Creating an accessible and inclusive curriculum design in higher education.

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Learning & Teaching: Creating an accessible curriculum
Dr Abubakar Hassan
Inclusive curriculum design workshop
2nd June 2023
One of the UK’s top 20 universities (Guardian University Guide 2021)
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Outline
I. Introduction
II. Accessible curriculum- demystified
III. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
IV. Creating an accessible curriculum using the UDL key principles
V. Conclusion
VI. Q & A
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Introduction
 An inclusive curriculum (IC) is one that allows for a diversity of content, material, ideas, and methods of
assessment (Cambridge Centre for Teaching and Learning).
 An inclusive curriculum design (ICD) is one that takes students’ educational, cultural, and social background
and experience as well as the presence of any physical or sensory impairment and their mental well-being into
account (HE Academy, 2011)
 When designing an IC always anticipate human differences ( i.e. inclusive stance)
 ICD involves purposefully integrating different perspectives to equip students with opportunities to engage
actively with a variety of different viewpoints needed to understand the global and diverse environment.
 This short presentation is on ‘creating an accessible curriculum’ in learning and teaching, and the specific
objective is to answer the following questions:
How will the delivery engage different learning styles?
How will the course be made (more) accessible?
What alternative options will be provided for students who cannot access specific delivery mechanisms?
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Accessible curriculum- demystified
 An accessible curriculum (AC) is an inclusive curriculum(IC).
 An accessible curriculum considers the variety of learners in a classroom and designs lessons
that will have multiple access points for students with different learning abilities and
educational backgrounds.
 Single-format lessons/assessments will inevitably exclude some students from the learning
experience.
 Creating an accessible curriculum entails that all the learning materials, resources, and
assessments from the outset provide a more inclusive learning experience for all the students.
 AC means that students’ communication skills should not stand in the way of their
intellectual/learning endeavours.
 AC benefits all learners by reducing barriers to learning and enabling them to engage actively in
the learning process in a way that best suits their abilities.
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Identifying and reducing barriers in curriculums
 There is great variability in how different students approach learning, navigate tasks, and interact with
the learning materials and environment on any given day or context.
 Students:
• motivated and engaged by different things
• process information, make sense of, and interact with content in different ways
• participate and express their thinking in different ways.
 As every student learns differently, it is very imperative to create an AC to ensure flexible and barrier-
free learning environments for all students to become successful lifelong learners.
 As teachers, we need to identify potential barriers early from the onset before we plan our lessons to
ensure that students:
• have the tools and supports that best work for them
• are provided with flexible options rather than a one-size-fits-all approach
• are able to adjust the content to suit their learning needs.
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Understanding our learners’ needs/preferences
 Every learner has a unique set of characteristics –
including strengths, preferences, and learning needs –
that may change or evolve in varied contexts.
 AC uses a process that is centred on the learners and
allows for shared knowledge and encourages
collaboration.
 Teaching & learning is a dialogue and co-construction of
knowledge between the duo where the students are
considered collaborators and co-constructors (Wells,
1999).
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Source of figure: New Zealand Ministry of Education
Creating an accessible curriculum is essentially a systematic step-by-step process that starts
with the goals, barriers, and students’ preferences/needs, and then develops assessments and
methods that can reduce barriers by taking into account the students’ preferences.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework
 UDL – originally developed by the Center for Applied
Special Technology (CAST) in collaboration with Harvard
University – supports special education students
 The focus of UDL is to reduce barriers in curriculum and
make instruction engaging and accessible to all learners
 A key premise of UDL is that there is no “average
learner.”
 Whether deployed in a classroom or online, UDL focuses
on integrating flexible pathways to learning that can
address learner variability.
 The UDL Framework encourages educators to provide
multiple means of engagement, multiple means of
representation, and multiple means of action and
expression
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Source of Video: CAST

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Creating an accessible curriculum using key principles of UDL
 The UDL has three key principles:
1. Representation, which assists learners by presenting information
in diverse multisensory formats;
2. Action and expression, which lets learners interact and respond
to what they’ve learned in a variety of ways;
3. Engagement, which is achieved by providing students with
options and approaches which are relevant to their interests.
 Course Materials—Providing “multiple means of
representation” involves preparing your course
materials to be accessible to all students.
 Delivery—Consider how you vary your teaching
approaches within the classroom and in different
contexts.
 Assessment—how can you best assess students’
mastery?
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Source of figure: Adapted from the National UDL Center

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Conclusion
 As educators, we all have an essential role to play in making courses more accessible and creating a
climate of equity and inclusion.
 While individual needs are difficult to anticipate, there are many things we can do to create inclusive
and accessible environments for a wide diverse range of different learners.
 The strategies highlighted below reflect the key principles of UDL:
1. Consider all of the learners in your classroom- What are their strengths? What are their interests? What motivates them?
What are the obstacles that prevent them from accessing any one particular lesson?
2. Effective and timely communication with students- Creating open lines of communication with students is essential.
3. Physical learning spaces- Ensure physical accessibility includes consideration of the building location, the classroom
location (within a building), as well as the layout of the classroom, and classroom technologies
4. Conducive classroom climate- Students learn best when they feel respected, and included, and that instructors are
invested in their development.
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Remember, key principles of UDL include providing multiple means of expression and engagement and offering students a variety
of ways to express themselves and interact with course material.

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Q & A
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Thank you

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References
1. Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST): http://www.cast.org
2. The Higher Education Academy (2011). Inclusive curriculum design in higher education, Considerations
for effective practice across and within subject areas
3. National Center on Universal Design for Learning: http://www.udlcenter.org
4. UDL-Universe: http://enact.sonoma.edu/udl
5. Thurber, A., & Bandy, J. (2018). Creating Accessible Learning Environments. Vanderbilt University
Center for Teaching. Retrieved [30/05/2023] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/creating-
accessible-learning-environments/.
6. Wells, G. (1999). Dialogic Inquiry Towards a Sociocultural Practice and Theory of Education Dialogic
learning and teaching View project Higher Education View project (First edition). Cambridge University
Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511605895
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