The Dream of Universal Design and the Realities of Faculty Attitudes and Practices

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Emotions, Attitudes, and Practices: Investigating Faculty Teaching

Abstract

The promise of universal design as a way to ensure equitable educational opportunities in public postsecondary institutions is not strongly substantiated by practice-oriented research over the last 15 years. The discrepancy between faculty attitudes and practices has been identified in the past as one barrier to implementation – the postsecondary faculty do not appear to practice what they preach. This study examined the characteristics of university faculty attitudes and practices related to inclusive instruction and universal design. Survey data were collected from a sample of 314 teaching faculty and course instructors at a Canadian university. The findings demonstrate that faculty have overall positive attitudes and, notably, report comparable practices related to inclusive instruction and universal design.

Authors

• Boris Vukovic, Carleton University

• Alenoush Saroyan, McGill University