Michal Kasprzak and Samantha Chang (Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation, University of Toronto)
As part of the 2026 SoTL Speaker Series at Yorkville + TFS, CTEI was honoured to host Michal Kasprzak and Samantha Chang for their session, “Universal Design for Learning for Evidence-Informed Curricular Change.”
This session explored how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can serve as an evidence-informed framework for curricular change in higher education. Drawing on teaching-and-learning research and practitioner examples, participants examined how the three UDL approaches can foster equity, flexibility, and learner-centred design. The session included guided discussion to connect UDL approaches to participants’ own curricular contexts and SoTL investigations.
The learning outcomes for this session were that by the end of our time together, participants will be able to:
- Describe the three approaches to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and their relevance to evidence-informed curricular change in higher education.
- Identify opportunities to integrate UDL approaches into curricular design and delivery to enhance accessibility, flexibility, and learner engagement.
- Articulate actionable strategies for curricular change that respond to diverse learner needs and disciplinary contexts.
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- Additional information, research, and scholarship:
- PDF of Slide Deck: “Universal Design for Learning for Evidence-Informed Curricular Change (March 3rd, 2026)”
- Universal Design for Learning Foundations (UDLF) OER: A four-module, self-paced learning program (approximately 60–90 minutes per module) designed to make UDL more actionable and context-responsive for instructors, teaching assistants, and educational developers. The program introduces the three UDL approaches we presented today.
- Teaching with Universal Design for Learning at U of T: This microsite contains various UDL resources, including:
- 15 strategy libraries containing over 800 strategies; and
- recordings from last year’s UDL: SLIDE into Accessibility series (five practical ways to make documents more accessible
