ADCET UDL Symposium: Universal Design for Learning - A Pilot Study on Improving Student Success Rates
Online presentation
To meet the demand for far greater numbers of higher education graduates, graduates from non-traditional backgrounds will need to increase.
Students from equity groups have traditionally had lower success at university, particularly when cumulative disadvantage is considered. Employing principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) involves inclusive curriculum and support, and increased flexibility and accessibility to the benefit of all students.
Charles Sturt University has piloted the development and implementation of guidelines for first-year unit development based on the UDL framework. In 2023, seven large units were selected. Each unit underwent a thorough analysis. During this process the authors developed a list of where each unit deviated from what the literature would suggest is best practice. Examples include unclear assessment instructions, excessive weekly reading and/or weekly content and poor-quality resources. From this, a set of key elements of quality unit design were developed to ensure students received a consistent experience across their units of enrolment.
They covered three main areas:
- inclusive unit delivery
- scaffolding of content
- assessment for learning
Student focus groups were run with 50 students who were enrolled in the seven units to provide feedback on the unit design guidelines and the unit development more broadly. The average success rate increased by an average of 27%, and there was a decrease in the number of zero-fail, fail grades. The guidelines are now used to inform all first-year unit development work at the university
This presentation shared the process of developing these guidelines for unit development, based on the principles of UDL, and shared data on the impact they had on student success.
Presenter
A/Prof Kelly Linden is a 2025 ACSES Equity Fellow from Charles Sturt University. Over the last 9 years, Kelly has developed and led retention work across Charles Sturt which has resulted in a number of publications and awards. Her research interests are student engagement, success, retention and feedback with a particular focus on how universities can better support part-time students.
(June 2025)