Universal Design for Learning Forum

How can we make our courses and classrooms equally engaging for individuals in all walks of life?

Join us in conversation around Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with keynote speaker Gaier Deitrich, and hear from Portland State Faculty who have been applying UDL principles in their course design process. The forum will include a keynote address and breakout sessions on implementing UDL and variation and choice in online course design, as well as networking and Q&A sessions. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

The forum is open to all faculty and educators in the Portland education community.

What is Universal Design for Learning?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) application and research in higher education is becoming more popular around the USA and globally. UD establishes that environments can be equally enabling or disabling for individuals of all walks of life and asks designers to make efforts in the initial design process to remove any environmental barriers. Universal Design for Learning, as it relates to teaching and learning practices, has been researched at the Center for Applied Science and Technology (CAST) based out of Boston, MA since 1988. A group of Instructors at Portland State University (PSU) have applied the CAST UDL principles in their course design process and will share their findings with you.

Keynote Speaker Gaier Deitrich
Gaeir Dietrich is the director of the High Tech Center Training Unit (HTCTU) of the California community colleges. In addition to being the director, she is also the alternate media trainer and speaks widely on the issues of creating and providing alternate formats. Gaeir is a member of the advisory boards for the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Bookshare, the Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC), and the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center (SVILC). She also serves as an expert to the board for the Access Text Network (ATN). In 2010–2011, she served as the chair for the federal Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education.