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ADCET Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Symposium 2025

Navigating Authentic Assessment and Learning in a Digital World

The University of Sydney and Australian Disability Clearinghouse on Education and Training (ADCET) held a one and a half day Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Symposium 2025, featuring keynote speaker Dr Seán Bracken, a Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester, UK and a leading expert in UDL.

Event Overview

Educators Gather at University of Sydney for UDL Symposium

The University of Sydney's Susan Wakil Health Building buzzed with activity last week as educators, researchers, sector leaders and students from across Australia and beyond gathered for ADCET’s Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Symposium 2025. The one-and-a-half-day event, held in partnership with the University of Sydney, on 25 to 26 June, brought together more than 500 participants both in-person and online to explore "Navigating Authentic Assessment and Learning in a Digital World."

The Symposium featured presentations from researchers and practitioners across Australia and beyond, with topics ranging from co-constructing UDL modules with learners to exploring lesson study methodologies for enhancing inclusion. Participants explored innovative approaches to authentic assessment while examining how AI can be leveraged to create more inclusive learning experiences.

A Symposium highlight was keynote speaker Dr Seán Bracken, Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester in the UK and internationally recognised expert in Universal Design for Learning. Dr Bracken, who serves as Doctoral Programme Lead for the College of Education, Culture and Society at Worcester, captivated audiences with his insights on inclusive instructional design. His presentation demonstrated the need for compassion and care in our 21st century digital learning environments, and emphasised the intersection of artificial intelligence and UDL principles to enhance inclusive learning experiences.

Seán's presentation challenged us to think differently about how we approach assessment in our increasingly digital learning environments. His work with the International Collaboratory for Leadership in Universally Designed Education has been groundbreaking.

Also, attendees noted that the student panel proved to be compelling, offering authentic perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in accessible education. Students with disability shared their experiences navigating digital learning platforms and provided concrete suggestions for improving educational accessibility.

"Hearing directly from students was incredibly powerful," commented one attendee. "They reminded us why this work matters and gave us practical ideas we can implement immediately."

Participants left with concrete strategies for implementing UDL principles in their own institutions, building on the symposium's goal of developing an Australia-wide network of UDL practitioners and researchers. The event reinforced the growing recognition that Universal Design for Learning benefits all students, not just those with disability.

The Symposium was supported by silver sponsors Genio (formerly Glean), which provides note-taking accommodations to over 150,000 learners globally, and Captify.live, which delivers real-time captioning and accessibility solutions for tertiary education.

Planning is already underway for future symposiums, with organisers committed to continuing the conversation about inclusive education in an increasingly digital world.

Rebecca Morris
Manager, ADCET

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Symposium Aims

The UDL Symposium 2025 aims to:

Share and showcase knowledge and expertise in Universal Design for Learning
Continue developing an Australia-wide network of UDL practitioners and researchers
Explore innovative approaches to authentic assessment and learning in digital environments
Examine the intersection of AI and UDL principles to enhance inclusive learning experiences and educational accessibility

Facilitator

Dr Samantha Poulos is an educational designer at the University of Sydney working on the designing for diversity project. Samantha is a feminist literary theorist with a background in first year teaching and working to develop inclusive teaching practices and student engagement. Building on their PhD "'Who cares about pretty?': Examining the construction and performance of femininity in Young Adult literature" Samantha draws on this expertise in queer and gender theory to inform their teaching pedagogy which works to develop creative, inclusive and safe spaces.

Keynote Speaker

Dr Seán Bracken

Dr Seán Bracken is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Worcester (UW), UK, where he is the Doctoral Programme Lead for the College of Education, Culture and Society. Seán holds an Ed.D., a M.Phil. in Applied Linguistics, and a M.Ed. in School Leadership. He is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and, as part of the ACSES fellowship program, he is currently an Adjunct Professor at Curtin University.

A cornerstone of Seán’s work is his dedication to inclusion and UDL. He has been instrumental in promoting inclusivity through various leadership roles and research initiatives. As the founder of the Inclusion by Design Research Group at UW, he has fostered an interdisciplinary community focused on improving learning outcomes and social experiences for diverse learners.

Along with Dr Richard Jackson, he was the co-founder, and subsequent chair, of the International Collaboratory for Leadership in Universally Designed Education (INCLUDE) . This transnational network connects learners, student service professionals and researchers dedicated to inclusive instructional design. INCLUDE recently launched the International Journal for Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (IJUDUDL) , for which Seán acts as one of the Deputy Editors. IJUDUDL is hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education in Morocco and aims to provide a robust research basis for charting future directions for UD and UDL.

Seán’s research projects, often funded by prestigious organisations such as the British Council and the British Academy, focus on strengthening inclusion in higher education. Notable projects include co-constructing UDL modules with learners and colleagues in Indonesia and the UK, as well as exploring the use of Lesson Study in Brazil as an enabling action research strategy for enhancing inclusion. Seán’s research, and advocacy have significantly advanced educational practices, making him a highly respected thought leader in the field.

Silver Sponsors

Genio (formerly Glean) creates the #1 recommended note-taking accommodation. Since 2007, we’ve supported 150,000+ learners at 1,700+ institutions with award-winning accessible study tools rooted in learning science and UDL. We aim to equip students with skills and confidence to overcome barriers, study independently, and achieve academic success

Captify.live by Bradley Reporting delivers comprehensive real-time and recorded accessibility solutions designed specifically for tertiary education students requiring disability accommodations. Our specialised services include live captioning for lectures, tutorials, and events through both human steno-captioning (delivering court-reporter accuracy via onsite and remote services) and AI-powered captioning (providing scalable, cost-effective pay-as-you-go online solutions). We also produce captioned video content, ensuring equitable access for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, neurodiverse learners, and others who benefit from visual text reinforcement.

Since 2004, disability advisers, academics, and learning designers across Australia have trusted Captify.live to deliver gold-standard solutions that create truly inclusive educational environments.