Symposium: Transform Your Further Ed Campus with Universal Design for Learning

Further education by its nature is the most diverse space in our education system. Coming through its doors are increasing numbers of learners with disabilities, mature learners, learners for whom English is not a first language, LGBT learners and learners from the travelling community - and that is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the diversity of people we serve. So how can our further education campuses respond to the needs of this huge range of learners and provide a high quality educational experience with active inclusion at it's heart?

We have invited US expert Dr. Thomas Tobin to Dublin to explore with you the potential of implementing the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework to help you to do just that and how to leverage the power of mobile learning to help you to achieve it. Dr. Tobin will share his experiences of UDL implementation in the community college sector (similar to PLC sector here) in the US and discuss with you the value of such an approach in FE here in Ireland. Additionally, AHEAD will update you in ongoing research and practice in the area of UDL and further education.

This interactive symposium will help you to understand the UDL framework and why it has the potential to transform your campus, as well as offering you a great opportunity to network with other FE professionals.

Interested in providing a truly learner centred educational experience on your campus? Then come along and explore the benefits of universal design approaches in further education.

ABOUT DR. THOMAS J. TOBIN

Thomas J. Tobin is the Conference Programming Chair and Faculty Associate in the Learning Design, Development, & Innovation department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as an internationally-recognized speaker and author on quality in technology-enhanced education, especially copyright, evaluation of teaching practice, academic integrity, and accessibility/universal design for learning.

He holds a Ph.D. in English literature, a second master’s degree in information science, and professional certifications in project management (PMP), online teaching (MOT), Quality Matters (QM), and accessibility core competencies (CPACC).

Tom serves on the editorial boards of eLearn Magazine, InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, the Journal of Interactive Online Learning, and the Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration.

His books include:

• Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education (2018).
• Evaluating Online Teaching: Implementing Best Practices (2015).
• The Copyright Ninja: Rise of the Ninja (2017).
• Going Alt-Ac: A Guide to Alternative Academic Careers (in press, 2019).