ADCET UDL Symposium: Using the student voice to measure success and impact
In-person presentation
Intentional and iterative design are at the core of UDL, but how can it grow/build practice and measure success over time when the tertiary education is forever changing, and the markers of success are not easily reported?
One aspect that offers a consistent opportunity for growth and success is the continued incorporation of the student voice and actively inviting students to be co-creators in their learning environment. This presentation explored how the University gathered the students' voice and what data collection methods were used to measure the success of UDL implementation. It looked at some of the ongoing projects being worked on at the University of Sydney and how this data can be used in varied ways of measuring impact.
As educators we tend to make decisions on what we think students need and by engaging the student voice it makes sure we are intentionally designing for what the students are saying they need. Once we know what the challenges and barriers the students and staff are facing, we are able to look for exact data points to measure the success of projects. One example looked at how student feedback surveys are being used to create education design goals to focus on future iterations of a course, which will result in assessable goals for future measuring of success. It also considered how being open to these surveys and input from students shows a commitment from academic staff to putting students first, which might also be considered as a measurable impact of UDL implementation.
Through this and other examples, this presentation showed a snapshot of this project and how this approach measures successful UDL implementation.
Presenter
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.
(June 2024)