SoTL Projects

PATH. MU - UDL & U

MU - UDL & U. Building a Culture of Inclusion in Maynooth University

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles that supports a more inclusive learning environment for all students. Embedding UDL principles in teaching, learning and assessment practices is an important element of Maynooth University’s commitment to the provision of a more inclusive learning environment and experience for all our students.

To support this commitment, CTL in collaboration with the Access Office, has awarded four UDL focused T&L Fellowships to Maynooth University colleagues under the HEA PATH 4, Phase 1 - Universal Design for Education Fund. The UDL Faculty T&L Fellows will work together with CTL staff to co-design and implement this UDL initiative. The team will collaborate to:

collate and develop UDL educational resources and guidelines to assist staff in learning about and applying UDL principles in their practice
design and implement a short UDL staff awareness campaign to prompt and support staff to make small incremental changes to increase the inclusiveness of their teaching, learning and assessment practices
evaluate the effectiveness of the UDL campaign
collate faculty specific exemplars of good UDL practice to inspire and share good practice across the University.

The UDL Faculty T&L Fellows 2023-24 are:

Dr Marian Crowley-Henry, School of Business, and Dr Margaret Flood, Education Department, and Faculty of Social Sciences.
Professor Denise Rooney, Chemistry Department and Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Professor Moynagh Sullivan, English Department and Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies, and Philosophy.

To access the MU - UDL & U Resource Hub and the Awareness Campaign Information, please click here:
https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/centre-teaching-and-learning/ctl-projects/path-initiative

Path 4 - Enhancing Moodle Accessibility

Supporting MU Staff in Enhancing Moodle Accessibility

Moodle is an integral part of digital learning/technology enhanced learning in Maynooth University. Moodle is used by all students and as such its accessibility is an essential aspect of the institution’s commitment to the provision of an inclusion learning environment. Building upon previous CTL efforts, which include the development of the MU Moodle Accessibility Baseline, Accessibility Guide, and accessible resources for both staff and students, this project aims to advance Moodle's accessibility further.

Moodle Help for Staff - https://moodle.maynoothuniversity.ie/course/view.php?id=3
Moodle Accessibility Hub

Key objectives within the project include:

Roll-out of the Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit on the Maynooth University Moodle site.
Collating and developing a Moodle Accessibility Resource Hub for MU staff.
Designing and facilitating an awareness and engagement campaign to assist MU staff in upskilling in the Moodle Accessibility Toolkit.
Developing materials to enhance Moodle Accessibility for MU students and facilitating an awareness and engagement campaign.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the Moodle Accessibility campaign to inform future iterations and supports.

Introducing the Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit

The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) will introduce the Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit, a comprehensive suite of tools and resources tailored to address common accessibility challenges within Moodle. This toolkit includes features such as:

Content Evaluation: Automatically assesses course content and assessments for accessibility issues, streamlining the identification of potential barriers to access.
Remediation: Facilitates bulk updates for unclear or missing text in web links, image descriptions, and video subtitles, ensuring consistent accessibility standards across materials.
Accessible File Formats: Provides content in various accessible formats such as Audio, ePub, and Electronic Braille, catering to diverse learning needs.
Effort Prioritisation: Identifies activities with the most accessibility issues, enabling educators to allocate resources effectively and prioritise efforts.
HTML Fixes: Automatically corrects out-of-date HTML tags, ensuring compliance with current accessibility standards.
Performance Support: Offers just-in-time tips for teachers on creating better content, fostering continuous improvement in accessibility practices.
Insight Generation: Provides insights into recurring accessibility errors in content, empowering educators to address underlying issues proactively.
Improved Editor: Utilises an enhanced editor for better content quality, integrating accessibility features directly into the content creation process.
Workflow Enhancement: Applies enhanced plugins for more accessible workflows, streamlining the creation and management of course materials.

Collaborating for Accessibility

We place great importance on fostering collaboration and embracing input from the staff, students, and stakeholders within our university community, as it is fundamental to our mission. Over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years, we will actively seek your insights and contributions to enhance various aspects of the Moodle accessibility project.

Updates

Stay up-to-date on the latest developments regarding the project by visiting our Project Web page. If you have any inquiries about this project, feel free to contact the CTL team at [email protected].

Observation of Teaching

Observation of teaching is used in higher education institutions for development and progression purposes. In Maynooth University, observation of teaching is carried out by agreement between colleagues within and across departments, by colleagues from the University’s Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and by colleagues from outside of the University.

The purpose of this project is to learn more about good practice and to offer a proposal for an institutional approach to observation of teaching which would be considered by colleagues and could potentially be piloted on campus in academic year 2023-24.

The project is being initiated in direct response to interest from colleagues in this approach, as communicated through one of the faculty T&L committees.

Further information on this project is available here