UDL Programming
Explore UDL-focused programming that supports accessible, flexible, and inclusive teaching across the University of Toronto.
CTSI UDL Programming
30-minute sessions sharing UDL teaching practices.
Peer brainstorms on small, practical UDL changes.
30-minute summer sessions on digital accessibility.
Tailored UDL programming for departments and units.
Tri-Campus UDL-Related Programming
Across U of T, various offices and units offer programming that supports accessible, inclusive, and flexible teaching. Explore current UDL-related sessions below.
Note: (M) = Monday, (T) = Tuesday, (W) = Wednesday, (R) = Thursday, (F) = Friday
Oct 26 (M): UDL Conversation with Antía González Ben
Monday, October 26, from 11:30 am to 12 pm, online
- Antía González Ben, Assistant Professor, Music Education, Faculty of Music
- Explore how Quercus can support graduate supervision through UDL, creating a more accessible, organized, and supportive experience for supervisees.
UDL Conversations is a 30-minute online series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) that highlights accessible, inclusive, and usable teaching and learning practices from across the University of Toronto. Come chat with and learn from colleagues across the U of T community as we share experiences, questions, and lessons from designing more accessible and inclusive teaching and learning.
Register for October 26 (M): UDL Conversation with Antía González Ben
Nov 3 & 5 (T & R): Disability Studies & Pedagogy Series 1: Academic Ableism and the Clock
Tuesday, November 3, from 11 am to 12 pm, in person
Thursday, November 5, from 11 am to 12 pm, online
Laura McKinley, Educational Developer, RGASC
Deadlines, participation timelines, and the pace of a semester are often treated as neutral facts of academic life — simply how things are done. This session challenges that assumption. Drawing on Jay Dolmage’s (2017) work on academic ableism and Margaret Price’s (2011) work on crip time, we’ll examine how the clock itself functions as a hidden curriculum: whose bodies and minds it was designed around, and who is quietly asked to keep pace with a rhythm that was never built for them. Rather than treating flexibility as an accommodation granted case-by-case, we’ll explore what it means to design time itself as negotiable—where rigidity can be loosened without abandoning rigour, and where friction around deadlines can become a starting point for better teaching rather than a problem to manage.
Register for November 3 (T) in person
Register for November 5 (R) online
Nov 10 (T): Assessment in the GenAI Era: Designing Flexible Scaffolding Through UDL
Tuesday, November 10, from 12 pm to 1:15 pm, online
Cheryl Lepard, Educational Developer, Universal Design for Learning, CTL
Laura McKinley, Educational Developer, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessible Pedagogies, RGASC
Samantha Chang, Team Lead, Pedagogy and Educational Technologies, CTSI
In response to GenAI, it is essential that we reshape assessment to support both academic integrity and accessibility. As an assessment design strategy, scaffolding is emerging as a promising practice, however, overly rigid scaffolding creates unnecessary barriers for students. This webinar explores how Universal Design for Learning can guide flexible scaffolding that makes students’ thinking and learning processes more visible without creating unnecessary barriers.
Nov 18 & 20 (W & F): Disability Studies & Pedagogy Series 2: Beyond Compliance: Disability Justice in Teaching
Wednesday, November 18, from 1 pm to 2 pm, in person
Friday, November 20, from 11 am to 12 pm, online
Laura McKinley, Educational Developer, RGASC
“Compliance” often means treating access as solved once a policy is in place, an accommodation granted, a box checked. Both Universal Design for Learning and disability justice push past that, in different ways: UDL by building flexibility into course design from the outset rather than retrofitting it case by case, and disability justice by insisting that access is never finished, only continually negotiated, built together (Mingus, 2017; Hamraie, 2017). Building on the previous session’s exploration of the clock as hidden curriculum, we’ll look at what it means to carry that shared demand into the classroom: into how we facilitate discussion, structure assessment, and build the relationships a syllabus can never fully anticipate. Participants will leave with concrete practices for treating access as an ongoing practice, not a one-time fix.
Register for November 18 (W) in person
Register for November 20 (F) online
Nov 20 (F): UDL in Practice with Maggie Hutcheson: Designing Environments
Friday, November 20, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
- Maggie Hutcheson, Director, Master of Museum Studies, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Faculty of Information
- Explore how UDL can help balance creativity and spontaneity in learning environments with predictability and support for learner variability.
UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). These 30-minute online sessions create space to think through real teaching questions, challenges, and ideas using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Come as you are and join the conversation. Attend one session or join throughout the year. Each session stands on its own while contributing to a broader conversation about inclusive and accessible teaching. Ideas generated through the series may also inform CTSI’s UDL Strategy Libraries.
Register for November 20 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing Environments
Nov 30 (M): UDL Conversation with Eric Robitaille
Monday, November 30, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
- Eric Robitaille, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Physical Therapy, Temerty Faculty of Medicine
- Explore how a new assignment design can support student learning through UDL, drawing on early experiences and outcomes from its first implementation.
UDL Conversations is a 30-minute online series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) that highlights accessible, inclusive, and usable teaching and learning practices from across the University of Toronto. Come chat with and learn from colleagues across the U of T community as we share experiences, questions, and lessons from designing more accessible and inclusive teaching and learning.
Register for November 30 (M): UDL Conversation with Eric Robitaille
Jan 15 (F): UDL in Practice with Carolyn Mak: Designing for Access
Friday, January 15, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
- Carolyn Mak, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
- Explore how UDL can support an asynchronous global classroom exchange that fosters cross-cultural collaboration, engagement, and meaningful peer learning.
UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). These 30-minute online sessions create space to think through real teaching questions, challenges, and ideas using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Come as you are and join the conversation. Attend one session or join throughout the year. Each session stands on its own while contributing to a broader conversation about inclusive and accessible teaching. Ideas generated through the series may also inform CTSI’s UDL Strategy Libraries.
Register for January 15 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing for Access
Feb 2 (T): UDL Conversation with Maggie Hutcheson
Tuesday, February 2, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
- Maggie Hutcheson, Director, Master of Museum Studies, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Faculty of Information
- Explore how UDL can support flexible, ongoing participation that gives students multiple ways to engage and demonstrate their learning.
UDL Conversations is a 30-minute online series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) that highlights accessible, inclusive, and usable teaching and learning practices from across the University of Toronto. Come chat with and learn from colleagues across the U of T community as we share experiences, questions, and lessons from designing more accessible and inclusive teaching and learning.
Register for February 2 (T): UDL Conversation with Maggie Hutcheson
Feb 19 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing for Support
Friday, February 19, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). These 30-minute online sessions create space to think through real teaching questions, challenges, and ideas using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Come as you are and join the conversation. Attend one session or join throughout the year. Each session stands on its own while contributing to a broader conversation about inclusive and accessible teaching. Ideas generated through the series may also inform CTSI’s UDL Strategy Libraries.
Register for February 19 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing for Support
Feb 22 (M): UDL Conversation with Loree Erickson, Efrat Gold, Jose Miguel Esteban, Aparna Menon, and Anne McGuire
Monday, February 22, from 1:10 pm to 2 pm, online
- Loree Erickson, Associate Professor, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, New College, Faculty of Arts & Science
- Efrat Gold, New College Affiliate Scholar, Faculty of Arts & Science
- Jose Miguel Esteban, PhD Candidate, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education; Instructor, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, New College, Faculty of Arts & Science; Tanis Doe Postdoctoral Fellow, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Aparna Menon, PhD Candidate, Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Instructor, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, New College, Faculty of Arts & Science
- Anne McGuire, Professor, Teaching Stream; Director, Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity, New College, Faculty of Arts & Science
- Explore how disability-centred pedagogy can build teaching capacity through collaboration among graduate students, early-career educators, and colleagues.
UDL Conversations is a 30-minute online series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) that highlights accessible, inclusive, and usable teaching and learning practices from across the University of Toronto. Come chat with and learn from colleagues across the U of T community as we share experiences, questions, and lessons from designing more accessible and inclusive teaching and learning.
Mar 19 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing for Executive Function
Friday, March 19, from 12:30 pm to 1 pm, online
UDL in Practice is a monthly professional learning series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI). These 30-minute online sessions create space to think through real teaching questions, challenges, and ideas using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Come as you are and join the conversation. Attend one session or join throughout the year. Each session stands on its own while contributing to a broader conversation about inclusive and accessible teaching. Ideas generated through the series may also inform CTSI’s UDL Strategy Libraries.
Register for March 19 (F): UDL in Practice: Designing for Executive Function
Mar 31 (W): UDL Conversation with Scott Richmond
Wednesday, March 31, from 1:30 pm to 2 pm, online
- Scott Richmond, Associate Professor, Cinema Studies Institute, Faculty of Arts & Science; Director, McLuhan Centre for Culture and Technology
- Explore how scaffolding writing assignments can support students through the writing process while building confidence, independence, and learning over time.
UDL Conversations is a 30-minute online series hosted by the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI) that highlights accessible, inclusive, and usable teaching and learning practices from across the University of Toronto. Come chat with and learn from colleagues across the U of T community as we share experiences, questions, and lessons from designing more accessible and inclusive teaching and learning.
Register for March 31 (W): UDL Conversation with Scott Richmond
Past CTSI UDL Webinars
Expand each accordion panel below to review past webinar content. Check out recordings and summaries from UDL Conversations and UDL Express, which introduced the SLIDE framework and highlighted small, practical strategies for making course materials more accessible and inclusive. Visit the Past CTSI Workshop Recordings page for more materials from the CTSI archives.
Equity Roundtable: Universal Design for Learning: Engaging All of Your Students
Join Ben Poynton, AODA Officer, U of T and Cristina D’Amico, Faculty Liaison Coordinator, Graduate Student Development & TA Training for a roundtable on the opportunities and affordances of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—a set of principles for curriculum development and engagement that strives to give all students equal opportunities to learn.
Exploring Captioning and Transcription Tools
In this webinar, we will explore the various options for generating captions and transcripts for rich media-based content (Audio/Video).
Interactive Lecturing and Active Learning
To lecture or not to lecture is not the question. In this webinar, we will provide tips and strategies for designing interactive lectures and incorporating active learning activities that support student learning. We will model various practices that you can incorporate into your courses and diverse learning environments. This webinar will highlight how you can use Quercus and the Academic Toolbox to support the implementation of these interactive lecturing and active learning strategies.
UDL Express: SLIDE into Document Accessibility
UDL Express offers a quick, practical way to make course materials more accessible and inclusive. The series draws on the SLIDE framework—Styles, Links, Images, Design, and Evaluation—developed by Dr. Luis Pérez (CAST) as a guide to accessibility in digital materials. Whether you’re creating in Word, PowerPoint, or Quercus, small, evidence-informed changes add up to meaningful improvements for learners.
Unveiling the New Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines 3.0: Unlocking Inclusive Learning
Join CTSI in unveiling the UDL guidelines 3.0 and considerations for implementing UDL and unlocking inclusive learning in higher education.
What’s my role in accommodating students with disabilities?
In this event, Accessibility Services will address common concerns around instructors’ work with accommodating students in their classes.
- Access the recording (01:35:17) from August 30, 2024
- Download the webinar slides PDF from August 30, 2024
U Design Learning | Teaching and Universal Design for Learning at U of T