Practical Application of UDL-Aligned Practices by Graduate Teaching Assistants

Sloan Berry, Kathleen Lugo Charriez, Julia Willison, Erin Scanlon, Jacquelyn Chini, Erin Saitta

University of Central Florida

There is a notable lack of research pertaining to accessible teaching practices in postsecondary education. One valuable environment to examine is the STEM discipline due to its exhibition of a low retention of students with disabilities despite equal enrollment rates. Postsecondary STEM education often includes the use of Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) who lead laboratory and recitation sessions. Despite their influential role, GTAs often lack proper training on how to implement inclusive practices in their classrooms. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is a set of guidelines for incorporating accessible teaching practices into the academic environment. The aim of this study is to document and analyze the use of UDL-aligned practices in chemistry labs to be incorporated into training materials that will better prepare GTAs for teaching. This presentation will discuss the process of priming GTAs for the lab recording sessions as well as provide insight on content motivation. GTA perceptions of the usage of the UDL-aligned practice is accounted for through analysis of post-teaching reflections. Findings from this study will help inform the design of effective GTA training leading to more inclusive undergraduate instruction.