I Skollagen framgår det att skolan ska ta hänsyn till elevers olika behov, samt att barn och elever ska ges stöd och stimulans så att de utvecklas så långt som möjligt. Trots det finns det inte mycket forskning om hur en sådan lärmiljö kan skapas eller utformas. Mot bakgrund av detta genomfördes denna studie med syfte att undersöka hur några lärare i mellanstadiet organiserar undervisningen samt den fysiska miljön för att skapa förutsättningar för lärande. Frågeställningar togs fram med inspiration från TEACCH- modellen som handlar om att skapa förutsägbarhet och förståelse för sammanhang genom en tydliggörande pedagogik. De tre frågeställningarna var: Hur är den fysiska miljön organiserad?, Hur är den tydliggörande arbets- och aktivitetsordningen organiserad? och Hur ser organiseringen av undervisningen ut? Sex stycken lärare observerades under ett eller två lektionstillfällen vardera utifrån ett observationsschema som utgick från de tre frågeställningarna. Utöver observationerna skickades en enkät ut som 28 lärare deltog i. Enkätens frågor utgick, liksom observationerna, från de tre frågeställningarna. Resultatet analyserades sedan utifrån det teoretiska ramverket och förhållningssättet Universal Design for Learning. Studien visar att en tillgänglig lärmiljö skapas i olika utsträckning, samt att lärarna inte fullt ut skapar en tillgänglig lärmiljö och därmed inte uppväger skillnader mellan elevernas olika förutsättningar. Hinder för att lärarna inte fullt ut skapar en tillgänglig lärmiljö kan relateras till olika nivåer av yttre kontroll, såsom fysiska och organisatoriska begränsningar. Utifrån resultatet kunde slutsatsen dras att tydliggörande och tillgänglig undervisning behöver utvecklas som forskningsfält då forskning ännu inte har klargjort hur och på vilket sätt enskilda faktorer inom tydliggörande pedagogik påverkar lärande. I den specialpedagogiska praktiken skulle lärarnas arbete kunna försvåras på grund av komplexiteten och oenigheten inom den vetenskapliga forskningen om vad som specifikt främjar lärande samt hur olika faktorer påverkar lärmiljön.

Preparing undergraduate students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to be a national priority. This project analyzed the effects of virtual metacognitive academic coaching between graduate student coaches and undergraduate STEM majors with Executive Function disorders at a large, four-year university. The project team analyzed the persistence of the undergraduate students in their major, as well as the graduate students’ abilities to transfer the coaching experiences to K-12 settings. A mixed-methods design evaluated qualitative (i.e. student/coaches’ surveys and interviews) outcomes for undergraduate STEM majors and for graduate students. The goal of this project is to develop iteratively a model of scalable supports that can be utilized to support undergraduates with disabilities in STEM majors’ at large universities such as UCF. Graduate student coaches paired with undergraduate STEM majors with Executive Function disorders (n=26) worked collaboratively throughout one semester to developed strategies that supported the success of the undergraduate students’ coursework. Both coaches and students provided examples of positive effects of the academic coaching process that supported student course work and created experiences that the graduate students could use in a K-12 setting.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been identified as a contemporary instructional model for promoting inclusion and equitable opportunities for diverse and struggling learners. However, research regarding teachers' perceptions of UDL and its effective implementation is limited, making planning, implementing, and providing professional development difficult for administrators. Guided by the constructivist views of Vygotsky and Piaget, this qualitative case study was designed to understand teachers' knowledge and perceptions of how UDL can be used to promote equitable inclusive instruction, implementation barriers, educational applications for UDL, and perceived needs to implement UDL. Participants were teachers who had implemented UDL from a public charter school serving only students in Grades 3-11 with low incidence disabilities; 20 participated in an online survey, 7 participated in an individual interview, and 3 participated in a group interview. Data were coded and analyzed for common themes. Participants expressed resistance to change, negative impressions of UDL, and disability bias. Recommendations for administrators included strategies for implementation of UDL, periodic collection of teachers' perceptions of UDL for formative purposes, modeling UDL for teachers, monitoring teachers' lesson plans, and classroom observations. This study contributes to social change by identifying teachers' perceptions of their own knowledge, needs, and barriers to implementation of UDL in order assist administrators in effectively preparing them for delivery of instructional services to enhance learning for all diverse and struggling students.

Multiple approaches have been used in U.S. community colleges to address the learning needs of postsecondary students who are underprepared in basic skills math. The purpose of this exploratory interview study was to gain a deeper understanding of community college basic skills math learning through instructors' lived experiences using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach and its technology tool, a computerized pen. The conceptual framework for this study used Knowles's adult learning and Kolb's experiential learning theories with UDL principles. The central research questions investigated the professional development and teaching experiences of community college basic skills math instructors in their basic skills math curriculum in the California Community College system using a Smartpen. Interviews were conducted with 4 instructors, 2 of whom also participated in the 2011-2012 community college pilot project of the approach. The analysis consisted of coding and theme development in relation to the experiential learning process and the instructors' andragogy practices. This study identified 4 themes for use in understanding the instructors' experiences teaching with a Smartpen: instructor preparation, technology use and savvy, student needs, and instructor flexibility/adaptability. The study findings are of interest to community college basic math skills instructors, who can use these findings to inform their teaching preparation and teaching approaches, improving pedagogy and helping their students successfully complete their math courses.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:17:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 113752.pdf: 24488142 bytes, checksum: 1e3529af4d6bbcb726d1aa2a4cfe471d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this study was to evaluate which ergonomic solutions, based on the concepts of usability, accessibility and universal design for learning can be suitable for the development of interfaces for inclusive learning, following the needs of individuals with visual impairment and / or hearing and reporting users experience of designers and students of e-learning. The practical experiment of the study was divided into two phases. Phase 1 involved the execution of analytical evaluation, based on these concepts, a course extension course distance titled " The person with disabilities in the school context," sponsored by the Laboratory of Inclusive Education (Ledi), linked to the Center of Distance Learning (CEAD) in the State University of Santa Catarina (UDESC) developed in virtual environment MOODLE®. Based on the nonconformities found in the interface, was developed a prototype of the same interface (B) proposing usability features and digital accessibility. In phase 2 was conducted an usability evaluation and analysis of user experience, through metrics runtime of tasks and number of errors during the interaction with the interfaces for that, using a questionnaire based on the concepts of GOMS method. The analysis of overall satisfaction was measured using a questionnaire formulated based on the method QUIS. The questionnaire contained 21 questions, built looking to meet user satisfaction. Each question could be answered using a grid with a scale of 1 (completely disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Participants were four visually impaired (DV) , 3 users with hearing loss (HL), to verify that the interface could be read by these groups of people , 5 designers ( DE) that offered solutions and pointed out possible inconsistencies in the interfaces and 3 students who attended the course (AL), which sought to understand the users who usually attend distance learning courses. The subjects showed positive and negative points that found interacting with the interfaces. The results indicate that non-conformities had the point of view of usability and accessibility in interface A. Some of these points were changed by inserting accessibility features in the prototype interface ( B ) . These enhancements are designed so that they can be applied by teachers and designers to contribute to improving the access of people, including those with disabilities, to distance education. / O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar quais soluções ergonômicas, fundamentadas nos conceitos de usabilidade, acessibilidade e desenho universal para aprendizagem podem ser adequadas para o desenvolvimento de interfaces de aprendizagem inclusivas, seguindo as necessidades de indivíduos com deficiência visual e/ou auditiva e o relato de experiências de uso de designers e alunos da educação à distância. O experimento prático da pesquisa foi dividido em duas fases. A fase 1 englobou a execução de avaliação analítica, fundamentada nestes conceitos, de um curso do curso de extensão à distância intitulado A pessoa com deficiência física no contexto escolar , promovido pelo Laboratório de Educação Inclusiva (LEdI), vinculado ao Centro de Ensino à distância (CEAD) da Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC) desenvolvido em ambiente virtual MOODLE®. Tendo por base as inconformidades encontradas na interface A, desenvolveu-se um protótipo da mesma interface (B) propondo recursos de usabilidade e acessibilidade digital. Na fase 2, executou-se avaliação de usabilidade e análise de experiência de usuário, por meio das métricas tempo de execução das tarefas e número de erros cometidos durante a interação com as interfaces, para isso, utilizando um questionário construído com base nos conceitos do método GOMS. A análise da satisfação global foi mensurada utilizando questionário formulado com base no método QUIS. Este questionário continha 21 perguntas, construídas procurando conhecer a satisfação do usuário. Cada pergunta podia ser respondida usando uma grade com escala de 1 (discordo completamente) a 7(concordo plenamente). Participaram do estudo 4 portadores de deficiência visual (DV), 3 portadores de deficiência auditiva (DA), para verificar se a interface poderia ser lida por estes grupos de pessoas, 5 designers (DE) que ofereceram soluções e apontaram possíveis inconsistencias nas interfaces e 3 alunos que participaram do curso (AL), onde buscou-se entender os usuários que normalmente frequentam cursos à distância. Os sujeitos da pesquisa apontaram pontos positivos e negativos que encontraram interagindo com as interfaces. Os resultados encontrados apontaram que haviam inconformidades do ponto de vista da usabilidade e da acessibilidade na interface A. Alguns destes pontos foram alterados inserindo recursos de acessibilidade no protótipo (interface B). Tais melhorias foram projetadas de modo que possam ser aplicadas por professores e designers visando contribuir para melhorar o acesso das pessoas, inclusive as que possuem deficiência, à educação à distância.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the perceptions of how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) impacts motivation in first-year community college students in rural East Tennessee. This study investigated the effects of UDL on motivation of first-year community college students in East Tennessee. This involved multiple sections of courses participating in a UDL pilot training program with the college’s Instructional Design department. Two of the courses were part of the UDL pilot, and two of the courses were teaching the Standard approved Master Curriculum. The study had a total of 109 participants, and 9 research questions were analyzed at the .05 significance level. Interactivity was significantly higher in the English UDL courses than the Education UDL courses. Rural students and nontraditional students were significantly more motivated in the UDL courses. There was no difference in predicted grades between the UDL and non-UDL courses. While results of this study did not align with other studies being published regarding the success of UDL programs, it provides good groundwork for more in depth studies. It also supports the idea that courses should implement UDL from beginning to end rather than just isolating one module for a UDL design.

The purpose with this study is to problematize implementation of the concept of universal design for learning (UDL), (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014) in higher education. The study focuses on what university teachers express regarding their experiences of the concept of UDL two or three years after having taken part of a series of workshops to learn UDL. The analysis was done using content analysis (Cohen, Manion & Morrison, 2011) and the theoretical framework of Designs for Learning (DFL) was used in order to highlight the results (Marie Leijon & Lindstrand, 2012; Selander, 2008; Selander & Kress, 2010). The results cannot be generalized but imply that UDL, without any particular adaptation for a Swedish context, is a concept for widening participation. After participating in a workshop series on UDL the concept has had a lasting impact with the respondents. The respondents use all three of the main principles of UDL; provide multiple means for engagement provide multiple means for representation and provide multiple means for action and expression. UDL is indicated to be a concept towards student centered learning and teaching, towards improving student’s possibilities of learning to learn and as a concept for manifesting a mindset for widening participation. UDL is by the respondents in this study also seen as a concept to develop widening participation. They see UDL as a concept for management to strategically implement widening participation. which is missing and asked for by the respondents. The possible drawbacks with the concept is just that, that few use UDL, few know about it and there is no recommendation from management to use UDL. Another drawback is that it takes time implementing UDL, though some respondents point out that it saves time in the end.

This thesis examines how queer identities are represented through characters in The Adventure Zone, a popular Dungeons and Dragons, fantasy comedy podcast that features unique fan contributions and deep involvement from the creators. Drawing on queer theory and theories of stereotypes and language, audience participation, and transmediation, this thesis argues that The Adventure Zone’s portrayal of queer identities both challenges dominant norms and stereotypes while also being shaped by them, and that listening to the podcast can create opportunities to discuss queer identities, LGBTQIA+ questions and the relationships between author and fans online in the Swedish EFL classroom. The findings indicate that the podcast tries to avoid but still falls into some stereotypical ideas even though it welcomes fan inclusion and representation. The character Taako is also found to be a good subject for discussions with students in terms of negotiating ideas of queerness and identity formation in accordance with the school’s democratic mission of inclusivity and sexuality, consent and relationships outlined in the new curriculum.

School librarians create an atmosphere where learners feel empowered. Moreover, school library programming should support diversity, equity, and inclusive learning opportunities to facilitate student success. Thus, school librarians are expected to model and advocate for equitable learning spaces while considering the universal design for learning approach to improving accessibility, utilization, and relevance for all library patrons. Although it has been established that school library standards support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), more is needed to know about the impact of a crisis on school library programming and services. In addition, extensive research has not been conducted to determine school librarians' responsiveness and strategies to provide services for their school communities during disruptive times. This study examines school librarians' perceptions of the opportunities and challenges encountered while endeavoring to engage in DEI practices during crises.

This dissertation examines a university faculty (n = 41) and diverse students (n = 93) including students with disability (n = 44), students without disability (n = 21), and international students (n = 28) regarding their attitudes toward and actions associated with inclusive instruction based on the universal design for learning (UDL) principles and practices. Two online surveys, the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory (ITSI) and the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Student (ITSI-S), were administered at a large, public Southwest university (N = 134). The ITSI and ITSI-S contain seven subscales representing the following constructs: (a) accommodations, (b) accessible course materials, (c) course modifications, (d) inclusive lecture strategies, (e) inclusive classroom, (f) inclusive assessment, and (g) disability laws and concepts. A series of multivariate analyses of variances (MANOVAs) measured the overall of attitude subscales and overall action subscales, and an independent-samples test (t-test) compared mean scores on the seven Attitude subscales and seven Action subscales to identify predictors of these attitudes and actions among faculty and students. The main findings were (a) significant differences among diverse students, where students with disability responded negatively on the Action subscales and (b) significant differences between faculty and diverse students where international students had a positive attitude on the Attitude subscales, whereas students with disability had a negative attitude on the Action subscales toward the actual practices of their faculty. Results of the current study respond to the gap in the literature by examining the inclusive instruction environment based on UDL in a university environment. The implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are discussed.