Learning design industry standard instruments, including Quality Matters and the OLC and Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) have been designed to measure elements of course design but neither instrument has sufficient focus on examinging the evidence and use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and culturally responsive teaching (CRT). Presenters will share a course rubric that includes metrics of UDL and CRT and participants will apply the rubric to a sample online course.
The persistence of disproportionately negative academic outcomes for K-12 students from historically marginalized populations continues to challenge educators and researchers to reconsider and reimagine traditional methods of teacher preparation. While there are many factors that influence disparate educational outcomes for students of color, especially those at the intersection of race and ability, like lower graduation rates, disproportionate representation in special education, and the well-documented school-to-prison pipeline, the purpose of this study is to consider the ways online graduate programs in special education can prepare teachers and school leaders in culturally responsive and sustaining ways, thereby increasing participants’ capacities to enact socially-just and equitable educational policies and practices that will address the disparities present in the literature.
Although Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has emerged as one framework for increasing accessiblity of online learning for all learners, UDL does not sufficiently address social justice and equity through culturally responsivle teaching/pedagogy (CRT). Learning design industry standard instruments, including Quality Matters and the OLC and Open SUNY Course Quality Review (OSCQR) have been designed to measure elements of course design but neither instrument has sufficient focus on examinging the evidence and use of UDL and CRT.
Participants will learn about the iterative instrument development process used to develop metrics of both UDL and CRT for asynchronous online classes that can be used independently or in tandem with industry standard rubrics for high quality course design. This instrument has been developed as part of a internal program evaluation effort for an online graduate school at a large four-year institution with the goal of providing instructors and course authors with critical feedback about their course(s) and foster dialogue about strategies for ensuring equity and access in online education.
The findings from the Delphi survey item development and pilot implementation of the instrument will be presented. Participants will have the opportunity to apply the course rubric to a sample course and discuss implications for practice in this highly interactive session.