Universal Design and Student-Centered Advising

1. Universal Design and Student-Centered Advising Reflections on Universal Design for Advising by the PASS IT Working Group on Advising, July 2006

2. Working Group Members:(July, 2006 PASS IT Conference) Carole Broad – University of Minnesota Debbie Cunningham – Adams State College Nancy Evans – Iowa State University Colleen Evans – San Diego State University Amy Kampsen – University of Minnesota Vicki Roth – University of Rochester Mary Ellen Shaw – University of Minnesota Alfred Souma – Seattle Central Community College

3. AAN Session Presenters • Mary Ellen Shaw - CEHD Student Services Coordinator • Anthony Albecker – CEHD Academic Adviser • Amy Kampsen – CEHD Academic Adviser • Carole Ann Broad – CEHD Academic Adviser

4. Agenda: • What are Universal Design (UD) & Universal Instructional Design (UID)? • Diversity, multiculturalism, and UD • UD in Advising • Benefits and characteristics of UD • Administrative and staff issues • Physical and virtual space • Design features of UD in academic advising • Adviser responsibilities and training • Student Development Outcomes • Group Discussion

5. Definition of Universal Design Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design Source: The Center for Universal Design (1997) UD creates inclusive environments.

7. Not just “one size fits all . . .” Applied to higher education, the primary goal of Universal Design is to create inclusive, flexible, customizable products, courses, programs, activities, and environments for all students.

8. Universal Design Continuum Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodating individuals one at a time Universal Design: Barrier-free, fewer individual accommodations needed

9. Universal Design (UD) and Universal Instructional Design (UID) • UD focused on architecture • UID focused on classroom learning • Reduce barriers for all students • Accommodations for a few are often helpful for all students

10. Universal Instructional Design • Create a respectful learning environment • Determine essential course components • Establish clear expectations & feedback • Develop natural learning supports and technologies that already exist • Use multiple teaching strategies • Provide multiple types of opportunities to demonstrate knowledge • Encourage students & faculty contact North Carolina State Univresity, 1997 adapted from Chickering & Gamerson, 1987

11. UD/UID Serves Diverse Students • Students with disabilities • 1st generation college students • Underrepresented student populations • Students with differing learning preferences • Students for whom traditional pedagogy approaches or program-focused advising are not effective or efficient • Benefits all students

12. race ethnicity socioeconomic class home language disability gender religion age sexual orientation recognition of multiple and intersecting social identities Inclusive Definition of Diversity

13. Broaden Definitions of Diversity & Multiculturalism • It is difficult to identify with a “single” identity (e.g., a person can identify as being Hmong, gay, and having a learning disability). • Aspects of a person’s identity may emerge in response to environmental circumstances, and change over time.

14. Defining Multiculturalism “If diversity is an empirical condition . . ., multiculturalism names a particular posture towards this reality.” Source: Miksch et al., 2003, p. 6

15. Benefits of UD in Advising • Enhances student success, retention, and graduation • Time-efficient – less student run-around • Proactive, rather than reactive • Enhances student engagement in learning and in negotiating developmental tasks • Reduces need for last-minute modifications, appeals, or special services to accommodate students with a variety of needs, including but not limited to students with disabilities

16. Administrative & Staff Issues • Advance planning/time constraints • Administrative commitment and resource allocation (space, adequate advising staff, flexible policies) • Knowledge of available technologies • Familiarity with broad range of student resources and information • Adviser training and ongoing professional development

17. Traditional Advising Accommodations for Students with Disabilities • Students receive disability-related support services, separated from other students • Disability services counselors advocate for and support student exceptions to college policy • Students may qualify for reduced credit loads • Students may qualify to enroll in TRIO/Student Support Services programs • Disclosure of disability to college adviser is at student’s discretion

18. Characteristics of UD-enhanced Advising • Developmentally appropriate • Accessible • Student-centered • Learning-centered • Inclusive • Respectful • Holistic

19. Creating UD “Space” for advising • Physical space: • welcoming and accessible • comfortable and organized • Face-to-face advising interactions take place in private space; student confidentiality is assured • Web space is easy to navigate and organized according to standards for adaptive technologies • Internet-based information is complete, clear, understandable, up-to-date, easy to access • Where appropriate, alternative and flexible technologies are utilized

20. Case Examples • Creating comfortable and welcoming space • Physical positioning and space • Anthony’s example as a tall male • Options for places for advisee to sit • Control of conditions in environment • Offer students option of whether to close door all the way, slightly, or leave it open • Lighting

21. Case Examples Continued • Ways of providing information • Oral, written/printed, and/or electronic sources • English language learner example • Low-income and/or first-generation students • Learning styles

22. Adviser responsibilities and training • Advisers receive ongoing training, mentoring, and professional development • Multicultural/diversity theory • Disability awareness • Campus resources and colleague connections • Student development theory • Advisers communicate clear expectations for both adviser and student roles

23. Adviser responsibilities continued • Advisers support and guide students in academic, personal, and career domains • Advisers take into account student cognitive, affective, and behavioral development, addressing students where they are • Advisers provide an appropriate balance of challenge and support

24. Adviser responsibilities continued • Advisers make connections around campus to facilitate cross-training, mutual support, and collaboration on behalf of student needs • Advisers engage in institutional advocacy on behalf of student needs when appropriate • Advisers teach self-advocacy and self-efficacy skills to students

25. Student Development Outcomes A student in UD Advising program will develop and demonstrate: • Responsibility and Accountability by making appropriate decisions on behavior and accepting consequences of their actions. • Self-Advocacy: can independently seek help to achieve goals. • Interdependence and Independence: knowing when to collaborate or seek help and when to act on their own.

26. Student Development Outcomes, cont’d • Appreciation of Differences: recognizing the value of interacting with individuals with backgrounds and/or perspectives different from their own. • Resilience: recovering and learning from setbacks or disappointments. • Self Awareness: knowing their personal strengths and talents and acknowledging their shortcomings.

27. Student Development Outcomescont’d • Goal Orientation: managing their energy and attention to achieve specific outcomes. • Tolerance of Ambiguity: demonstrating the ability to perform in complicated environments where clear cut answers or standard operating procedures are absent.

28. Group Discussion • In what ways do you already utilize UD principles of academic advising in your unit? • What changes could you make in your own advising practice or advising unit that will make use of UD principles?

29. Additional Resources on UD • Curriculum Transformation and Disability book: http://cehd.umn.edu/crdeul/books-ctad.html • PASS IT website: www.education.umn.edu/passit