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

Flipping can take many forms, depending on the needs of the students and the instructor, but the basic concept is to push activities that a student can complete on his or her own to prepare for class (e.g. listening to a recorded lecture, watching a video, reading required materials, and/or completing an assignment) outside of classroom time. Doing so reserves in-class time for activities that engage students in the material through a variety of active learning strategies.

This module provides an overview of the flipped classroom design, and provides detail on the many ways traditional classrooms can be flipped to provide greater student engagement. A flipped classroom reflects Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, presenting both initial content, and opportunities for application of that content, to meet the needs of diverse learners.

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.

Remote teaching and learning might appear to be a bumpy road-but it doesn’t have to be! UDL rockstars, start your engines! With UDL as a design roadmap, we can create environments that are accessible, engaging, and supportive of learner variability. In this session, we’ll examine ways to use the UDL guidelines to design virtual (and hybrid) learning environments, as well as design tips that are transferable to in-person environment design. We’ll explore strategies, tips, and exemplars to boost student engagement in virtual or hybrid environments, improve the accessibility of online content, and optimize choice in digital spaces. By the end of the session, participants will have concrete strategies for creating universally designed virtual environments to capture, boost, and sustain student engagement.

Goals:

By the end of the session, attendees will be able to:

• Evaluate my virtual learning environment
• Identify best practices for universally designed digital environments
• Practice using tech tools to boost engagement, foster collaboration, reflection
• Plan to use 3+ strategies or tools to support learner engagement

Build Background and Reflect

Consider the following questions. Collect your responses on a document – written or typed. 

• Consider your digital learning environment. What tools or options are provided to get learners excited, motivated to learn?
• What resources are provided to help learners understand content?
• What tools or options are provided for learners to show what they know?
• Are there high tech, low tech, no tech options available?

Session Video Recording

Session Resource:

• Slide Deck

Apply Your Learning

• Share your ideas from the session on our group idea board (Padlet)
• Reflect upon the learning environment you used in our introduction activity. Consider 2 strategies or tools from this session you could apply to further implement UDL in that learning environment moving forward. 
• Additional reading and resources:
  • 6 UDL Practices for Online Learning
  • Creating an Inclusive Virtual Classroom
  • Fresh BCSC Tech (UDL + edTech Blog)

Teachers and practitioners who are involved in the ongoing “emergency” remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are being faced with common barriers as they navigate the online learning “landscape”. This session will provide a map of four of the biggest issues facing online instruction. Concrete solutions for each of these issues utilizing Universal Design for Learning will be brainstormed with the session participants.

Session Video Recording
Padlet
Page of Everything
Slide Deck

Distance learning has been a challenge for many educators, families, and students, including the millions of students who learn and think differently. Students who struggle academically or who typically receive individual  support in school are more likely to fall behind during distance learning. Research shows that students who also come from other underserved communities, including students of color and emergent bilinguals, have been particularly affected. This toolkit—created in partnership with the National Center for Learning Disabilities—is intended to help classroom teachers meet the needs of all students at this critical moment.

u.org/DistanceLearning
Session Video Recording

Choose your own adventure using our virtual Seesaw workshop! Pick and choose from a variety of video examples and share our experiences, resources, and journey toward intentionally developing a primary grades learning environment that meets the needs of all students and empowers them to become expert learners, whether in person or remotely. Participants control their experience based on individual and district needs. Leave the session with ready-to-implement ideas and resources for developing a culture and environment of curiosity and creativity regardless of who and where your students are!

Session Navigation Instructions
Slide Deck (with Navigation to Padlet)

With COVID-19 closing schools and learning centers across Algeria, World Learning’s STEM Team rapidly created online activities for participants in diverse communities. The UDL framework guided the creation of content and the continuous tinkering that followed to assure meaningful interaction for the maximum number of learners. Synchronous and asynchronous content targeted diverse participants from the Saharan desert to the Mediterranean coast, increasing participation by over 500% compared to physical attendance rates. Participants will be able to interact directly with STEM Mentors in Algeria to learn how to adapt online learning opportunities for diverse audiences, reducing barriers and increasing engagement using multiple means of online participation.

Session Video Recording

Session Resources:

• Isra Chahrazad Ghoumiri
• Ismail Alem: 
  • Demographics Poll
  • Area Poll
• Hiba Mobarki

This session will share the results of a just-in-time webinar series that probed into Florida’s math classrooms during the pandemic. Over 700 participants provided peer-to-peer support regarding what is working within the innovative learning environments.
Webinars within this series focused on: 

• Universal Design for Learning in Math
• B.E.S.T. Standards
• Standards-Based Instruction

A quick inquiry into Florida’s learning options revealed a meaningful look at the following questions pertaining to teaching math: 

• What do you need immediate support with? 
• What is the biggest obstacle?
• What have you found to be successful in increasing student outcomes (e.g., resources/strategies)?
• How does UDL provide the framework for success? 

This webinar series heard the voices of those teaching and or supporting math classrooms and provided evidence of the importance of UDL for reaching all students in teaching mathematics in the traditional and innovative learning environments. Join us on this data journey.

Session Video Recording
Slide Deck (PDF) (PowerPoint)
Discussion Guide
Interactive Notes Document

When life necessitated remote learning, most teachers reported missing their classroom spaces – not the walls and windows, but the norms, routines, and ways of working they had established with their students. In the physical classroom, learners count on anchor charts, executive function supports, tools and technology options. They count on built-in self-regulation options, comprehension checks and peer and teacher feedback. These “predictable options” for learning in the physical classroom support learner agency. With creativity and innovation, this year required teachers across the country to “translate” the best parts of their in-person learning designs to distance learning designs. This session invites us to reflect together on what we, as a field, have learned. We will use a UDL Learning Environment Inventory Reflection & Planning tool to document and share what we have learned and make notes for our future learning designs (no matter the context). The best part of this informal conversational session will be hearing the reflections of our colleagues. 

Session Video Recording
Interactive Notes Document

Join this networking discussion led by Understood’s Trynia Kaufman as we discuss designing for difference in distance learning settings (and more!).

Session Video Recording

Reflect on barriers for eLearning specific to learning environments and then learn about multiple UDL aligned resources, professional development, and reflection opportunities that have been created to support teachers as they intentionally implement the UDL framework during extended eLearning. Reflect, share, and plan for ways to utilize the resources in your own settings.

Session Video Recording
Slide Deck
Resources
Interactive Notes Document