Include all with Universal Design
by Majbritt Lyck-Bowen
Dr. Lyck-Bowen is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader of MA in Reconciliation and Peacebuilding at the University of Winchester, UK.. Her previous post was “Teaching Peacemakers.” She offered to share this case study about universal design as part of our July 2022 observance of Disability Pride Month.
While the case is relevant to anyone who teaches online, the focus is on teaching students to research and apply a particular theory/approach/framework or an aspect of it to a case study they develop in the class. It offers an example of flexible assignments that allow students to choose the option that fits their capabilities, learning styles and interests.
Introduction to the case: Using Universal Design for Learning to Recruit Learner Interest
On our distance learning MA in Reconciliation/Reconciliation and Peacebuilding at the University of Winchester we have a very diverse student body. Some of our students have just finished their BA degree whereas others left university many years ago. Some grew up in countries plagued by poverty, violence and war whereas others grew up in more peaceful affluent neighbourhoods. Some have no experience in working with divided communities whereas other have many years of trying to help communities affected by violent conflict build a more peaceful future together. We treasure this diversity and we use it to enrich our learning and teaching but we also acknowledge that it comes with some challenges because our students have many different interests and expectations. They are all unique learners and hence, what catches their attention and what they find engaging vary considerably. It also changes as they develop new knowledge, perspectives and skills. Therefore, it is essential for their learning that our programme includes many different ways to attract their attention and recruit their interest. In this blog post I will focus on how I have used the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines (see: https://udlguidelines.cast.org) to ensure this on the module The Relationship between Theory and Practice. In this module, students explore and research a wide range of contemporary peacebuilding approaches, models and theories and their application to different contexts around the world.
Universal Design for Learning
To recruit learner interest and connect students to their learning, UDL guidance encourages instructors to optimise students’ individual choice and autonomy. The guidance suggests that students should be offered choices in areas such as the content and context they use to acquire and practice relevant skills, the ways they gather and produce information and the way they carry out tasks. However, UDL also warns that due to differences in how many and what kind of choices, students prefer, it is important to think carefully about what kind of choice and level of freedom to choose will optimise students’ engagement.
UDL guidelines also emphasise that students engage with resources and activities that they consider to be authentic, relevant, and valuable for their aims and interests. This will necessarily differ from student to student and hence it is imperative to offer students different options in their learning journey. Consequently, it is important that activities and resources are culturally and socially relevant for all students and that they can be contextualised to reflect the lives and backgrounds of all learners. Learning outcomes, the purposes of all activities and the links to students’ everyday lives need to be clearly set out. Activities should support active participation and exploration and students should be encouraged to respond to and evaluate content and activities and supported in making sense of complex ideas as well as addressing contemporary challenges.
Learning Activities and Resources
Learning and teaching on this module centres on how a range of contemporary peacebuilding approaches, models and theories can be applied to case studies, what lessons can be learnt from this process and how these lessons can be used to improve the approaches, models and theories as well as peacebuilding practice.
The case studies are particular countries’ peacebuilding processes that students research and discuss in learning groups throughout the module. Students choose, which case study they want to focus on, in the beginning of the module. They can suggest a contemporary peacebuilding process, they would like to research and as long as there are enough students to form a group, they can go ahead with that case study. Hence students who are interested in a particular country that is experiencing violent conflict, who come from such a country or who works/would like to work in a particular country, can choose to research that peacebuilding process making their learning relevant and authentic. Students are also reminded that in-depth collaborative analysis of violent conflict situations and peacebuilding processes are essential in the field of peacebuilding and hence they are developing skills that are important for their current or future careers. In recognition that not all students are happy to identify suitable case studies, a list of potential contemporary case studies including introductory resources is also provided so that students can make an informed choice in accordance with their interests.
Every other class introduces a range of theories, approaches and frameworks under an umbrella term (example: under the terms “feminist approaches to peacebuilding” we look at liberal and post-colonial feminism and protection, practical needs, participation and transformative approaches). At the end of class, case study groups are given time to decide which 2 theories, approaches or frameworks they want to research based on their interests. Before the next class they are expected to research and apply their chosen theories/approaches/framework to their case study and they are also asked to collectively decide how they are going to divide this work up between them. It is emphasised that choosing a suitable theory/approach/framework to inform analysis and working effectively together in a group are important skills when building peace.
In between classes, each student is asked to identify and explore at least two resources that are relevant for applying their chosen theories/approaches/frameworks to their case study. The resources can be a journal article, a recording of a conference, a podcast, a report from a human rights organisation etc. This allows them to decide which sources of information they find most relevant and interesting and it also helps them develop research and critical thinking skills. In addition to reading/watching/listening to the resource themselves students are also asked to share the resources with their fellow case study group members. Before the next class, each case study group is expected to meet online and explore the resources and discuss what the group now know about the case study. The case study groups briefly reconvene at the beginning of the next class to summarise what they have learnt and get ready to present their findings to the rest of the class. To encourage active participation from all students, they are reminded of the importance of ensuring that all members of the group contribute to the conversations and of taking turns in reporting back to the main classroom. Parallels are drawn to work situations, where a team is asked to carry out an activity and required to summarise and discuss their findings with a larger group of colleagues and where it is vital that all members’ expertise and experiences are valued and incorporated. In the classroom all students are encouraged to comment on each other’s case studies.
After the class discussions of the application of the theories/approaches/frameworks to the case studies, the main critiques of these theories/approaches/frameworks are introduced. Afterwards the students are again given time to decide which critiques their group want to research further and how they are going to divide the work between them. Students are asked to draw on their own background and experience when evaluating how useful the theories/approaches/frameworks are in practice. The groups are also asked to reflect on how their group work is going and how it can be improved to help ensure that all members participate actively.
Assessment
The assignment for this module is three blog posts where students research and apply a particular theory/approach/framework or an aspect of it to their case study just like they have done in class. Students can choose what they want to focus on enabling them to tailor the blog posts to their own aims and interests. However, the module leader has to consent to the chosen theory/approach/framework to ensure that it is suitable for the purposes of the assignment. A list of suitable theories is also provided to help students choose, what to focus on. Students are also told that they can use this assignment as the foundation for their independent study making it relevant and valuable for the rest of their studies and their future careers.
Ideally from a UDL perspective students should be offered alternatives ways to present their findings so as an example students should be able to choose an essay rather than 3 blog posts. Still using blog posts offer students choice in terms of design, graphics etc. Blog posts also offer students the opportunity to showcase that they can write for many different audiences a skill that is highly valued in peacebuilding. Finally, students are shown examples of outstanding blogs and told that they can use Microsoft Sway templates to help create their blog posts.
Sage Research Methods Community posts about research and people with disabilities
Dr. Majbritt Lyck-Bowen offers suggestions for collaborative research assignments that include everyone in an online class.