meeting_01_27_12

=**UDL Focus Group Meeting, January 27, 2012 **=

NOTE: I joined the meeting through a conference call and the audio on the phone frequently was interrupted. I know I missed bits of the conversation, including some of the introductions. Therefore, the notes from the meeting may be missing information. Please feel free to edit them so they more accurately reflect the discussion.

Highlighted text is an action item.

Agenda
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 * 1) Discussion of the readings*
 * 1) What resonated with you about what you read?
 * 1) What did it make you consider in terms of our work at the U of A?
 * 1) Did the readings raise issues for you in terms of your practice?
 * 1) Did the readings raise issues for you in terms of how we prepare our Education graduates for teaching in today's classrooms?
 * 1) Our definition of UDL
 * 1) Setting our Goals
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David Edyburn, February 9
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Regular meeting time

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Notes from the meeting
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kathy, Marilyn, Amy, Joe, Denyse, (U of A) Nancy, Sue (U of L)

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 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Summary of discussion **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Note: here is the reference to the book that Kathy mentioned just as we began the discussion: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Burgstahler, S. E. & Cory, R. C. (2008) Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

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 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Definition: Do we have a definition that allows us to measure UDL? If we don’t have a way to measure it, how do we know if we are making a difference?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UDL is relatively new (10 years) but it seems familiar because it has similarities to what we’ve been trying to do in teaching for years.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Technology has been a catalyst: it makes it easier to do what we have wanted to do; therefore the increase in interest.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It is more than good teaching; it involves intentionally changing the environment so all learners can do more; not focused on the learner.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AT is individualized; UDL is global.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have we been successful in Special Ed?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is our measure of success? Standardized benchmarks are still used. Are these showing success? No. Does UDL provide us with another way to measure success? Maybe, but we need a definition.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alberta Ed is moving to a competence model which might open up possibilities. They have a new [|__framework of learning__] <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How does this fit into our post secondary environment? How do we measure our ability/success? If we use a curve it won’t make a difference in grades. For example, the U of A has EDPY 301 Inclusive Ed (150-180 students) which all undergrads are required to take and it still uses one size fits all multiple choice exams.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Competency based is counter to the academic culture: we need a range of grades to allow for some leaders to emerge.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We should expect that basic UDL principles (for example: don’t use videos that aren’t captioned, don’t use text books that don’t have digital copies) are standard in our post secondary programs.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Can we make these expectations? We can. It has to come through the faculty. In the Faculty of Ed at U of A the Faculty Council is the place where this kind of change happens; it is where principles that the faculty will agree too are adopted.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">U of L doesn’t get many special needs students. Fear is that this is because students come to the program after two years and many have not been successful.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Concern for language based difficulties – can we allow students to become teachers who can’t spell or who have errors in communications with parents? Can we provide those people with technology tools that will make sure their language output is appropriate?
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">An advantage of students who struggle is that they can understand what students who struggle need and go through.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When we design for universality, we are potentially creating challenges for others (eg. Curb cut can cause problems for blind people)
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UDL is about choice (different than architecture); possibly takes away advantage from some.

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 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our definition of UDL **

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 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #fffc00; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For next meeting: we each will go through the Principles and write our own definition and then we can bring them together and share.

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 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Setting our Goals: **

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 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A suggestion was made to start with the top layer of the Guidelines.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #fffc00; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For next meeting: Look at Guidelines 1,4,and 7. Consider what it means for us in our classes and faculties. Kathy will write something up and send it around

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Reminder that we had talked about a refereed video journal.

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 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David Edyburn, February 9 **
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #fffc00; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Can we record it? Kathy will ask.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discussion around where and how to distribute the poster

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 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Regular meeting time **
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: #fffc00; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Amy will send out another Doodle poll with several options for a regular time.
 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: serif; font-size: 120%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Our next meeting will be in March based on the results of the Poll.