ADCET UDL Symposium: Exploring the Third Space - Facilitating learner engagement in Higher Education across Academic/Professional Binaries

Online presentation

Learning and student support advisors occupy a unique position within higher education. Situated between academic and professional realms, advisors often work one-on-one with students providing support with learning and/or navigating university administrative systems (Fenton-smith & Gurney, 2022). This presentation argued that advising plays a key role in facilitating Universal Design for Learning ‘beyond the classroom’ and across higher education institutions by breaking down barriers to accessible learning. To do so, we clarified the role of an advisor, focussing particularly on the contribution of the advising space to the UDL guideline of ‘engagement’.

We drew on two case studies of ongoing academic consultations and degree support to explore strategies that advisors can use to help students define their learning goals and promote learner agency. These case studies use practitioner reflections and qualitative student survey data to highlight the positive impact of these support services on student learning. Furthermore, we argued that these examples support claims regarding the necessity of an institution-wide approach to UDL in order to support students’ executive functioning and help them sustain effort and persistence in their studies (Norman & Newham, 2018).

Our presentation also foregrounded engagement by offering opportunities for personal responses and reflection and incorporating storytelling. In doing so, we hoped to extend discussion of UDL into student support spaces and promote a collaborative approach to learning that bridges the gap between professional and academic spaces.