Integrating Universal Design, Culturally Sustaining Practices, and Constructivism to Advance Inclusive Pedagogy in the Undergraduate Classroom

Abstract

While primary and secondary teachers are legally required to adhere to inclusion guidelines for students experiencing disabilities, instructors in higher education have had more leeway to operate under a more traditional paradigm which can marginalize rather than include students in the classroom. Furthermore, students experience exclusion for reasons other than and in addition to disabilities, including, race, ethnicity, language, gender, and sexual orientation. Inorderto advance inclusion for all students in the higher education classroom, we propose integrating universal design, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and constructivist approaches to teaching and learning. We aim to not only forward an integrative theoretical framework for inclusive pedagogy grounded in a constructivist perspective, but to also provide practical strategies that promote a more inclusive undergraduate classroom.

Academic accommodations for university students living with disability and the potential of universal design to address their needs

“…As such, related professional development for teaching staff is easily justified (Huss & Eastep, 2016;Rodesiler & McGuire, 2015;Sniatecki et al, 2015). It is also argued that teaching staff and curriculum developers should be better supported to create inclusive learning materials (Dallas et al, 2016;Fleet & Kondrashov, 2019) with universal design commonly referred to as a framework for such efforts (Grier-Reed & Williams-Wengerd, 2018;Hitch et al, 2015).…”

Catering to Inclusion and Diversity With Universal Design for Learning in Asynchronous Online Education: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

“…Teaching practices seem to accommodate the needs of exceptional students, which may not be fully inclusive unless other classroom diversities such as gender and academic background are addressed ( Burgstahler, 2021 ). More studies include parameters other than disability, such as age, gender, ethnicity, academic background, and learning styles in inclusive education ( Waitoller and Thorius, 2016 ; Gale et al, 2017 ; Grier-Reed and Williams-Wengerd, 2018 ). Recognizing that everyone could learn better under the right conditions ( Moriña, 2020 ), inclusion in the pedagogical setting is described as a process in which educators “respect and respond to human differences in ways that include learners in, rather than exclude them from, the daily life of the classroom” ( Florian and Black-Hawkins, 2011 , p. 814).…”

“…As opposed to traditional teacher-centered instruction that prioritizes knowledge transmission through monologic lectures with limited interaction and is evaluated based on students’ ability to correctly reproduce such knowledge, inclusive pedagogy employs a constructivist approach to create an inclusive environment for all learners. In other words, teachers approach the classroom as co-creators of knowledge working alongside students rather than in front of them ( Grier-Reed and Williams-Wengerd, 2018 ).…”

Multimedia Characteristics, Student Relationships, and Teaching Behaviors Predict Perceptions of an Inclusive Classroom Across Course Delivery Format

“…Overall, the course structure was significant in predicting whether a classroom was perceived as inclusive, aligning with recent articles encouraging educators to clearly communicate their course structure via assessment and assignment expectations (e.g., Sathy & Hogan, 2019). Reflecting universal design practices (Grier-Reed & Williams-Wengerd, 2018), highly structured courses may support students in understanding expectations and social norms in a classroom. For example, an instructor could discuss their assessment expectations with students in the first weeks of a semester so students understand how they will be graded throughout the semester.…”