In post-secondary education, challenges related to EDI can result from assumptio
In post-secondary education, challenges related to EDI can result from assumptions related to unconscious bias and lack of recognition of positionality, and how an individual’s multiple identities intersect to form privilege and oppression.
When policies, processes, and instruction are developed without examining these fundamental components of EDI, systemic barriers and inequities can result. An objective of UDL is to reduce or eliminate learning barriers for all learners, so that students can gain knowledge the best way they can and then demonstrate that knowledge the best way they can.
The UDL on Campus (2015) video, Innovations at the Margins [1:07], outlines how UDL has the capacity to support all post-secondary students to become masterful learners who are fully included in all aspects of post-secondary education.
Here are some examples of how UDL can support EDI in our post-secondary context:
Develop Content for Inclusion
Applying UDL starts when you begin to design and develop your content. Designing and developing for inclusion means asking yourself: “Who am I designing for? Who will see themselves in the materials I’ve selected for this course? Who will feel included? Do my teaching materials feature certain groups to the exclusion of other groups?” Here are some UDL tips for designing and developing for inclusion:
- Create content and select images and videos that show diversity in gender, race, skin colour, body size, abilities and other attributes.
- Avoid images and descriptions of people and groups that foster stereotypes (e.g., images depicting the concept of a family, poverty, disability)
- Include content warnings for potentially sensitive or offensive content.
Use Instructional Strategies that Value Diversity
Applying UDL principles to instructional strategies supports diversity by recognizing that there are multiple ways of learning and there are multiple ways of knowing. Here are some UDL tips for teaching that supports diversity:
- Include captions and transcripts in all media, recognizing that these learning supports are widely used by students with and without disabilities, in a variety of ways.
- Acknowledge any biases reflected in course content; for example, is the research and scholarship founded on dominant worldviews? Are other ways of knowing recognized, even if they are not taught?
- Check your assumptions about technological resources (e.g., bandwidth) available to students
- Provide opportunities for varied learning styles by using mixed-methods evaluations (choice of presentations, research papers, exams, etc. to meet the same learning outcomes, when possible).
Provide Assessments and Feedback that Value Equity
Applying UDL in assessments includes not only developing assessments that are equitable, it also means grading and providing feedback in ways that value equity. The following UDL tips support equity in designing and grading assessments:
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- Consider potential biases and barriers to participation when crea