Presentation Title
Implementing universal design of instruction in information literacy (and almost anything else): the success of our students depends on it.
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Conference Strand
Diversity and Inclusion
Target Audience
Higher Education
Second Target Audience
Other
Any instructor interested in learning about Universal Design would benefit from this session.
Location
Session 1 Workshops/Panels
Relevance
This presentation would include information about including universal design for learning solely in information literacy sessions and semester-long information literacy for-credit courses. It would also demonstrate how to create a syllabus that incorporate a Universal Design for Learning-friendly syllabus for such a course, using alternate text.
Abstract
This proposal focuses on the importance of universal design when teaching either one-shot library instruction or semester long information literacy courses. This presentation will discuss how all students can benefit from a course that is barrier-free to students who have already self-disclosed as students with disabilites.
This presentation also will discuss the intense reluctance of students with disabilities to self-disclose at the college level. And how some students may not even be aware of the fact that they have a learning disability—making it even more importance to implement (and hence include) universal design principles into your teaching methodologies.
In this session, you will learn how a syllabus cluttered with PDF’s may not have much context for a blind student in your course. And how an instructional session with universal design principles in mind will help both students with disabilities and students without disabilities as well—allowing all students to feel not only accepted but valued as well.
Presentation Description
Teaching college students can be challenging in 2023, with all the distractions at the students' fingertips. But imagine how distracted the students are going to be if they can’t see (or hear) what you’re trying to teach them (not to mention how that will affect their success in your class?) Or what if there are other challenges the students have you never would have anticipated? See how this librarian is implementing universal design—and teaming up with other allies along the way—to help students in a rural, under-resourced community.
Keywords
Postsecondary education; students with disabilities; stigma; invisible disabilities; disclosure; Americans with Disabilities Act; information literacy; universal design; library anxiety; shame
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Dean, Peter R., "Implementing universal design of instruction in information literacy (and almost anything else): the success of our students depends on it." (2023). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 3.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2023/2023/3
Implementing universal design of instruction in information literacy (and almost anything else): the success of our students depends on it.
Session 1 Workshops/Panels
This proposal focuses on the importance of universal design when teaching either one-shot library instruction or semester long information literacy courses. This presentation will discuss how all students can benefit from a course that is barrier-free to students who have already self-disclosed as students with disabilites.
This presentation also will discuss the intense reluctance of students with disabilities to self-disclose at the college level. And how some students may not even be aware of the fact that they have a learning disability—making it even more importance to implement (and hence include) universal design principles into your teaching methodologies.
In this session, you will learn how a syllabus cluttered with PDF’s may not have much context for a blind student in your course. And how an instructional session with universal design principles in mind will help both students with disabilities and students without disabilities as well—allowing all students to feel not only accepted but valued as well.
