Integrating Methods for Universal Design for Learning in Introductory Undergraduate Mathematics Courses

Sacred Heart University, Fairfield CT

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving student learning outcomes in introductory level college mathematics courses by providing professional development for faculty in the use of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through UDL-focused professional development, college faculty will learn how to implement multiple effective teaching strategies that are aligned with students’ diverse learning needs. College students often find introductory level mathematics courses to be very challenging, and these courses can create barriers that slow down the progress of STEM majors in their degree programs. Mathematics education researchers have argued for significant revisions to undergraduate course structure and faculty development to improve student learning outcomes in these foundational courses. This project will create and assess the effectiveness of a new faculty professional development program that will help mathematics faculty implement UDL in introductory mathematics courses. UDL provides guidelines for using teaching strategies that account for the diversity of learners and seek to improve student accessibility to course content. The research team aims to develop and test a new instrument to assess the degree to which UDL is being used in courses. The project will create two faculty workshops to prepare mathematics faculty to implement UDL in their courses. Improving student learning outcomes in foundational mathematics courses should help students improve their progress towards graduation in STEM majors. The overall goal of this project is to train mathematics faculty so that they can implement teaching strategies that lead to improvements in student learning outcomes. The specific goals of the project are: (1) to develop and validate an assessment instrument that can be used to assess the extent to which UDL is being used in a course; (2) to train mathematics faculty to use UDL guidelines to re-design their courses; and (3) to use UDL to improve student learning in introductory mathematics courses. The research plan addresses research gaps in understanding the effectiveness of faculty professional development in increasing the use of UDL in undergraduate courses, how UDL implementations are assessed, and how variability in faculty implementation of the UDL framework impacts instruction. The new assessment instrument, faculty development programs, and research results will be disseminated to the mathematics education community through national conferences and mathematics education publications so that other mathematics educators will have the opportunity to adapt this approach to their institutions. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.