Abstract
This chapter discusses the importance of both implementing universal design for learning (UDL) in online professional development and teaching UDL through modeling. Contextualizing applications for classroom use for instructors within professional training leads to deeper learning and enhances possibilities for integration following the training. This chapter also illustrates how the rise of online learning options and the many new(er) tools we have to interact and to engage support UDL options for learners thereby promoting equity and accessible learning environments. Teaching in the classroom and in professional development spaces through seamless integration of online learning promotes essential skills needed for quality daily living as well as for rewarding employment opportunities for learners.
TopWhat Is Online Pd?
Professional learning or development in education can be defined simply as learning for teachers. Effective Professional Development (PD) facilitates teachers’ evolution and growth in their practice of teaching. There is a plethora of definitions for PD with a good review provided by Nguyen (2019). Synthesizing research in traditional models of PD, the key concept is change. Does the learning for teachers provide the catalyst for new behavior? Does the information gathered and contemplated move the teacher to action in their own classroom, thereby moving the needle towards growth, both for the teacher and, consequently, the students?
Key Terms in this Chapter
Online Learning: For the purposes of this chapter, all options provided digitally or with digital support. This includes synchronous meetings through an online platform, such as an LMS, asynchronous discussions and shared platforms that allow for collaboration, asynchronous assignments through an LMS, and content provided for contemplation, communication, and for learning.
Equity Pathway: This is a two-part training which consists of a 10-hour Foundations of Designing for Equity and Access for ALL Learners course followed by the fifteen-hour Equity Institute. The Foundations course involves a discussion on equity and an introduction/application to UDL. The second step on the equity pathway training, the Equity Institute, involves a deeper dive into UDL where participants examine each column of the framework together and design lessons infusing UDL for use in their practices.
Virtual Learning Community or VLC: A group of Adult Education professional developers and teachers who meet regularly online to discuss various topics relevant to the Adult Education field in Illinois. VLC topics are continuously adjusted to address current needs and demands of Illinois Adult Education providers. The original virtual learning communities began during the pandemic as a way to foster collaboration and community, offer encouragement, and provide access to and sharing of resources and promising practices.
Integrated Education and Training or IET: Illinois has branded IETs as ICAPS. ICAPS is a quality instructional framework in Illinois for the implementation of Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs, as defined by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). ICAPS provides an accelerated pathway to an industry-recognized credential through training partnerships – such as Career and Technical Education or an approved training provider – to serve eligible adult education students, including English Language Learners, at the same time that they are completing their Illinois High School Diploma and/or improving their English language skills. Instruction and training are supplemented by support courses and comprehensive student support services and augmented by collaborative teaching practices between workforce training instructors and basic skills instructors.
Professional Development Network or PDN: Three centers comprised of professional development experts, distributed geographically across the state of Illinois and funded by the Illinois Community College Board, that provide professional development and technical support for allaspects of Adult Education.
Professional Learning, Professional Development, Professional Training, or PD: Learning for educators.
Universal Design for Professional Development or UDPD: Professional Development offerings infused with UDL principles. Viewing PD through the UDL lens is greater than a simple checklist of “include these topics.” This lens provides a richer, more robust training described as Universal Design for Professional Development.
Bridge: In Illinois Bridge programs prepare adults with limited academic or limited English skills to enter and succeed in credit-bearing postsecondary education and training leading to career-path employment in high-demand, middle- and high-skilled occupations. The goal of bridge programs is to sequentially bridge the gap between the initial skills of individuals and what they need to enter and succeed in postsecondary education and career-path employment.