Presentations
UDL Goes to the Museum
June 30, 2020. The Polytechnic Museum in Moscow hosted a panel on “What Is Universal Design in Education?”, which consisted of a Russian educator focusing on children with disabilities and my perspective on universal design for learning practices.
An Accessible Approach to Digital Accessibility
March 23, 2020. AAC&U Diversity, Equity and Student Success Virtual Conference
Increased attention to the accessibility of web environments is an opportunity to unite our campuses to not only work toward ADA compliance, but consider the wide scope of accessible learning. This session shares the iterative process of communicating web accessibility in a way that is comprehensible, usable and overall accessible to faculty and students.
Phone As Friend: Exploring Where and When Mobile Learning Happens
February 28, 2020. Great Lakes Regional Student Success Conference
While we may lament phones’ presence in the classroom and our vulnerability to their distractions, we should consider how we can use phones to bolster our students’ learning and productivity. Mobile learning can not only extend learning, but also increase the creativity, relevance, and inclusion of our courses. With strategic use of mobile-friendly documents, the LMS app, and one or two other apps, we can greatly increase students access and opportunities to engage in important learning activities that complement deeper learning.
Universal Design for Learning with (and without) Technology
January 10, 2020. PODLive! Webinar
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) promotes multiple ways to motivate (engage) students, present (represent) content, and offer a range of ways for students to demonstrate their learning (action/expression). We will explain how UDL course design can be implemented in no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech ways. We provided a UDL and technology guide with activity and tool examples, explain and demonstrate select examples, and consider challenges in implementing UDL and technology, such as resources and accessibility standards. See the UDL Tech discussion document.
Simplifying The Story of Web Accessibility (Moore & Arnold, 2019).pptxAccessible Learning Conference
November 21, 2019 at Michigan State University
For faculty, the web accessibility story is one of fear: fear of legal repercussions, fear of unsupported labor, and a general fear of re-thinking all of their digital instructional content. A small faculty support team created accessibility training by shifting this story toward one of increased accessibility for all, including faculty themselves. This session shares the iterative process of putting web accessibility and ADA compliance into a message that is comprehensible, usable and overall accessible to faculty. We will share a few simple but powerful habit changes in creating key instructional materials, along with varied ways of sharing this story.
Inclusive Practices and Universal Design for Learning
November 6, 2019 at Oakland University
As a result of this session, participants will be able to explain and describe how Universal Design for Learning is an effective pedagogy of inclusive practices. We will review multiple modes of engagement (what motivates students and creates a sense of belonging), representation (how we deliver material and content) and expression (how students demonstrate what they know). We evaluate conditions and opportunities for developing UDL practices in different disciplines.
Lilly Conference on Teaching and Learning
October 18, 2019 in Traverse City, Michigan
This interactive session provided easy first steps for faculty who are interested in creating digitally accessible content. Learn what you can do now to make content accessible for students with impairments, and how these simple changes to the way you create content benefit all students and you. Some high-impact changes are simply a matter of changing habits, such as using heading styles in documents and slide designs. We will demonstrate overlooked accessibility tools in Microsoft Office and explain accessibility standards related to PDFs, videos, and other web media.
Slicing the Pie: Productivity, Time Management, Habit, and Focus
May and October 2019, at Oakland University
In this session, we explore how to increase productivity and focus through research-based strategies, while being mindful of barriers to and assumptions around technology. We practice ways to identify and control common productivity pitfalls, such as email and other micro-distractions. We provide discussion and reflection opportunities to evaluate current time management strategies or shortcomings, and then plan time management strategies that align with priorities.
FREE-learning Conference
August 13, 2019 with Appalachian State University (online)
Educators are using technology in the classroom, but often not the technology graduates find necessary in their careers. On the job, graduates increasingly need to use collaborative technology, the most important of which is video-conferencing. It turns out we can also use video-conferencing to improve how we work with students and collaborate as researchers. This session provides five reasons we should all embrace video-conferencing in our work, shows free and paid options, and provides examples of how video-conferencing helps all of us work better. It’s easier than you think to improve learner engagement using video-conferencing options.