ADCET UDL Symposium: Designing for Confidence - A UDL–Aligned Digital Practice OSCE for Speech Pathology to Support Learner Agency and Assessment Readiness

Online presentation

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used in health education to assess clinical competence; however, for novice students they can provoke high levels of stress, uncertainty, and reduced learner agency. This presentation reported on the design, implementation, and evaluation of a digital practice OSCE developed for undergraduate speech pathology students in a university context, aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines 3.0.

Using the ADDIE instructional design framework, the LMS-integrated tool was intentionally designed to operationalise UDL principles. Engagement supported through authentic clinical scenarios, real client audio samples, gamified elements, and self-paced practice that reduced threat and supported emotional regulation. Representation was addressed through multimodal content (audio, text, exemplars), clear structure, and predictable navigation to reduce cognitive load and support executive functioning. Action and Expression were embedded via untimed and timed practice options, self- and peer-evaluation, automated feedback, and exemplars that enabled students to demonstrate learning in flexible ways.

Qualitative evaluation data from seven undergraduate speech pathology students indicated positive impacts on the student experience, with students reporting increased enjoyment, confidence, assessment literacy, and reduced anxiety. Participants valued the authentic replication of summative OSCE conditions, structured practice opportunities, and reassurance gained through feedback and exemplars. These findings position digital practice OSCEs as an innovative, scalable, and institution-wide UDL approach that extends inclusive design beyond the classroom and into assessment.

The goal of this session was to equip participants with practical strategies for designing UDL 3.0–aligned digital assessment support resources that enhance accessibility, learner agency, and wellbeing. Engagement of both in-person and online participants was supported through interactive reflection tasks, and shared digital artefacts, including showcasing the digital OSCE practice tool we developed, ensuring equitable participation across modalities.

Presenters

Dr Frances Cochrane is the Course Coordinator for the Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours) program at James Cook University (JCU). Her PhD explored services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults with acquired neurogenic communication disorders. She also served as Educational Designer (Lead) at JCU (2020–2022). Fran has received multiple awards, including two College of Healthcare Sciences Teaching Awards and several inclusion and innovation awards, and was a 2025 Student Voice Australasia award finalist. In 2024, she and colleagues won the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology Editors Award for best publication.

(June 2026)