An Investigation of Strategic Academic Leaders’ Awareness and Readiness to Adopt Universal Design for Learning at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)
Abstract
The core foundation for higher education is learning. According to O’Banion (2019), “Learning is the core business of all educational institutions, a transcendent value that arches over research, teaching, and service…” (p. 4). However, not all students are afforded the opportunity to learn at their maximum potential. Accordingly, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an emergent framework used to design accessible learning communities. This framework provides the tools to train instructors for enhancing students’ learning by capitalizing on their diverse abilities, including students with disabilities. UDL assists higher education strategic academic leaders in planning and designing curriculum proactively for teaching and scholarship. Presently, research is scarce regarding strategic academic leaders' awareness and readiness to adopt UDL at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). As stated by CAST (2011), UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone because a “one-size-fits-all” solution does not work but instead requires flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs. As a means to minimize the barriers to UDL, this quantitative study was conducted to assist strategic academic leaders, specifically HBCUs, in assessing the awareness and readiness required for UDL adoption. Among the significant findings of the study included: (a) the deans and department chairs were aware of UDL; however, they lacked awareness of the foundational principles; (b) although the deans and department chairs were ready to adopt UDL, providing resources, seemingly would be a challenge; (c) there was no significant difference between the deans and department chairs awareness, although the department chairs were slightly more aware of UDL; and, (d) there was no significant difference between the deans and department chairs readiness to adopt UDL; however, the department chairs were again slightly more ready to adopt UDL.
Subject Area
Educational leadership|Higher Education Administration|Educational evaluation
Recommended Citation
Anita McGaha,
"An Investigation of Strategic Academic Leaders’ Awareness and Readiness to Adopt Universal Design for Learning at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU)"
(2020).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI28153288.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI28153288