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In higher education science courses, practical laboratory classes pose issues of accessibility, limited student autonomy and mounting evidence that students are not engaging in independent preparation for these classes. Videos are an established tool for helping to embed Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into the classroom. Although videos have been used to support lab instruction, research on their effectiveness largely focuses on the effects on academic achievement and studies a pre-digital native era of learner. This study sought to explore student behaviour towards preparation for lab classes and their perceptions of the utility of technique videos to aid their preparation. This was researched by surveying third level students studying science modules as part of initial teacher education using a survey tool with substantial qualitative elements. Three themes emerged from the analysis surrounding student confidence, autonomy and, surprisingly, student emotional well-being. Findings outline a potential role for videos in supporting student engagement in the typically rigid classroom lab setting. This evidence suggests that effective usage of videos could inform pedagogy and curriculum design in subjects where UDL principles have been difficult to incorporate. This could unlock new opportunities to widen participation and inclusion across higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework that describes flexible approaches to teaching and learning, can be used to address problems related to limitations in health literacy in health care settings. Methods: This exploratory observational study, using a web-based online survey, was undertaken to discern how occupational therapists use the principles of UDL in educating their clients and to determine if differences exist between degree type or practice settings and UDL implementation. Results: Of the 147 respondents only 30.6% indicated prior awareness of UDL principles. The most frequently cited means of client engagement were displaying enthusiasm and emphasizing importance of content; the most frequently cited means of representation was providing verbal instructions, and the most frequent means of action and expression was observing client performance or demonstration. Conclusions: There is a clear need to increase both academic preparation and continuing education of occupational therapists to implement evidence-based principles of UDL to address diverse client health literacy and facilitate positive health outcomes. Opportunities for increased UDL implementation are discussed, building on the commitment of current therapists to meet the needs of their clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the variety of available measures intended to estimate predictability of diverse objects such as time series and network links, this paper presents a comprehensive overview of the existing literature in this domain. Our overview delves into predictability from two distinct perspectives: the intrinsic predictability, which represents a data property independent of the chosen forecasting model and serves as the highest achievable forecasting quality level, and the realized predictability, which represents a chosen quality metric for a specific pair of data and model. The reviewed measures are used to assess predictability across different objects, starting from time series (univariate, multivariate, and categorical) to network links. Through experiments, we establish a noticeable relationship between measures of realized and intrinsic predictability in both generated and real-world time series data (with the correlation coefficient being statistically significant at a 5% significance level). The discovered correlation in this research holds significant value for tasks related to evaluating time series complexity and their potential to be accurately predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This convergent parallel mixed methods study was aimed at addressing the lack of empirical studies in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as an inclusive pedagogy in the Ghanaian higher education context. The overarching objective was to find out whether UDL has the potential in improving the learning processes and learning outcomes of the diverse students reading a History of Global Art course. Quantitative and qualitative data sets were garnered from 122 conveniently sampled students using an adapted version of the Inclusive Teaching Strategies Inventory-Students (ITSI-S) survey instrument. The findings of the study revealed that the UDL principles of multiple means of representation, multiple means of engagement and multiple means of action and expression impacted positively on students' learning processes and outcomes. UDL assisted greatly in the development of collaborative, problem-solving, good time management and critical thinking skills, while increasing learners' level of motivation. The study contends that though the UDL as an inclusive pedagogical approach requires a lot of dedication on the part of the instructor as well as a great deal of time and material resources, the accrued benefits of its implementation on the students' learning processes and learning outcomes are far-reaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines were extensively studied to understand inclusive learning and teaching in higher education. However, to date, there have been few studies that approached UDL-based asynchronous university courses from the needs satisfaction perspective in self-determination theory (SDT). To address this gap, researchers designed and implemented two 15-week asynchronous online courses based on UDL. They then tested their effectiveness with college freshmen (N = 225) by adopting a sequential explanatory mixed method. The study aimed to examine (i) whether asynchronous instruction based on UDL catered to inclusion and diversity across gender and academic background and (ii) whether the instructional design supported learner engagement and needs satisfaction. The findings showed that both male and female students as well as Arts and Sciences students equally engaged in the courses and perceived the needs support from the course design. However, the study also found that although universal design supported autonomy and competence, it nonetheless failed to fully satisfy learners' relatedness needs. The researchers concluded by discussing empirical and theoretical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for developing inclusive educational practices. The primary purpose of this small-scale professional inquiry was to investigate the effective ways in which Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) across New Zealand implement and evaluate the UDL framework in their practice to improve the educational achievement of all learners. The enablers and barriers to implementing UDL in practice were explored through an anonymous online questionnaire using a mixed-method approach. This study highlighted that RTLB were using the UDL principles in several areas at different stages of the RTLB practice sequence. The results indicated that ongoing professional learning development and collaboration within the organisation were the preferred modes of support to implement the UDL framework. RTLB also articulated several barriers to its implementation including teacher resistance and lack of knowledge. The need for more UDL training for educators was identifed. Differences were found in ways of monitoring the UDL interventions amongst practitioners. The results further underlined the need for developing a clear criterion to monitor the application of UDL in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an orientation that aims to bring multiplicity to teaching and learning in ways that respond to the diversity of learners. This article is a call to those working within disability studies to engage more deeply in UDL research. An examination of the conceptual development and research on UDL as presented in academic literature is provided to consider how it connects and disconnects with disability studies and might be used and misused in inclusive education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pre-instructional decisions that teachers make fundamentally and directly influence their students' music learning. Particularly with expert educators, as defined by their professional qualifications and education, these decisions reveal teachers' motivations and pedagogical reasoning. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to examine pre-instructional decisionmaking from the perspective of expert music teachers, as framed by these two research questions: (1) which factors have more influence on pre-instructional decision-making among expert music teachers? and (2) what are the differences in pre-instructional decision-making by expert teachers in terms of teacher characteristics (gender and teaching experience) and educational setting (teaching level and musical context)? In a rank order analysis, teaching experience had the most prominent influence followed by materials and facilities, while the least influential factor was curriculum. In comparing differences among classroom-based and performance-based music teachers, results were largely the same. Performance-based teachers, however, ranked the influence of their own musical activities and assessment higher than did their classroom-based counterparts, who gave more emphasis to their own education and state curricula. Non-parametric tests revealed further insights, including directions for future research on pre-instructional decision-making among expert music educators, as well as recommendations for enhancing pre-service music teacher preparation and in-service professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology, whether assistive (AT) or instructional (IT), has played an uneven role in the field of learning disabilities since its inception more than a half century ago. In addition, technology is in a constant state of flux; hence, researchers have been challenged to conduct appropriate experimental testing of interventions before they are outdated or made irrelevant by advances in hardware and software. As schools seek to improve learning outcomes for all students using tiered instructional models such as response to intervention (RTI), practitioners need assistance in capitalizing on AT, IT, or a combination of the two, to guide and enrich literacy instruction for students with learning disabilities. This article presents a conceptual framework for multimedia instructional design grounded in theory and empirical research. The article concludes with recommendations for how to integrate multimedia literacy instruction within RTI frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editors discuss various reports within the issue on topics including the professional development of teachers for inclusive learning, the use of a motion-sensing game-based therapy to enhance the learning of children with sensory integration dysfunction, and the of social media and tourism technology to enhance life long learning of disabled people.