The Washington State University Teaching Academy has set Friday, Oct. 21 as the date of the inaugural, annual TEACHxWSU event for faculty and teaching assistants, focused this year on learning about and practicing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in higher education.
Formatted much like TEDx presentations, TEACHxWSU 2022 will feature in-person presentations on the WSU Pullman campus with live-streaming to remote participants. University of Hawaii at Manoa professor Kavita Rao will be the keynote speaker, and guest experts from WSU will also share their knowledge. Recordings and transcripts will be posted to the Teaching Academy website post-event for maximum accessibility.
The principles of UDL form a “framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how people learn.” UDL guidelines provide both theoretical and practical foundations of research across education, including the exploration of diverse populations. They also offer suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful learning opportunities.
UDL ties to the new 2022–23 faculty book club hosted by the academy. Free copies of the shared book, “Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education,” are available, said Egbert. Interested faculty can email Egbert or Kate Watts.
