Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 October 2021
383. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department plans to undertake a universal design review of all further education and higher education institutions in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49199/21]
View answerIn higher education, the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning has been working to support higher education institutions in embedding universal design for learning (UDL) principles in teaching and learning practices. Student Success is one of the Forum’s priority areas, and under this strand a number of projects focusing on universal design for learning have been funded to implement UDL in specific curricula in higher education institutions.
The National Forum have incorporated a strong link to universal design in the new Seven Cs for Embedding Student Success: A Toolkit for Higher Education Institutions, which was launched in recent days. Full details available at studentsuccess.teachingandlearning.ie/ .
To build staff capacity in UDL, a Digital Badge for UDL has been developed by Ahead and UCD for the National Forum. Last year, 650 participants took part in the Open Course developed through this initiative. The course is currently being delivered with over 1,200 participants from FET and HE. The National Forum is also currently working with UCD and AHEAD on the possible development of another course Universal Design of Student Services with an aim for it to be delivered in Autumn of 2022. A number of professional development seminars on the theme of UDL have also been delivered with support from the National Forum.
The next National Access Plan is currently in development following an extensive consultation process earlier this year. Inclusivity will be central to this Plan and the application of UDL principles in teaching and learning will be considered within this.
In further education, SOLAS, Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI), and the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) across the country have progressed a series of actions to support the goal of Fostering Inclusion through the development and roll-out of a series of good practice guidelines to promote inclusion throughout FET. This included the development and publication of a conceptual framework for Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for the FET Sector and a guide on UDL for practitioners. A UDL approach aims to reduce obstacles to learning by taking into account the needs of learners such as their age or the levels of their ability. This will help all learners in FET, whatever their particular needs, and will make FET as widely accessible as possible .
