Through pilot projects involving the Teaching and Learning Support Service, Academic Accommodations and professors, uOttawa is exploring how inclusive course design can better support a diverse student population.
“Universal Design for Learning supports diverse learners while maintaining academic rigour and benefits students with and without disabilities,” says Julie Tam, associate director, student wellness.
“Universal Design for Learning supports diverse learners while maintaining academic rigour and benefits students with and without disabilities.”
Julie Tam
— Associate director, student wellness
Shifting toward inclusive teaching
The need for this shift is becoming increasingly clear. Across the province, universities are seeing a surge in students who require classroom and exam accommodations. At uOttawa, Academic Accommodations registrations have risen sharply, up 16% from last year. If this trend continues, registrations could reach 6,000 students by the end of the next academic year.
For Tam, UDL is about designing learning experiences that work for as many students as possible while maintaining academic expectations.
“UDL is about being proactive in course design rather than addressing barriers after they appear,” she says. “For students, this means fewer barriers and more flexibility in how they learn, while reducing the need for each student to ask for what they need to succeed academically.”
For instructors, this approach can also reduce the time spent responding to individual accommodation requests by building inclusive practices directly into a course.
Applying UDL in the classroom
UDL pilot projects have launched in several undergraduate courses, including large first-year classes where demand for accommodations can be particularly high.
Rashmi Venkateswaran, senior instructor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, adapted her Principles of Chemistry course so that more students could complete quizzes and exams in the classroom alongside their peers. She shortened tests, provided all students with a shared formula and equation sheet, allowed the use of silicone earplugs to reduce noise and arranged front-row seating for students who needed fewer visual distractions.
“The biggest issue Academic Accommodations is facing is the increased number of students needing time accommodations,” she says. “This change allowed students needing up to 50% more time to write in the classroom along with the other students.”
Originally, students who needed questions read aloud were expected to require separate support. Instead, Venkateswaran quietly read questions aloud during the assessment when needed. These students later said the experience was much better than writing separately, and they wouldn’t want to write outside the classroom again.
For Venkateswaran, this example shows how inclusive course design can support students and keep them fully included in the classroom environment.
Reducing barriers and academic accommodations
UDL doesn’t have to mean a complete course redesign. Other UDL-aligned practices in pilot courses included sharing course materials in advance, offering flexible deadlines, creating more interactive learning opportunities and using more frequent, low-stakes assessments.
In some courses, students also used guided homework platforms. Evaluation data highlighted them as especially helpful. Students said these tools provided structure, immediate feedback and opportunities for revision, helping them reinforce their learning and fix misunderstandings early.
While the findings are preliminary, students reported generally positive experiences. They particularly liked the course organization, accessibility and classroom climate.
Instructors also saw positive outcomes. According to Tam, flexible assessment approaches led to higher and more lasting student engagement. And they addressed some needs directly in the classroom.
“There was a significant decline in the need for individual accommodations in the pilot courses,” she says. “Most students could be accommodated in the classrooms, except those requiring accessible technology or low-distraction environments for written assessments, or extra time on final exams.”
Venkateswaran also noticed that many students were satisfied with the in-class supports.
“There were many students who felt that the in-class accommodations were sufficient and that they didn’t need to write their exams or quizzes separately,” she says.
“There were many students who felt that the in-class accommodations were sufficient and that they didn’t need to write their exams or quizzes separately.”
Rashmi Venkateswaran
— Senior instructor in the Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences
Supporting professors interested in UDL
While the early results are promising, the pilot projects also showed that adopting UDL isn’t effortless or one-size-fits-all.
Some students still preferred or needed to write separately, reminding the team that personalized accommodations remain necessary in some cases. Venkateswaran also said some students felt the in-class approach didn’t meet their needs. Others requested extra time despite already receiving more than their official accommodation called for.
The pilots also highlighted broader challenges. These include the time required to adapt courses, uneven capacity among instructors, concerns around fair assessment and challenges of applying some practices in very large classes.
That’s why support for professors is central to the projects.
To help professors with inclusive course design, uOttawa offers a dedicated UDL webpage, workshops and collaborative support through the Teaching and Learning Support Service and Academic Accommodations. It connects each faculty with specialists who provide discipline-specific guidance.
“At this stage, the focus is on building momentum by supporting early adopters who are motivated to make their course design more inclusive,” Tam says.
“Investing in UDL at uOttawa strengthens student success, improves retention and reduces pressure on accommodation systems,” she says. “By equipping instructors to teach more inclusively, UDL becomes a high-impact, scalable solution for a diverse and evolving university community.”
The pilot projects suggest that small changes can reduce barriers before they become accommodation requests.
As uOttawa continues this work, the goal is to make inclusive, flexible course design the norm, not the exception.