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Universal Design for Learning: Impact on Policy, Practice, and Partnerships for Inclusive Education

A Global Education Summit side-event | July 26, 2021

Universal Design for Learning

Impact on policy, practice, and partnerships for inclusive education

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has gained international attention as a promising framework for reducing barriers to education and developing quality learning for all. This session will share practical, solution-oriented insights from across the globe from classrooms, school and community systems, policymakers, and researchers working to share best practices in the real-world application of UDL. Participants will have the opportunity to hear insights on UDL from each of these vantage points as well as engaging in deeper discussion on areas of interest via breakout sessions. Participants are invited to contribute to a Call to Action paper to guide UDL implementation in inclusive educational development initiatives.

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Agenda

The 90-minute session will include: a 5-minute welcome and orientation; a 40-minute introductory overview with 10 minutes given to each vantage point; a 30-minute, small-group break-out forum for participants to explore their specific interests in depth; and a 15-minute, full-group call-to-action summary of the event.

Discussion Themes/ Breakouts

Research

An overview of emerging research on the impact of UDL worldwide, including needs for further investigation. Breakout session will include guidelines for overcoming obstacles to conducting research in low-resource environments.

Policy

International/ Local policy development. Examples and steps that have been taken to improve national, provincial and local educational policies, why this needs to be developed, and concrete steps that can be taken to development. The session will also include an overview of the recently published IDA technical paper on UDL.

Systems

Sharing of best practices and practical experience in implementing UDL in school systems – focusing on the process of systems change. Central focus will be on low-resourced environments – why UDL is critical in these environments, the intersection between the UDL framework and the environment (e.g., guidelines that don’t match up with the realities of the environment), examples of implementation and conversations about expert learning.

Classrooms

Insights from students and teachers in classrooms implementing UDL, with examples of pre-service and in-service training for teachers. The session will focus on how UDL is critical to the creation of equitable learning opportunities with concrete examples from current classrooms.