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UDL Is Not Accessibility: The Problem with UDL Inflation

Why one useful pedagogical framework should not become shorthand for accessibility, inclusive teaching, and everything we value in quality online course design

Lately, I have been hearing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) invoked more and more often in conversations about accessibility. I have also seen UDL training emphasized in professional development curricula and promoted by online directors, instructional designers, and teaching and learning professionals as though it were a sufficient response to accessibility, or as though UDL expertise could substitute for accessibility knowledge and remediation skills.

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Instructional designer working on a course with an AI robot assisting on the side.

AI as a Course Design Collaborator

What happens when instructional design expertise and artificial intelligence work together?

Recently, I had the opportunity to explore that question while developing a new Introduction to OSCQR self-paced course. Rather than fearing AI as a replacement for instructional design expertise, I approached it as a collaborator, that like any other tool, supported parts of the design process while I remained responsible for critical decisions, quality review, and learner-centered thinking.

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