ADCET UDL Symposium: Beyond the LMS - Aura Farming for Belonging and Agency

In-person presentation

Learning design in higher education and vocational education and training often concentrates on curriculum, assessment and the learning management system. Yet many learners, including international students, experience a loneliness gap that undermines engagement, wellbeing and participation. Drawing on Aristotle’s view that learning occurs through social life in the polis and habituation, and Habermas’s claim that good reasoning depends on fair, supportive dialogue conditions, this presentation makes the case for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) beyond the classroom: designing intentional peer connection as part of learning.

At Skills Institute (Aotearoa New Zealand), we pair a heutagogical progression (from structured foundations to growing autonomy and independent practice) with Skills Connect, a voluntary, non-credit programme of seven fortnightly activities across a 14-week semester for business, digital technology and culinary learners. The model uses Buddy Trios for continuity, cross-programme mixing, and Walk and Talk networking: a guided route with timed pair rotations and prompts that lower barriers to conversation. Activities rehearse employability behaviours (respectful communication, teamwork, follow-through) while remaining culturally inclusive and enjoyable. In these peer interactions, we also observe “aura farming” in action: micro-practices that cultivate authentic presence, empathy, ethical judgement, resilience and courageous leadership alongside technical learning.

Aligned with UDL Guidelines 3.0, the design nurtures joy and play, fosters collaboration and community, and addresses biases, threats and distractions through clear norms, low-stakes participation options, and multiple ways to communicate (movement, speech, chat, artefacts). Impact is monitored through attendance and repeat attendance, pulse surveys on belonging and confidence, and facilitator observations, feeding into a continuous improvement cycle.

Participants left with a ready-to-use blueprint and practical resources to adapt this approach for their own context.

Presenter

Dr Dmitry Zavialov is a Learning Designer at Skills Institute in Auckland, New Zealand. Originally from Tajikistan, he holds a PhD in Politics from the University of Otago (New Zealand), an MA in Human Rights and Multi-Level Governance from the University of Padua (Italy), and a Specialist degree in International Relations from Lomonosov Moscow State University. He has extensive experience in university teaching, curriculum design, and academic research, and is the author of Whataboutism in International Politics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025). Dmitry is also the founder of Walk and Talk, an Auckland community initiative fostering wellbeing through authentic human conversation.

(June 2026)