Module Link

This resource was originally developed with resources from the College STAR grant. That grant has ended and the College STAR modules will now permanently reside at the East Carolina University Office for Faculty Excellence.

Module Introduction

When faculty members accustomed to teaching face-to-face classes begin teaching online classes they may question how they can make connections with students and communicate with them on an informal level.

At East Carolina University (ECU), Dr. Christine Shea, a Professor in Education Foundations, has reflected on the differences between face-to-face and online instruction—especially the impact of not seeing the students’ faces. She uses basic charts to record information about students in each course, keeping those charts readily available beside her computer monitor. Dr. Shea says her record-keeping system evolved naturally as she worked to develop a way to compensate for not being able to see students and connect regularly in person. Dr. Shea obtains and records student information from students’ emails, chats, and assignments.

Support for this Module

Original development of this module was made possible by the College STAR (Supporting Transition Access and Retention) initiative.  College STAR was a grant-funded project focused on partnering postsecondary educational professionals and students to learn ways for helping postsecondary campuses become more welcoming of students with learning and attention differences. Much of this work was made possible by generous funding from the Oak Foundation.

It’s been dubbed “the million dollar” question: what does a UDL classroom really look like? Truly, there isn’t one correct answer to that question. However, all successful UDL classrooms make use of common elements. A Practice Profile includes those common elements and helps teachers implement and refine UDL practices. At the organizational level, a Practice Profile helps districts define what makes up UDL classrooms and what UDL classrooms look like across their different educational settings. The Profile’s success stems from its ability to create empowering dialogue between educators as they share and build upon one another’s teaching experiences and UDL principles. This session explores what a Practice Profile is, ways they are used, and how to go about personalizing a Practice Profile template to improve instructional UDL practice.