ADCET UDL Symposium: Supporting Students Navigate the Transition to University and Become Self-Regulated Learners

Online presentation

First-year students entering university face more than disciplinary content — they face the challenge of learning how to learn in an entirely new academic and professional context. This presentation shared a practical case study from a first-year Occupational Therapy unit at the University of Sydney, where assessment was redesigned from the ground up to proactively remove learning barriers and build self-regulated learners from day one.

Aligned with UDL 3.0 principles, particularly fostering learner agency, reducing barriers to engagement, and supporting expert learning; the redesign embeds metacognitive scaffolding across four sequential assessments. Students are supported to set goals, monitor their understanding, seek feedback, and reflect on their strategies, normalising learning as an active and iterative process rather than a series of high-stakes performance moments.

The redesign also responds directly to equity imperatives: oral assessments are scaffolded through preparation guides and AI-based practice agents; open assessments invite AI as a learning tool rather than a threat; and multiple means of representation and action ensure diverse learners are supported without lowering standards. Early data from student surveys and metacognitive responses suggest improved confidence and a stronger sense of agency during the critical transition period.

By the end of this session, participants were be able to identify at least two assessment design strategies that embed UDL 3.0 principles to support student transition and self-regulation in their own HE or VET context.

Both online and in-person participants engaged through a shared collaborative reflection activity using a digital whiteboard, followed by facilitated Q&A to co-design adaptations relevant to their own teaching contexts.

Presenter

Kria Coleman is an Educational Designer in the Division of Teaching and Learning at the University of Sydney, where she works at the intersection of educational design, academic partnership, and generative AI. Her practice and research focus on self-regulated learning, socially shared regulation, and Universal Design for Learning — with a particular interest in how first-year students navigate the transition to university. Kria develops innovative responses to teaching and learning challenges, including AI-supported learning tools, inclusive teaching and assessment frameworks, and evidence-based partnerships with academics across disciplines. She is currently completing postgraduate research into Self-Regulated Learning in the first-year experience of university.

(June 2026)