Open & Inclusive Special Interest Group

openTEL and SeGA are pleased to announce next week’s Open & Inclusive Special Interest Group meeting will include presentations by Allison Posey, CAST and Chris Douce, STEM, followed by a participatory workshop.

Universal Design for Learning: Application for Distance Learning

Allison Posey

Abstract: How do we design to address the variability of learners in a distance learning setting? Universal Design for Learning offers a framework, aligned with neuroscience of learning, to proactively design learning environments, including online programs, to meet the diverse needs of students. From the initial founding of UDL to current day application, this session will explore an overview of how UDL evolved and can support educators to design their online programs.

Bio: Allison Posey participates in curricular design, online course instruction, and leads professional learning programs, including the CAST UDL Symposium. She works with educators to integrate and apply current understandings from brain research about learning into instructional practices so that all learners can access, integrate and become expert learners. She also coordinates the CAST free webinar series, free resources and focuses on the central role of emotions in learning. Prior to coming to CAST, Allison was a life science teacher in high school and community college settings, teaching genetics, anatomy, physiology, biology, neuroscience, and psychology. She received a degree in Mind, Brain and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education where she also worked as a teaching fellow for courses such as Educational Neuroscience and Framing Scientific Research for Public Understanding. She holds a Certificate in Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute of Art.

Reflections on Accessibility

Chris Douce

 Abstract: Accessibility is a term that is used to refer to different ways in which education and educational materials can be made available for people with disabilities. This presentation aims to unpack the term ‘accessibility’ and what it means in The Open University context, moving from a high level (discussions about the aims and objectives of a module) towards low level technical standards that are important to facilitate the use and consumption of module materials. Along the way, the roles of the associate lecturer and members of the student support team will be highlighted. Important themes, such as legislation, the models of disability and the challenges that accompany disclosure will also be discussed. The presentation will end with a series of personal reflections that connect to the terms, accessibility and disability.

 Bio: Chris Douce is a Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor in the School of Computing and Communications. He joined the university in 2006 as an associate lecturer where he tutored a Computing module about Interaction Design, and later joined the Institute of Educational Technology where he worked on two EU funded research projects about accessibility. From 2008 until 2018 he tutored on a postgraduate education module about accessible online learning, and currently tutors on a Computing and IT capstone project module. Chris is also a lead editor of Open Learning, the Open University’s journal about online and distance teaching. His research interests currently include inclusion, pedagogy of distance learning and computing education.

We look forward to seeing you at 14:00 on 11th February in Meeting Room 1, Jennie Lee.