ABSTRACT
This chapter documents a process for transforming traditional classroom/lecture hall structures at Higher Education Institutions HEIs into highly engaging, interactive and participatory learning environments begun by the authors at Boston College in 2015. A core part of this transformative process was the consideration of the UDL framework, accessibility, and technology both individually and in relationship to one another. With reference to our own collaborative design thinking, we describe how these three concepts can be considered as a means to engage not only individuals with disabilities but also students with a wide range of learning needs, preferences, and circumstances, including students whose native language differs from the dominant language at the institution, students with extraordinary demands imposed on them by work or family obligations, and students whose identities are emerging outside of the mainstream. Our hope is that readers who are confronting similar demands and challenges at their own institutions will draw useful insights from this aspect of our broader approach.
