Think UDL Think UDL

In today’s episode, we talk about the changing nature of higher education, mastery, feedback, and the cheese sandwich, but not the kind you eat. Tune in for an enlightening conversation with Dr. Kevin Merry and thank you for listening to this conversation on the Think UDL podcast.

In this episode we discuss AI and UDL in higher education, and how AI relates to competency based learning and various forms of assessment. We also discuss personalized learning and the ethics of how AI impacts the teaching and learning experience in higher ed. And finally, we also discuss Jamie’s work as the founder and principal Investigator of CIDDL.

This episode, episode 122, details some of the ideas from Joe’s book on AI and accessibility. We discuss tools that can be used to improve accessibility, the benefits and challenges of using AI to make courses and teaching more accessible, and what ethical concerns we should be aware of when using AI. And finally I ask Joe a bit about what he sees on the horizon for AI, UDL, and accessibility.

In this conversation, Liz and I discuss several important UDL ideas including reflection and how to incorporate that into our classes and how beneficial it is for our own learning. We also discuss how to create psychological safety even within a course that could have many “hot-button” type issues, how to create choice and flexibility in your course, and what to do if there are too many choices for some students. We also discuss how students can essentially choose their own grade for a course based on their interests and efforts.

Today’s episode focuses on a mindset and technique that Aaron and Colin introduced to me that is helpful when dealing with the Double Empathy problem, which is essentially what we have when a heterogenous group of neurotypical and neurodivergent, specifically autistic, people communicate with each other. Who do we expect to bend more or less, and how can we best communicate together? Stay tuned for some fantastic insights from Colin and Aaron along with how this all relates to UDL, and thank you for listening to this conversation on the Think UDL podcast.

In this conversation, we discuss instructional design, using technology thoughtfully, and creating contextual pathways in online learning. If you have wondered how complicated teaching itself is, we discuss the various roles that are needed for online learning to be successful which include the subject matter expert, the educator, and the role of technology in online learning.