Reflecting on universal design for learning in hybrid and in-person acoustics education

Abstract

When transitioning to remote (Spring 2020) and hybrid (2020-21 academic year) learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, educators worked quickly to make lectures, coursework, and assessments accessible remotely. As educators return to in-person instruction, accessibility has become an even more essential and evolving part of effective course design (Kim, 2021). The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework aims to maximize learning for all students through flexibility and choice (CAST, 2018). However, to broaden UDL’s impact, these strategies should be transparent to students (Super et al., 2020). This presentation will discuss the use of exam wrappers for students to reflect on UDL practices and their own learning in an undergraduate acoustics class. Exam wrappers are a reflective exercise where students analyze their study strategies after a summative assessment (Lovett, 2013). We will present how UDL practices were implemented in a Speech Science course. Then, we will review lessons learned from using a custom exam wrapper where students reflect on their study habits after exams that assess their application of anatomy and physiology to speech acoustic output. The exam wrapper also aims to obtain formative feedback on UDL practices. This work can inform strategies for UDL implementation and student reflection in acoustics education.