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UDL Conversations

UDL Conversations are informal, 30-minute online sessions where U of T instructors and staff share how they are applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in their teaching and professional practice. Each session surfaces everyday strategies, highlights diverse approaches, and sparks discussion about making learning more accessible and inclusive across U of T.

Upcoming UDL Conversations

Register for upcoming sessions using the links below, and learn from colleagues across U of T as they share how they are applying UDL in practice.

Visit UDL in Practice for strategy libraries that connect these conversations to practical teaching ideas, and UDL Programming for upcoming UDL events and opportunities.

Past UDL Conversations

Browse recordings and summaries of past UDL Conversations to learn how colleagues across U of T are applying UDL in practice. Each session highlights practical insights and strategies you can adapt for your own teaching.

Inclusion from the Start

Design for access, inclusion, and belonging from the start

Engagement Design

Design learning experiences that build reflection, connection, and engagement

Assessment Design

Design assessments for learner variability and meaningful learning

Inclusion from the Start

How can we design for belonging from the start? In these UDL Conversations, U of T members share strategies for inclusive practice:

Accessibility as Equity

Chris Sabatinos, Web Accessibility Specialist, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Office, St. George

What did we talk about?

  • Pre-developed habits and cognitive bias: Many accessibility barriers stem from ingrained tech habits and unexamined assumptions. We often use digital tools in ways that are fast but not optimal—both for accessibility and efficiency.
  • Accessibility requires (un)learning: Using tools like Word or PowerPoint accessibly isn’t intuitive—it requires unlearning old habits and relearning better practices. Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about reducing learning curves for everyone.
  • Key quote: “The act of making things more accessible is the act of removing that initial learning curve, which ultimately will enhance the experience. So, the time that is used in class is next level.”

Strategies to Try

  • Explore the tools you use regularly: Consider what’s happening behind the scenes, not just what looks right visually.
  • Advocate for time to (un)learn the tools you rely on: Accessibility takes intention and space to grow.
  • Talk with colleagues about how you’re doing things: Share subjective experiences and discover better ways together.

Resources

Introducing UDL 3.0

Laura McKinley, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessible Pedagogy Coordinator, Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM

What did we talk about?

  • UDL as a framework: An iterative, research-informed approach that anticipates learner variability. Originally developed for disability inclusion, UDL now supports equitable and inclusive learning for all.
  • UDL 3.0 update (July 2024): Developed by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), the fifth iteration integrates broad practitioner feedback and reflects shifts in inclusive pedagogy.

Key Changes in UDL 3.0

  • From “provide” to “design”: Shifts power dynamics toward shared agency between instructors and learners.
  • From “expert learners” to “learner agency”: Centres student identity and lived experience.
  • From “checkpoints” to “considerations”: Emphasizes adaptability, not prescription.
  • Collective learning: Moves beyond individualism to focus on shared responsibility and belonging.
  • Intersectionality: Highlights cultural context, identity, and systemic bias as central to learning variability.
  • Joy and play: Affirms the importance of curiosity and engagement—not just productivity.

Resources

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Engagement Design

Learn how reflective and transparent teaching practices can strengthen student engagement. In these UDL Conversations, instructors discuss practical ways to help learners enter into and sustain their learning:

Building Reflection into Learning

Embedding reflection and transparency to help students enter, sustain, and deepen their learning.

Deborah Tihanyi , Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Acting Director, Engineering Communication Program (ECP), Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP), Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, St. George

  • Supporting engineering students to engage with communication and reflection—areas they may not initially recognize as core to their discipline.
  • Embedding low-stakes, in-class reflections to help students enter, sustain, and deepen their learning.
  • Using reflection as a bridge between individual preparation and group discussion to foster confidence and wider participation.
  • Providing multimodal options for assignments and designing rubrics that value clarity and communication over preferred formats.
  • Centering transparency—helping students understand why each activity matters and how it connects to learning goals.
  • Viewing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) not as a single model, but as multiple designs that invite flexibility, engagement, and choice.
  • Integrate brief reflection or “thinking time” before discussions to include more student voices.
  • Use completion-based reflections to promote consistency without adding grading pressure.
  • Offer multiple modes for assignments when appropriate, and evaluate work based on how well it meets the goals of the task rather than its modality.
  • Share your rationale for tasks to build student trust and motivation.

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Assessment Design

How can we design assessments that reflect learner variability and support meaningful learning? In these UDL Conversations, U of T members share strategies for building flexibility, creativity, and equity into assessment design:

Inviting Creativity through Assessment

Redesigning an anatomy assignment to support creativity and learner choice.

Danielle Bentley, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Division of Anatomy, Department of Surgery, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, St. George

  • Redesigning an anatomy assignment to invite creativity, flexibility, and learner choice.
  • Moving from a highly structured, text-based format toward open, multimodal submissions.
  • Giving students freedom to select topics that align with their personal or professional interests.
  • Welcoming diverse formats—essays, podcasts, infographics, short films, and “creative masterpieces.”
  • Reflecting on how loosening initial restrictions encouraged deeper engagement and more authentic demonstrations of understanding.
  • “Add one or take away one”: Add one new element of creative flexibility or remove one unnecessary restriction and see how students respond.

Rethinking Experiential Learning and Research

Connecting theatre experiences and research practice to deepen understanding and engagement.

Douglas Eacho, Assistant Professor, Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies, Faculty of Arts & Science, St. George

  • Introducing experiential learning in Drama 101: Students attend live performances across Toronto to connect course themes to real-world contexts.
  • Building community and access: Shared attendance times and alternative options (e.g., curated video performances) support participation for all students.
  • Encouraging reflective, low-stakes writing: Students translate their experiences into informal writing that develops critical voice and confidence.
  • Redesigning the research component: Shifting focus from product to process through a library-based task where students explore physical books, take “shelf selfies,” and evaluate sources.
  • Helping students recognize how knowledge is built: Showing that credible research develops through existing scholarship rather than emerging ex nihilo.
  • Broadening perspectives on theatre and performance: Expanding examples beyond familiar references like Shakespeare or Broadway musicals.
  • Use experiential learning intentionally: Connect course concepts to community or real-world experiences.
  • Scaffold research as a process: Create checkpoints and reflection prompts that emphasize exploration over the final product.
  • Help students examine how knowledge is built: Model how ideas evolve through research and collaboration.
  • Offer flexible participation options: Provide alternative ways to engage when live or in-person experiences aren’t possible.

Assessment Design in the GenAI Era

Designing assessments that balance flexibility, motivation, and clear GenAI guidance.

Cheryl Lepard, Educational Developer, Universal Design for Learning, Centre for Teaching and Learning, UTSC

  • UDL and assessment in the age of GenAI: As generative AI tools become more common in teaching and learning, educators are rethinking assessment design—sometimes reverting to rigid formats (e.g., in-class, timed, written). These formats can unintentionally reintroduce barriers for students, especially those with disabilities.
  • Student motivation and UDL: Task motivation is shaped by factors like perceived value, enjoyment, difficulty, and emotional state. UDL helps address these by embedding choice, relevance, and flexibility into assessments—supporting more authentic student engagement.
  • Motivate through relevance: Invite students to connect assessments to their lived experiences, identities, and interests.
  • Offer choice: Let students select from assignment topics or formats (e.g., paper, video, podcast, journal, debate).
  • Clarify GenAI expectations: Give students the option to use or avoid GenAI. Focus on building critical thinking and reflection, regardless of the tool.

Scaling Support and Flexibility

Applying UDL principles to support flexibility and feedback in large courses.

Shirley Yeung, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts & Science, St. George

  • Scaling up UDL principles in large courses: Applying UDL practices in a 500-student anthropology course.
  • Designing multimodal assignments: Inviting choice through essays, photo essays, and webcomics.
  • Replacing traditional midterms with scaffolded supports: Using outlines, workshops, and feedback cycles to sustain progress.
  • Co-developing rubrics with TAs: Enhancing transparency and reducing grading stress.
  • Embedding Writing-Integrated Teaching (WIT) supports: Building a “nested” learning model for both students and TAs.
  • Pair major deadlines with support: Schedule related workshops or feedback sessions.
  • Expand expression options: Allow written, visual, or mixed-media formats.
  • Co-create rubrics: Work with students and TAs to clarify expectations.
  • Sustain feedback loops: Build a layered model where lead writing TAs mentor tutorial leaders.

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Forthcoming Recordings and Summaries

Upcoming recordings and summaries will be posted for the following past conversations:

  • Sheila Batacharya, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Institute for the Study of University Pedagogy, UTM
  • Rebecca Laposa, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, St. George and Melanie Jeffrey, Assistant Professor, Human Biology and Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts & Science, St. George

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Monitor-Side Chats: UDL-ing in Winter 2024

  • Jan. 26 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 7: Recruiting Interest (Accessing Engagement)
  • Feb. 2 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 1: Perception (Accessing Representation)
  • Feb. 9 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 4: Physical action (Accessing Action and Expression)
  • Feb. 16 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 8: Sustaining Effort and Persistence (Building Engagement)
  • Feb. 23 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 2: Language and Symbols (Building Representation)
  • Mar. 1 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 5: Expression and Communication (Building Action and Expression)
  • Mar. 8 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 9: Self Regulation (Internalizing Engagement)
  • Mar. 15 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 3: Comprehension (Internalizing Representation)
  • Mar. 22 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): UDL Guideline 6: Executive Functions (Internalizing Action and Expression)
  • Apri. 12 (1 pm to 2 pm ET): Explore Proposed Updates for UDL Guidelines 3.0

U Design Learning | Teaching with Universal Design for Learning at U of T

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