This keynote presentation explored using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to reframe assessment practices in higher education to be more inclusive. The presenter discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted tensions in traditional assessment and created an opportunity to implement more authentic, inclusive models. The presentation modeled UDL principles by encouraging interaction and providing multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. Group activities had attendees explore barriers in assessment and apply the UDL framework to redesign assessments and reduce tensions for diverse learners. The presenter aimed to provide a structured yet progressive journey towards fully inclusive evaluation through a UDL lens.

1. Breaking free of teacher-centric beliefs about
assessment
Using UniversalDesignforLearningtoframea progressiveand
structuredjourneytowardsfully inclusiveevaluationthatauthentically
addressesthefull scopeof learnerdiversity
University Teaching Program, Cape Breton University
Centre for Teaching and Learning PD Sessions
Keynote Interactive Workshop, August 18th, 2022

2. Land Acknowledgement
• I am honoured to live and work on the unceded and ancestral territory of the Syilx
Peoples

3. Objectives of the Session
• (First hour)
• Explore the need for change in the design of assessment
• Examining the added pressure the COVID pandemic placed on instructors in
this area
• Explore the three design principles of UDL
• (Second hour)
• Explore the way UDL may support a reflection on inclusive assessment
• Examine hands-on example of a redesign of assessment through a UDL lens
• Acknowledge remaining challenges present in the implementation of
authentic whole class inclusive practices in post-pandemic teaching and
learning

4. Personal lens and methodological stance
• Unique positioning as a scholar: have been both an Accessibility Services manager
and a faculty member
• Was involved in large scale UDL implementation from 2011 to 2016 across a campus
– experienced this process in its full complexity
• Have also been Academic Lead/ Program Head at UPEI and RRU, and have needed to
guide contract faculty around inclusive teaching and the use of UDL
• Act as a UDL consultant with colleges and universities in Canada
• Teach mostly mid-career teachers within MEd courses
• My research and scholarship focuses on UDL
• I will be drawing from these multiple and varied perspectives

5. Modelling UDL in the session format
• It can be challenging and frustrating to discuss UDL in keynote sessions which are inherently
traditional and ‘sage on a stage’ in format.
• Becomes increasingly contradictory when UDL advocates present in non-UDL ways.
• UDL is not just about the classroom; these principles of inclusive design apply to all our
interactions with others (PD, conferences, campus services, HR communications, etc.)
• Within the parameters we are given today:
- Personalized communication beyond the session itself with the help of a Google Doc
- Continues interaction and dialogue on social media
- Interactive tasks: some small group work & we will be using Menti.com
- Time will be set aside for questions at the end; conversations can continue face to face after
the session
- Personalized interaction possible through email
- Will share by slides again through SlideShare

6. Tension in assessment practices - Activity
• We will be using www.menti.com for this interactive task.
• Please visit the Menti site and I will generate a code for you to enter to access
the poll.
• Question: What are some of the tensions that you are experiencing with
regards to learner diversity and traditional assessment?
• Your contributions will appear anonymously on screen in text bubbles

10. Identifying the “need”
• Faculty are overworked, over-solicited and under-resourced
• As a result there is a feeling of exhaustion when it comes to PD and
pedagogical innovation
• It is difficult to present a framework for pedagogical change to faculty unless
we first identify and acknowledge pressure and a need for change.
• This is how we are going to approach today’s workshop
• Bear with me while we take the time to gauge current frustrations

11. Six facets of a quickly changing landscape
• Changing demographics
• Fast changing shift in the definition/ construction of diversity
• Urgent need to integrate the social model of disability in teaching and
learning
• A fast spreading concern for social justice in higher education
• Need for sustainable practices
• Growing power of the student voice

12. A palpable tension in higher ed teaching
and learning
• This tension has been growing for the last decade
• It leads to a feeling of unease, instructor attrition, a culture class between
traditional processes and emerging aspirations, challenges to the power and
status of faculty, and a significant number of litigious outcomes.
• Very real risks of Human Rights violation/ lengthy investigations
• There is a pressing need for sustainable solutions.

13. And then came COVID…

14. How has the COVID pandemic changed attitudes
towards inclusion?
• We will be using www.menti.com for this interactive task.
• Please visit the Menti site and I will generate a code for you to enter to access
the poll.
• Question: Has the COVID pandemic in your opinion improved attitudes
towards inclusion in higher ed, or has it made inclusion more challenging?

16. Follow up activity – Small group
discussion
• What challenges or successes have you lived through during the last two
years of COVID pandemic, in relation to inclusive teaching and more
specifically with regards to inclusive assessment?

17. Recap & Methodological stance
• A four-pronged methodological process:
• Discussions with accessibility personnel and UDL advocates/ stakeholders in
qualitative interviews
• Wider dialogue with inclusion and UDL advocates in interactive virtual events
throughout the pandemic
• Discussions with instructors, instructional designers and accessibility
personnel about MH and inclusive design in HE that was impacted by the
pandemic and unfolded it within it
• Research project on UDL implementation and scaling up in schools which has
been affected by the COVID crisis and has ended up recording data in this
context.

18. Observations and Analysis in the Post-secondary
sector
• Some gains/ facilitators
• Instructors have globally embraced
their role as designers of the
leanring experience
• They are increasingly aware of the
impact of bad design on student
experience
• They are more receptive than ever
to the relevance of inclusive design
• There have been more widely and
openly shared resources related to
inclusive design
• Some new hurdles
• The design discourse is more
diluted and less easy to identify
• Some confusion between design
strategies and simple technology
integration
• The reflection around inclusive
design is perhaps not as
systematic as it can be –
engagement in particularly has
generally been ignored during the
pandemic. Focus has been on
representation and student agency

19. Observations and Analysis in the post-
secondary sector (contd.)
• Some gains/ facilitators
• Noticeably growing international
dialogue around inclsuive design.
Ironically, there has been less travel
but more opportunities for the global
sharing of knowledge (e.g. launch of
the ADCET platform in Australia)
• More advocacy related to inclusion
from the student body itself
• Widespread understanding that many
of the lessons learnt during the COVID
pandemic in relation to inclusive need
integrated into f2f teaching in the
post-pandemic landscape
• Some new hurdles
• There have not always been adequate
points of contact for faculty seeking to
adopt inclsuive and accessible strategies –
most key stakeholders have been
oversolicited and exhausted
• Instructors themselves are more
receptive to inclusion and access but also
burnt out and less open to innovation.
COVID exhaustion is real.
• Many students feel that despite growing
inclusion efforts, there have also been
significant accessibility issues (proctoring
practices for example).

20. Three quick example of how inclusive design has been
brought to the forefront by the COVID crisis
(1) Early pandemic attempts to shift lecture style delivery to the online space have
proved catastrophic
• They have also shown the limitations of the traditional lecture format in f2f delivery
• Has led to rich, innovative and often successful experimentation to vary the ways
course content is presented to students.
(2) After well publicized failures trying to shift summative assessment to online spaces,
faculty have become authentically involved in reshaping assessment altogether,
seeking to move away from the regurgitation of content towards genuine
demonstration of gained and mastered competencies.
(3) The shift to online teaching during the pandemic, combined with the inclusive
design lens, has led many instructors to re-consider how they conceive and define
learner engagement.
Many Zoom catastrophes have led to a collective acknowledgement that online
engagement is not just about being on camera.
It leads to a wider reflection around the fact that being present in f2f class is not
evidence of student engagement either.

21. Final Assessment:A windowof opportunityto implement
authentic inclusivemodels
• Faculty and academia are more receptive than ever in history to inclusion and
accessibility
• Some important lessons can be drawn from the pandemic pivot but these
lessons will not be learnt/ integrated without a conscious and intentional
analytical recap taking place.
• What did we learn about online accessibility? What did we learn about the
design of these online experiences? Where did we go wrong?
• UDL can represent a simple, user-friendly, common-sense, and progressive
pathway towards designing fully inclusive online experiences. In that sense
UDL has a key role to play.
• Having identified the need, we are now in a solid position to fully explore UDL
with genuine motivation

22. Group activity – What is UDL?
• Levelling the playing field – giving all participants the same basic understanding of
UDL.
• Before we start examining the use of UDL within evaluation, let’s make gauge how
much you already know about UDL!
• We will take 10 minutes to discuss in small groups any familiarity we already have
with UDL.

23. UDL in a nutshell

24. UDL in a nutshell
• UDL is a sustainable framework to manage learner diversity in education. It
translates the social model into classroom practices and shifts the educator away
from deficit model approaches to learner diversity. It ensures educators adopt a
design mindset in all their choices, by shifting the focus away from student
exceptionality onto the educator as designer of the learning experience.
• Don’t be afraid to reject overly directive formulations of UDL
• UDL means different things for different educators. It is a reflective lens on practice,
no more
• UDL leads to different design solutions depending on expertise, years of experience
teaching, specific clientele, institutional culture, content specialty, seniority of
students, departmental leadership.
• This flexibility is what makes UDL attractive to higher ed instructors vs. other models
of inclusion

25. UDL – An overview
• Adopting an inclusive design mindset can be daunting.
• Educators have rarely been exposed to this scholarship or embraced that role.
• We perpetuate the practices we have experienced ourselves
• Our design [in particular assessment design] makes sense to us but may not be user-friendly
or congenial to others
• Issues of culture (anecdote from my own lived experience)
• We often are lacking, in the field of education, the ethnographic tools/ training traditionally
used in design work
• Where does one start? How does one progress along? Can be overwhelming
• UDL offers three ‘bite size’ principles to begin a design reflection around teaching and
learning
• It breaks the process of inclusive design into a manageable, life-long reflection that can be
hands-on and user-friendly for any instructor.
• Multiple means of representation
• Multiple means of action and expression
• Multiple means of engagement

27. The inclusive design process
• The ‘barriers analysis’ [Implementation of the social model]
• The reflection is progressive and works in small steps
• Choose one dimension of your practice: delivery or assessment
• Determine which of the three UDL principles comes into play [Can be more than
one]
• Use the UDL principles chosen in order to remove the barriers identified, through the
production of an inclusive design solution
• Take the time to get student feedback and enjoy the outcomes
• Use the learner feedback as motivation to tackle another tricky design/ barrier next
semester or in the next course
• Continue that progression on the spectrum towards more inclusive design practices
through one’s career

28. One example from my practice supporting
faculty
• Selecting an area of practice: Assessment
• Barrier identified: Deadlines in paper submission create a great deal of stress and anxiety for
many students; this stress can be counter-productive when it comes to authentically gauging
learner competencies and gains.
• Nature of the barrier: this barrier may affect a wide array of learners in higher education:
students with disabilities, second language learners and international students, life-long
learners with work commitments, ‘non-traditional’ students with families and dependents,
first generation and Indigenous students who may be navigating pressures they have not
been give guidance in navigating, etc.
• Design solution from a department I had the pleasure of working with: Provide all students
with a bank of days of ‘grace period’.
• Outcome: students remain accountable, can navigate pressures autonomously, no need for
intrusive discussions or explanations, less tension between faculty and students, improved
outcomes in course evaluations, resources is available to all learners/ no stigmatization.

29. Group activity
• Using a UDL process to reduce tension
and erode barriers in assessment.
• We will work in small groups and take
12-15 minutes to work our way
through the design process just
modelled.
• There are four scenarios to work
with/ from
• Groups should feel free to choose
their own ‘barrier’ if they prefer
• We will debrief on as many scenarios
as we can depending on time
available

30. Scenarios to choose from
• Case study 1 – Mateo teaches grad courses in Education. His diet of assessment each
semester incudes four written assessment. Mateo feels his grad students normally lack some
skills in academic writing and need as much practice as possible. His students, however,
often struggle with this palette of assessments and express their frustration.
• Case study 2 – François experiences challenges in relation to the undergrad Sociology courses
he teaches. Each semester a number of students contest his grading. Several use the course
evaluation to complain vehemently each semester that they failed assignments because they
did not in fact fully understand the requirements and directives.
• Case study 3 – Ada teaches first year French language classes. As the students usually take
other courses that are more text based, she decides to make all of her five term assignments
spoken/listening components only. There is no text based assessment and no writing
involved. Several students who are registered with Accessibility services frequently complain
and have on occasion withdrawn from the course.

31. Scenarios to choose from (contd.)
• Case study 4 - Amr teaches mostly Psych 101 courses. It is Amr’s first year teaching;
his classes are all 75 +, and he is teaching 3 courses per semester. Amr has decided
to adopt assessment practices that are similar to those he was himself exposed to in
his Psych undergrad: one class quiz, one group presentation (groups of 10), and two
multiple choice exams (mid-term and finals). Amr has met several times with self-
appointed class reps who express their feeling the class is not going well and
students are frustrated by the choice of assessment.
• Case study 5 - Namid is teaching graduate Chemistry courses. In an effort to be
experiential in her teaching practices, and to shift away from traditional test based
assessment practices, she has designed a series of twelve practical evaluations [one
assessment per class] which are all hands-on, lab based, and involve equipment
manipulation. Namid has a moment of hesitation in relation to her innovative
assessment choices before her semester begins and asks for your advice, as a
colleague.

32. Scenario I will prepare alongside you
• Jia teaches an introduction foundational course in curriculum studies on an
MEd. Most of her students are new arrivals to Canada. She has adopted a
mixed and diversified diet of assessment and feels that she has invested
significant amount of times in designing this matrix. She, however, feels that
students are not performing as well as they ought to considering the work
they are clearly putting into the course. Many of the assignments draw on
experiences with the Canadian K-12 sector and many of her students have no
such experience. They feel unmotivated.

33. Some thoughts on the case studies to begin your
journey with UDL and assessment
• Case study 1 – Barrier: the learning outcomes which dominates the entire matrix is academic
writing. Many learners may experience specific challenges with this learning outcome, but not
with the other outcomes of the course. They cannot, however, demonstrate their competencies,
with the assignments as currently designed. UDL principle being used: multiple means of action
and expression. Possible solutions: offer some flexibility with assessment submission formats
when the outcomes assessed is not academic writing.
• Case study 2 – Barrier: it seems like the challenge experienced by the students here mostly relates
to the directives themselves which are not understood. Instructors can be teacher-centric in the
way they formulate directives. UDL principle at play: multiple means of representation. Possible
design solutions: present the directives in multiple formats (video, oral explanation, written text,
and hopefully also some graded samples of past work being offered as models).
• Case study 3 – Barrier: by replacing traditional submission formats (written) with an alternative
one (spoken components only) throughout, Ada removes barriers for some students but creates
different barriers for others. Some students indeed may experience very specific challenges with
oral components (anxiety, stress, speech impediments, etc. Some higher education students may
these days also be non-verbal and communicate through technology and text to speech software).
UDL principle at play: multiple means of action and expression. Possible design solution:
implementing UDL is not about substituting one medium for another; it’s about offering more
flexibility to learners. A mixed diet of written and oral components would make sure no student is
unfairly challenged throughout the assessment.

34. Some thoughts on the case studies to begin your
journey with UDL and assessment(contd.)
• Case study 4 – Barriers identified: all assignments are short form or involve presentations.
Students can experience very specific challenges in short form summative assessment (many
students with learning disabilities for example complete multiple choice test incorrectly
although they have gained the competency being taught in the course); other students will
experience specific challenges in group work and class presentations (stress, anxiety, ASD,
second language learner hurdles with synchronous group communication, etc.). UDL
principle used for this reflection: multiple means of action and expression. Possible design
solution: incorporate where possible opportunities for students to demonstrate
competencies long form, in individual ways. See Ann Marie Farrell’s work on assessment and
UDL in large classes – in the references.
• Case study 5 – Possible barriers: the experiential flavour of the assignments is interesting but
relying on this format solely to assess all competencies can create barriers for students with
physical disabilities, student with medical conditions who may not be capable of attending
each class, etc. UDL principle at play here: multiple means of action and expression. Possible
inclusive design solutions: retain some of the experiential learning flavour in the assessment
matrix but also offer alternatives for students who do not function well in these tasks.
Retaining some traditional assignment formats (written answers for example) will be
important for some students. It is important to offer more choices, not to simply substitute
one design choice for another.

35. Some thoughts on the case studiesto begin yourjourneywith
UDLand assessment(contd.)
• Case study 6: Barrier identified: it may be very challenging for students who
have no understanding of the domestic landscape to complete some of the
assignments we design, in a meaningful way. UDL principle at play: multiple
means of engagement. Possible design solutions: Instructors may need to
spend some time reflecting on the assumptions they make in relation to
learner engagement. Even if students are committed to doing well in a
course, it may be impossible for them to achieve the necessary motivation
when they lack affective connections with the course content. In my case, I
realized International Students were finding it challenging to complete essays,
reflect on key issues, and engage authentically with the readings in MEd
courses, when they had little understanding of the North American education
system. The design solution we came up with as a team was to offer a weekly
film club focused on education in movies, running through the MEd. For
more on this reflection, see Fovet (2019).

36. An inherent subjacent reflection
• It is very difficult to discuss inclusion, access and inclusive design without
engaging in a complex reflection around learning outcomes
• One may not be willing to afford optimal flexibility in relation to core learning
outcomes
• There will, however, be ample room for flexibility and inclusive design in
relation to all the rest [and that is a lot of area where UDL can be used at
will!]
• Departments that have engaged in a rich reflection/ discussion around
learning outcomes find the work with UDL and inclusive design much easier.

37. Some pitfalls to watch out for!
• The ravenous re-designer – beware of design burn out!
• Doing too much too fast
• The exhausted cynic
• Acknowledging our resources and our time constraints
• It’s about adding choice and flexibility – not about simply substituting options
[example of the flipped classroom]
• UDL is a proactive process, not a reactive retrofit
• Avoiding checklists/ embracing the complexity – this is not a simple process; let’s not
be reductionist
• The reflection is not tool based – it’s about the process in context (the same tool can
be both UDL and non-UDL)
• Transitional friction
• We never redesign in a void
• It’s not just about accessibility and inclusion - Importance of other pedagogical
objectives [Other incredible pedagogical reflections took place during the pandemic]

38. So, post-COVID, faculty are more receptive
to inclusive design and UDL is bound to
grow exponentially in our teaching and
learning practices?…

39. Not so fast!

40. Interactive task – How exhausted are we?
• We will be using www.menti.com for
this interactive task.
• Please visit the Menti site and I will
generate a code for you to enter to
access the poll.
• Question: Having just explored the
changes we just identified as being
pressing in pedagogy and assessment,
do you feel ready and equipped to
implement these transformations, or
do you feel that the pandemic has
exhausted you to a degree where it is
difficult for you to turn these
learnings into action?

41. Pressing danger
• Danger of the thirst for a return to ‘normality’
• Danger of a pendulum swing in large HE organizations which tend to want to return
to the status quo
• The status quo in HE was not ideal. Pre-COVID, there were singificant resistance to
UDL; there was also a great deal of haziness in instructors’ understanding of what
UDL represents; there was some hesitation too as to which stakeholder should drive
UDL implementation across campus (Senior administration? Teaching and learning
centers? Accessibility centers? Instructional designers?)
• This is a key moment in the process of UDL implementation in HE: campuses have
the opportunity to capitalize on these experiences or to revert back to their pre-
pandemic ambivalent positioning vis-à-vis UDL

42. Strategic hurdles
• Caveat: Pre-existing tension around the strategic process of UDL adoption
• There were organizational issues related to UDL adoption across campuses, before
the pandemic
• Often UDL adoption has been over-focused on evidencing pedagogical benefits; it
has neglected management of change from a strategic and organizational
perspective (Fovet, 2021)
• There has also been a lot of confusion as to which stakeholder should be in charge of
the implementation drive. This often leads to territoriality.
• There is a need to plan UDL implementation with an eye on an ecological
understanding of the contextual variables that come into play
• The COVID pandemic has not eliminated these strategic hurdles. The process of
management of change needs to be proactively mapped out – even more so now

43. Need for an ecological lens on UDL
implementation across institutions

44. Questions

45. Modelling UDL in PD
• Let’s continue this discussion in multiple formats beyond this session – which
in essence inherently has design limitations as a keynote (sage on a stage).
• We will continue our discussions live over drink, via social media (@Ffovet)
and through our existing Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nCFhwr3yBfkKqj89432M0AzAGNZf6E
OR/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114513449115490750102&rtpof=true&sd=true

46. References & Resources
Black, R. D., Weinberg, L. A., & Brodwin, M. G. (2015). Universal design for learning and instruction: Perspectives of
students with disabilities in higher education. Exceptionality Education International, 25(2), 1-16
Boothe, K., Lohmann, M., Donnell, K., & Hall, D. (2018) Applying the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
in the College Classroom. Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 7(3).
Burgstahler, S.E. (2015) Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Harvard Education Press,
MA
Dalton, E. M., Lyner-Cleophas, M., Ferguson, B. T., & McKenzie, J. (2019). Inclusion, universal design and universal
design for learning in higher education: South Africa and the United States. African Journal of Disability, 8, 519
Dean, T., Lee-Post, A., & Hapke, H. (2017). Universal design for learning in teaching large lecture classes. Journal of
Marketing Education, 39(1), 5-16
Farrell, A.M. (2021) Embedding Universal Design for Learning in the Large Class Context: Reflections on Practice. In F.
Fovet (Ed.) Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case
Studies, and Practical Implementation. IGI Global
Fovet, F. (2021a) Developing an Ecological Approach to Strategic UDL Implementation in Higher Education. Journal of
Education and Learning, 10(4).
Fovet, F. (2021b) Anger and Thirst for Change among Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: Exploring
Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Transformative Action. In C-M. Reneau and M.A. Villarreal (Eds.) Handbook
of Research on Leading Higher Education Transformation with Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion. IGI Global.
Fovet, F. (2021c) UDL in Higher Education: a Global Overview of the Landscape and its Challenges. In F. Fovet (Ed)
Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts, Case Studies, and
Practical Implementation. IGI Global

47. References & Resources (contd.)
Fovet, F. (2021d) Maintaining a Firm Social Justice Lens During a Public Health Crisis: Lessons Learnt From the ‘Learning
Pods' Phenomenon. In P. Keough (Ed.) Educational Recovery for PK-12 Education During and After a Pandemic. IGI
Global.
Fovet, F. (Ed.) (2021) Handbook of Research on Applying Universal Design for Learning Across Disciplines: Concepts,
Case Studies, and Practical Implementation. IGI Global
Fovet, F. (2020) Universal Design for Learning as a Tool for Inclusion in the Higher Education Classroom: Tips for the
Next Decade of Implementation. Education Journal. Special Issue: Effective Teaching Practices for Addressing Diverse
Students’ Needs for Academic Success in Universities, 9(6), 163-172.
http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=196&doi=10.11648/j.edu.20200906.13
Fovet, F. (2019) Not just about disability: Getting traction for UDL implementation with International Students. In: Kate
Novak & Sean Bracken (Eds.) Transforming Higher Education through Universal Design for Learning: An International
Perspective, Routledge.
Griful-Freixenet, J., Struyven, K., Verstichele, M., & Andries, C. (2017) Higher education students with disabilities
speaking out: perceived barriers and opportunities of the Universal Design for Learning framework. Disability & Society,
32, 10
James, K. (2018) Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a Structure for Culturally Responsive Practice. Northwest
Journal of Teacher Education, 13(1), Article 4.
Kennette, L., & Wilson, N. (2019) Universal Design for Learning: What is it and how do I implement it? Transformative
Dialogues: Teaching & Learning, 12(1)
Nieminen, J.H., & Pesonen, H.V. (2020) Taking Universal Design back to its roots: Perspectives on accessibility and
identity in Undergraduate Mathematics. Education Sciences, 10(1). 2020, 10(1), 12
Novak, K. & Bracken, S. (Eds.) Transforming Higher Education through Universal Design for Learning: An International
Perspective. Routledge

48. Contact details
• Frederic Fovet (PhD.)
• Implementudl@gmail.com
• School of Education, Faculty of Education and Social Work,
Thompson Rivers University
• ffovet@tru.ca
• @Ffovet
• www.implementudl.com