Universal Design digital badges at UL
Staff at UL are supported by the Centre for Transformative Learning to engage with digital badges in Universal Design. Universal Design badges offer staff an opportunity to learn more about inclusive practice for our increasingly diverse student population both inside and beyond the classroom. The badges are awarded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning and comprise 25-hours learning through structures workshops (face-to-face or online), independent online learning and peer group discussions over 10 weeks. Two options are available for higher education staff. The UDL badge is designed to support those in teaching roles/roles that involve an aspect of teaching. The UD beyond the classroom badge is designed for those in non-teaching roles.
If you are unsure which badge is suitable for you, check out AHEAD’s interactive guide - Which badge should I take?
To complete the badge, participants must engage with a VERY small-scale redesign/design of an aspect of their practice e.g. redesign lecture material or a section of a BrightSpace course, redesign an information document or PowerPoint presentation. While undertaking the course, you will be supported locally by the UDL Lead and an assigned Peer Group Facilitator.
The next start date for the badges at UL is February 10th (to end of April). Participants have an additional two weeks to complete the small scale assignment.
Register to participate
If you are interested in participating but would like some further information before signing up, please come along to one of our information sessions, see details below.
January 29th 1pm (online) Register
February 5th 11am (online) Register
Alternatively contact Suzanne Stone at suzanne.stone@ul.ie
Please keep an eye on UL Connect for further details. In the meantime, if you have a query about the course and digital badge, please contact Suzanne Stone at Suzanne.stone@ul.ie if you would like to discuss the course in more detail.
"Undertaking the Digital Badge in UDL course was highly useful to understand the education process in more detail, to understand education more from a student perspective, and to improve the content that I create."
"I soon realised that the course did not only apply to teaching staff but also to anyone interacting with an audience. It deals with motivation, engagement and communication styles which can be applied to many different contexts."
"Universal Design for Learning was something I had a vague sense of prior to undertaking the badge, but as I went through the course, what struck me time and again were memories of the students I had come across who did not ‘fit’ with either
1) how I was taught and learn myself or
2) how most teaching was delivered in my programme.Their experiences were re-imagined for me through the UDL badge, helping me to realise the many ways in which considering lots of different approaches to learning could be factored into my teaching upfront, rather than making ‘accommodations’ when various specific situations for different students were communicated to me during semesters.
The UDL badge has led to me feeling a lot more confident about taking different approaches to how material is conveyed, engaged with and how learning is assessed, in particular, without loosing academic rigour or accountability."
This course broadened my horizons by challenging my teaching practice and encouraged more experimentation. It inspired me with the confidence and ability to develop additional creative techniques for engaging students deeper. One such example involves using coloured Lego bricks to explain a “Literature Review” in 3D form, making an abstract concept become more concrete for learners.
Another enjoyable aspect was the small group collaboration with UL colleagues from other faculties and divisions. This encouraged more divergent thinking, and opportunities to discuss and reflect on course content. We were also required to peer review each other’s module redesign assignment and assess it through a UDL lens.
I became more culturally aware about the diversity of student groups and the importance of using images, which universally appeal to everyone. I also learned to ensure that all online documents are produced in word rather than pdf format. This small adjustment facilitates students' ease in adapting content for their own individual study needs, by making it more accessible if using screen reader technology.