EnACT: Teacher Practice in Higher Ed

It’s CAST’s 25th anniversary! To celebrate, we feature great UDL implementation in the field through the UDL Spotlight. Want to nominate a Spotlight? See navigation bar above.

Ensuring Access Through Collaboration and Technology (EnACT)

EnACT is a U.S. Department of Education-funded Demonstration project designed to ensure that students with disabilities can attain their postsecondary educational goals in California State Universities. EnACT provides faculty with the skills, support and training to achieve this goal.

In this, our first UDL Spotlight, we focus on the classroom practices of Dr. Sandra Yang, a member of the Music Faculty at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. Dr. Yang shares her techniques and experience with implementing UDL in her Music One Class.

My interest in Universal Design for Learning began when I realized that it was not just a rigid new methodology, but was really, for me, a new way of thinking about ways to reach every type of student and help them be successful learners. – Dr. Sandra Yang, Music Faculty

Watch a Video

Visit the Website

Dr. Sandra Yang ► The above video is just one of ten available on Dr. Sandra Yang’s interactive website sharing her personal exploration and application of UDL principles in her Music One class. To fully explore Dr. Yang’s experiences with UDL, be sure to check out each of the short videos (captioned, with accompanying transcripts), and download her lesson plans. Due to technical difficulties we were unable to display the captions that are available on the EnACT website. Link to transcript.

interactive website:http://pachyderm.cdl.edu/elixr-stories/udl-music/

How this Lesson Aligns with the UDL Guidelines

Multiple Means of Representation	Multiple Means of Action and Expression	Multiple Means of Engagement
Guideline 1: Provide options for perception Information is presented using musical notation, song, musical instruments and text.	Guideline 5: Provide options for expressive skills and fluency Students demonstrate their knowledge in multiple ways – on the white board, using an overhead projector, by singing and playing on keyboards, and in small group presentations.	Guideline 7: Provide options for recruiting interest Students have the option of working independently or in small groups – options that increase individual choice and autonomy are a powerful way of recruiting student engagement in their learning.

Learn More

Project Director: Dr. Emiliano Ayala
Contact: enact@sonoma.edu
Website: ENACT at Sonoma State

We spoke with the EnACT Project Director, Dr. Emiliano Ayala, to understand what drew him to UDL and how the project is playing out across California State University campuses.  Listen to Dr. Emiliano Ayala:

Why UDL?

transcript-why-udl1

How are UDL and EnACT helping faculty across CSU campuses?

transcript-udl-and-enact-at-csu

We hold up Dr. Ayala and his EnACT team as an exemplar UDL project at the postsecondary level, reaching across eight campuses. In fact, we were at a loss as to which aspect of the EnACT project to highlight first. In future UDL Spotlights, we will feature EnACT as a systems change initiative; highlight the EnACT Accessible Instructional Multimedia (AIM) and Merlot website application used by faculty to share their work; and feature the faculty learning communities as a practical way for faculty to embed UDL practices in their teaching.

Each featured Spotlight illustrates some of the CAST UDL Guidelines. Taken as a group, the Spotlights build a vision for a future of learning environments that are truly Univesal!

Let us know what you think about the UDL Spotlight by adding your comments (click on “1 Comment” below to add your comments).