benefit of both educators and students.
Keywords: Universal Design for Learning (UDL); Higher Education (HE); Inclusivity; Pedagogical Landscape; First-year Undergraduate Students; Reflections
How Universal Design for Learning Can Support and Retain STEM Learners Across Tertiary Education: A Perspective
No full textAbstract.
This critical perspective aims to showcase good practices across STEM disciplines, in particular chemistry and chemical engineering, and how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can drive and support the inclusion agenda as well as complement university priorities.
With the ever-increasing opportunities and access to university courses/programmes comes diversity in the student population, including in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. This variability includes: gender, international students, mature students, ethnic groups, parents, first generation, neurodiverse learners and students with disabilities. As learner variability comes with such rich diversity and lived experiences this can bring added value to the learning experiences gained from others. However, this diversity and intersectionality can bring many challenges for educators to ensure representation of learners within the content, as well as provision of inclusivity and equity of opportunity. These opportunities apply not only to the provision of access but, more importantly, are key for retention and progression to complete and succeed within a course/programme (Casanova et al. 2023). Consequently, rather than taking a retrofit approach, or focus on differentiation, content needs to be more universal and accessible by assuming from the outset that under-represented learners and those on the margins are in your classroom. So, while planning and designing for a learner-centric inclusive environment, it is necessary to always consider who is advantaged and who is disadvantaged.
This Perspective discusses work of practitioners sharing experiences of embedding inclusion and accessibility within STEM settings. Through this discussion, the authors highlight the benefits of UDL, reflect on some personal experiences and then briefly discuss the future of embedding UDL into STEM subjects
Online Learning Standards:: Steps to Introduce a Distributed Leadership Approach to Training Teachers for Online Teaching and Learning.
No full textAbstract.
Since the introduction of online learning platforms in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), there has long been a difficulty in encouraging a broad and even adoption of those platforms by all teaching staff. The creation of templates, modelled baselines, and standards has helped enormously to make teaching staff feel more comfortable in the online space, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Standards, however, need to be adapted for the specific context where they are being used. In one innovative Engineering programme in a university in Ireland, staffed largely by subject matter experts from the Engineering industry, where adherence to standards is an established practice, we are trialling the communication of best practice on online learning and teaching through specifically created standards, to mirror their industry experience. To allow this cohort to become comfortable with the standards, they have been introduced through the lens of heutagogy, as asynchronous, access any-time, self-directed resources. Once familiar to the team, we will develop a community of practice around extending knowledge of the standards, thereby leading the teaching staff via a distributed leadership approach where we influence teaching practice, rather than presenting ourselves as the sole authority. This paper gives an account of the initiative as we introduce these standards
