The Future Learner’s Experience: Universal Design for Learning

Posted on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

Learner Driven PlanWhat is the future of personalized learning at Algonquin College? Meet Dom, an Algonquin College graduate in 2030. Read his story below – an excerpt from the College’s Learner-driven Strategy Implementation. This excerpt an example of a future learner’s experience.

You can also download the full plan here to learn how the College plans to implement its strategy to become a leader in personalized learning.

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The future learner’s experience of Universal Design for Learning

Spring Convocation, 2030. Dom enters the National Arts Centre looking for the student robing area. It still hasn’t totally sunk in that an hour from now will come that walk across the stage to collect a diploma — especially after so many years of frustrated post-secondary attempts and bouncing between part-time jobs.

It had been a tough decision to take yet another chance at school. It might not even have been attainable without the severance package. But everything that seemed impossible all those times before suddenly wasn’t when Dom came back to Algonquin two years ago.

That first day on campus was still a vivid memory. Dom walked into a room set up more like a coffee shop than a classroom. The instructor began to explain the audio/video recording system and how learners could stream classes in real-time or watch them later for review. Dom had the immediate sense things might end differently this time around.

The first “A” grade confirmed it. It came not long after Dom’s College-assigned learning coach facilitated a consultation with a psychologist that led to Dom’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly inattentive diagnosis — which turned years of self-doubt and selfblame on its head. Dom wasn’t “bad at school”: something else had been at work at this time.

The A was a turning point. Dom hadn’t been putting in the fullest effort before because success seemed so unlikely. While jotting down notes for the video self-reflection debrief on the assignment, Dom had one of those a-ha moments that had been happening a lot lately. Getting an A meant things were working. The flexibility of the courses plus the tools and strategies available — combined with real, consistent effort — could easily lead to more results like this.

And they did. Each course — whether online, in collaborative learning spaces or itinerant — was full of flexibility, flowing between digital and physical learning. The learning materials almost always included a mix of video, audio and digital options. When there was group work, it focused on the development of interpersonal skills: the instructor was a member of each group, and all members participated in flexible ways that moved the project forward.

Dom’s instructors kept the learners focused on learning goals and were always willing to talk about alternate ways to submit assignments. In fact, having so much choice had been a little overwhelming at first, but Dom’s learning coach introduced new physical and digital tools to help with that. Very soon, Dom was collaborating with instructors to find ways of engaging more fully with material, taking advantage of the option (available to all learners) to do more challenging versions of assignments.

So many things about the Algonquin College experience had been helpful, but maybe most of all were the self-reflection and future goals debriefs that made it feel like learning was something Dom was doing, not passively receiving. Sure, there had been rough days over the past two years, but Dom had developed resilience as a learner and never gave up.

Lined up with the other grads waiting to enter the main theatre, Dom realizes it’s not just a diploma that’s been earned but also the ability to learn — and to keep on learning. It suddenly occurs to Dom that this learning journey may be far from over, with more courses and credentials still to come. The music processional music begins and Dom suddenly feels very comfortable in these academic robes — and looks forward to the chance to wear them again. Soon.

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More on the LDP Strategy Implementation:

The Learner-driven Strategy Implementation was created this fall and approved by the College’s Board of Governors on December 16. Students were recruited to join and support all three working groups that developed the plan. The Learner-driven team is also working with the Students’ Association to ensure the plan aligns with their priorities.

The Learner-driven Strategy Implementation promises that “Algonquin College will be the College of choice for learners who want programs and services customized to their individual needs, schedules and educational, professional and life experiences.”


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