The survey of Universal Design for eLearning (UDeL) practices

Access to higher education and equality of access for under-represented people and for people with disabilities has been defined as an important aim for universities and higher education institutions (HEI). It is moral obligation and a legal requirement in Europe. This requirement challenges HEIs to develop fresh and more effective inclusive strategies to ensure access for all under-represented groups in to higher education. As a part of the project "Towards Inclusive eLearning: Improving Accessibility of eLearning in Higher Education from Universal Design for Learning perspective" (hamk.fi/tinel), the Call for voluntary survey participation was organized to reveal and map best accessible and inclusive eLearning and Universal Design for Learning practices in European higher education. The purpose was to develop a freely available corpus of best practices to help staff in higher education institutions (HEIs) to support the widest diversity of students, regardless of backgrounds, experiences, learning styles and abilities. In designing the entry form for the survey, the enhancement-led evaluation principles of FINEEC were applied. The goal of enhancement-led evaluation was to help HEIs to identify their strengths, good practices and areas in need of development in their own UDeL operations. The survey questionnaire was done in English and implemented by using the Webropol online survey and analysis tool. Data collection and dissemination of the form co-operated with national networks of higher education institutions in Finland, Norway, Sweden and UK. The material produced by the Call for submission served as a data material from which the existing UDL situation in HEIs was mapped and the corpus of best practices were collected.

External deposit with Fairdata.