Q1. UDL on Campus: Durham College –
Durham College is one of the institutions shown on the website, Post-Secondary Institutions with UDL Initiatives, that currently applies UDL in their setting. Durham College has two campuses, Oshawa Campus and Whitby Campus located in Ontario, Canada (view map here). I found Durham College to have great strengths with the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for their students with a variety of resources and supports. Durham College provides a wide range of UDL resources on their site. It provides UDL overall general information, an overview of the 3 UDL Principles, provides resources (on assistive technology, online dictionary, CAST, etc.), UDL assessment and evaluation, UDL advance and graphic organizers (used by learner), course outline & lesson plans (outcomes, evaluations, & teaching sequence of the course), creating accessible documents using UDL (to ensure all learners are able to read, hear, & see information through MicroSoft documents), and a UDL checklist (provides structure & determine areas in UDL guidelines you currently have in your curriculum).
The information provided on Durham College websites are useful because it provide support & resources to learn and implement within the 3 UDL principles (multiple means of representation, multiple means of engagement, and multiple means of action & expression) to support their college students. Some approaches I found interesting for my UDL systems change plan are the UDL Assessment & Evaluation and Course Outline & Lesson Plans & UDL. I think both would support to provide information and examples for guidelines to implement UDL in assessments and lesson plans with the use of UDL.
Q2. The frameworks that appeared important for my systems change are Dr. Kester’s System Change through enhance collaborations on how to design systems change and increase engagement (Kester, 2020). The document has useful resources, although I cannot reach them directly from documents, the resources descriptions provide information to understand that they are helpful documents and resources for a system change. The other document I found useful was Courtney Kallas, her systems change plan is very insightful, from the language and process development of every phase of her system (Kallas, 2015). It helps to see an additional systems change plan to remind that the systems change of every school/organization vary depending on the need of the school/organization. The last document I found with useful content to support in system change planning is Dr. Smith’s Expanding Career Options with Universal Design for Learning (ECOUDL). While the document is big, with 36 pages of information, the sections I found most helpful are Conceptual Framework to identify interests of the school/organization with the use of UDL guidelines (Harris, Dowd, & Smith, 2011). Furthermore, I found the section Defining UDL and important because it defines why the need of UDL is necessary. The documents and sections named above have helped me to continue expanding and understanding the process and needs of a systems change. I want to reiterate on Dr. Kester’s quote below, as time moves we must remember that we live in a world that always changes and new technology and practices arise to enhance our practices with UDL and must be implemented and revisited as our system change evolve.
“We are also working in an ever-changing landscape of practice.”
Dr. Kester
Reference:
Durham College. (2019). Centre For Academic And Faculty Enrichment: Universal Design for Learning. https://durhamcollege.ca/cafe/teaching/udl/
Harris, L., Dowd, L. R., Smith, F. G. (2011). Expanding Career Options with Universal Design for Learning (ECOUDL). https://blackboard.gwu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-9985897-dt-content-rid-71205977_2/courses/75233_202001/Final%2BProject%2BDissemination%2BGuide%2B3-10-2011.pdf
Kallas, C. (2015). Trailblazing new opportunities in instruction for ALL through Denver Public Schools CareerConnect Pathways Programming: Implementing the UDL framework in three DPS high school CareerConnect Pathways programs. https://blackboard.gwu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-9985897-dt-content-rid-69147454_2/courses/75233_202001/Kallas%20UDL%20Action%20Plan%20Final%281%29.pdf
Kester, J. (2020). Systems Change. https://blackboard.gwu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-9985897-dt-content-rid-71205997_2/courses/75233_202001/Systems%20Change%281%29.pdf
Ivonne's Blog 
Ivonne,
Thanks for highlighting Durham University’s course outline and lesson plans. Your review prompted me to fall upon the How do you teach? UDL Checklist by ACCESS https://durhamcollege.ca/cafe/teaching/udl/udl-checklists/
I’m sure you also saw this, but I think that this one- page checklist to be a great topic to include in a PLC meeting or as a handout for teachers to have close by as they are working on creating their lesson plans.
Your application of the Conceptual Framework to the needs and the interest of the organization made me think about the Framework in a new light. I took a very literal reading of the text and thought only of Vocational Assessment as I read through this piece. Your correct, without the need realization of the districts needs or interest, along with various stakeholders the need for change will not come to light. Amazing work!
Dr. Kester certainly had a lot of good quotes in the presentation. I find the one you mention a good basis to frame within the Continuation Phase. A constant reminder that things are always changing.
Thanks yet again Ivonne,
Jeannine
References:
UDL Checklists. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://durhamcollege.ca/cafe/teaching/udl/udl-checklists/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Jeannine,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, I did see the document and thought it was a great tool to use and I implemented on my plan as well. I hope you found this and other resources useful and helpful into the making of your systems change plan!
LikeLike
Excellent and I was hopeful you’d find some resources from both of these core readings that might relate to your UDL plan. I would suspect the Appreciative Inquiry theoretical model to have much meaning for what you have in mind and how you seem to be thinking through your plan. Interesting that you chose a college from Canada but again a great source. Canada has been exploring the integration of the UDL framework into postsecondary settings for sometime and have created some exceptional designs.
LikeLike
Hi and thank you!
I thought that looking to another country’s practice of UDL might bring in new resources for me. I found the resources from Durham College to be helpful!
LikeLike
Hello Ivonne,
I enjoyed your post! I am impressed with all Durham College has to offer on UDL. Which resource did you like the most? I like the links and graphics you chose to use in your post as well. I also found Courtney Kallas’ action plan to be helpful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂 Hope that all is well.
LikeLike
Hi Chelsea,
I was impressed too, I did not think other universities outside of the US participated in UDL. So I was pleased to see that our neighbors up north also follow UDL. Glad Ms. Kallas plan was also helpful for you. I think it helped to see the plan be developed!
LikeLike