ADCET UDL Symposium: Universal Design for Learning in Initial Teacher Education - Do we practice what we preach?

In-person presentation

Usage of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in an initial teacher education (ITE) program is explored, specifically, whether university tutors practice what they preach.

UDL is not new in higher education (HE), however in Australia, it has only recently gained momentum (Leif et al., 2025). Ironically, in this School of Education, UDL is not explicitly utilised in subject design, with several tutors ignorant of CAST’s framework. This is problematic, though reflective of the current state of HE and ITE in Australia; few UDL programs, training or professional learning is available (Cumming & Rose, 2022; Leif et al., 2023). Interviews were conducted with tutors to ascertain their knowledge and practice of UDL. Student survey data was then collected to provide evidence of the impact on student experience. Initial findings highlight discrepancies between theory and practice. Data reveals that while initial teacher educators implement and/or are knowledagble of UDL, positive impact on student experience is limited due to entrenched traditional higher education individual and system level barriers (Leif et al., 2025).

Students stated that “classes were not engaging” and that their experience was not inclusive. Barriers to student engagement included an overwhelming workload and ineffective teaching styles. This demonstrates that the UDL guidelines 3.0 are not being utilised to their full potential, with tutors finding considerations such as “nurture joy and play” and “optimise choice and autonomy” difficult to put in practice (CAST, 2024).

The researcher’s goal for this presentation, was to determine whether this experience is widespread across Australian universities through a survey accessible for in-person and online participants. They were asked to reflect on their practice or that of an educator, using the same questions from the project. By the end of the survey, participants were asking themselves, “do we practice what we preach?”.

Presenters

Dr. Samantha Woo has extensive experience in inclusive education across early childhood, primary and secondary initial teacher education programs. She is passionate about Universal Design for Learning (UDL); helping educators see diverse learners as a welcome challenge. Dr. Woo collaborated in a project with INOVASI, creating online inclusive education programs for Indonesian teachers who learnt and applied inclusive pedagogy, including UDL. She is currently undertaking multiple exciting research projects, including a UDL co-design workshop in partnership with a disability advocacy organisation. Dr. Woo is looking forward to meeting like-minded educators who dare ask themselves “Do we practice what we preach?”

(June 2026)