Universal Design for Learning in the Geosciences for Access and Equity in Our Classrooms

Abstract

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that has been employed in K-12 environments and generally improves learning outcomes for a variety of learners; however, its use in Higher Education (HE) to date has been much more limited. Studies of HE geosciences curriculum, including human geography, physical geography, geology, and environmental geoscience, suggest that learning barriers exist for many students, highlighting the need for curricular revision and the implementation of UDL. This paper reviews this literature to argue for increased engagement of UDL principles in geoscience education to create accessible and equitable classrooms. The authors then describe two geoscience courses that employed these principles to highlight the value of implementing UDL in the geosciences to effectively educate students with different learning preferences and needs. We highlight the value of UDL in geosciences, describe barriers that hinder its adoption, and describe best practices and make recommendations for its implementation.

Acknowledging the Intersectionality of Geoscientists With Disabilities to Enhance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

“…Low participation rates of underrepresented geoscientist s have the potential to perpetuate bias, stereotypes, and overall misunderstandings of who can be a geoscientist (Atchison and Libarkin, 2016). To address the current perceptions regarding geoscientists with disabilities and other intersecting identities, extra emphasis can be placed on flexible careers that do not require extensive fieldwork (Gilley et al, 2015;Stokes et al, 2019;Carabajal and Atchison, 2020), identifying and dismantling microaggressions and harassment as they occur (Marín-Spiotta et al, 2020;Morris, 2021;Mattheis et al, 2022), and promoting universally-designed instruction to improve accessibility and inclusion (Carabajal et al, 2017;Fairfax and Brown, 2019;Higgins and Maxwell, 2021). Such efforts to challenge current perceptions also call back to DisCrit and its emphasis on activism and resistance against the status quo (Annamma et al, 2013).…”