Overview
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Fellows Program will support faculty and staff to develop expertise in UDL through a cohort-based professional development program comprising a series of facilitated workshops, online modules, and project-driven activities. These components are tailored to assist participants in effectively implementing UDL principles in their daily practices, teaching methods and course redesign efforts, ensuring greater accessibility for all.
The goals of the UDL Fellows Program are to:
- Identify and address systemic barriers to equitable learning opportunities, to create and sustain equitable and inclusive campuses by enhancing the accessibility of physical and virtual spaces for students, staff, and faculty (supporting UBC Strategic Plan Strategy 4: Inclusive Excellence; and the UBC Inclusion Action Plan).
- Improve access and inclusion in on-campus, online and hybrid teaching and learning environments with a focus on reducing barriers for all learners.
- Cultivate a network of practitioners skilled in applying UDL approaches to teaching and learning contexts across various academic disciplines. These UDL advocates will also help to raise awareness of UDL among faculty and staff across the university community.
- Develop a range of strategies and resources that will expand support for accessibility within university practices and courses, promoting a more inclusive learning environment for all.
For more information on this program, please refer to the UDL Fellows Program page on the TLEF website.
Project Team Structure/Commitment
All project teams who participate in the UDL Fellows Program will commit to participating in a series of UDL Fellows Program workshops (hybrid and in-person) between May and August 2025. During this period, the teams will collaborate to develop and put into action UDL strategies in their in their course design and teaching and learning practices, with a focus on courses and projects that will be offered during the 2025/26 academic year (i.e., Winter Session 1 starting September 2025 or Winter Session 2 starting January 2026).
Eligibility
Ideally, each faculty project team should consist of an instructor, who may be either a tenure-stream or contract faculty, responsible for teaching a course that forms the centerpiece of the project. In addition, if possible, the team should include a support staff member from a Faculty Instructional support unit or departmental support unit who will work alongside of the instructor on the redesign of the course. If the Faculty is unable to nominate a staff support person, CTLT can provide support to the project.
Departments will be eligible to receive $10,000 in funding to cover a three-credit course release for faculty who participate in the UDL Fellows Program. Faculties will be asked to commit in-kind support of a staff member where possible to participate fully in the program as a UDL Fellow and to work closely with faculty on a course level UDL redesign project.
Faculty of Science Nomination Process
Interested teams should submit a letter of interest on or before January 20th, 2025. Please address the letter to Jaclyn Stewart, Associate Dean Academic and submit it to ugrad.admin@science.ubc.ca.
The letter of interest should identify the faculty member and staff member in the team and answer the following questions:
- Why do you want to join the UDL Fellows Program?
- Which course will you redesign? What are the existing systemic barriers in this course?
- What aspects of the course would benefit from being redesigned with a Universal Design for Learning approach?
- For multi-section courses, what is the level of commitment from the other instructors to apply the redesign to all sections of the course?
- How could the impact of the redesign be assessed?
- How will you share what you learn in the program with others in the Faculty of Science?
- Have you discussed your application to the UDL Fellows Program with your department head? In particular, do you know if they would support the teaching release?
For consultation and support with your letter of interest, please reach out to the Science Faculty Liaison Ashley Welsh at ashley.welsh@ubc.ca.
Selected teams will work with the Associate Dean Academic to complete the program nomination form, which must be submitted by January 30th, 2025.