Incorporating Academic Strategy Instruction in Assignment Design to Remove Barriers to Writing Assignments in Philosophy

Abstract

In early 2020, there was a faculty development workshop at MacEwan University on how to design philosophy writing assignments with fewer barriers commonly experienced by students with disabilities. This chapter streamlines the workshop and surveys barriers common to philosophy assignment guidelines: length, jargon, single-format, and a “don'ts” section. The authors contextualize these characteristics within the values, norms, and practices of academic philosophy. They present a case study of transforming Rodier's introductory philosophy guidelines before and after a UDL consult with Fidelak. They demonstrate the reasoning behind the transformation, including specific UDL applications and incorporating techniques from academic strategy instruction that address the hidden curriculum. In addition, they outline changes to in-class teaching that support students in completing assignments.

Supporting STEM graduate students with dis/abilities: Opportunities for Universal Design for Learning

“…Many students choose to leave the sciences rather than fight the status quo [50]. However, a primarily pedagogical framework known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has the potential to dissolve such hidden curricula and make learning more accessible to all students [57], [58].…”