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Events

CTRL Summer Institute

The Summer Institute is an annual event hosted by the CTRL that celebrates innovations in digital learning, teaching, and instruction. These two- to three-day events include keynote speakers, workshops, and breakout session presentations. Past events have included "Digital Learning: Addressing the Needs of the Whole Learner" (2019) and "Instruction in the Era of COVID-19: Engaging Students Online and Managing Impact" (2020). 

The 2024 Summer Institute, "Universal Design for Learning: Inclusive Practices for Student Success," took place July 15th–17th and included a workshop and keynote address by UDL practitioner Loui Lord Nelson, as well as breakout sessions led by Carlow University faculty and staff. 

Summer Institute 2024 Recap & Next Steps

We had a record-breaking number of people attending the Summer Institute for this year's topic on Universal Design for Learning! Over 50 people participated in the two-day event!

With the Title III funding, we brought in Loui Lord Nelson, PhD, international scholar and consultant on UDL, as our keynote speaker. She also hosted a workshop on using the guidelines to inform our teaching practices.

In addition, we had 10 faculty members share what they are currently doing to incorporate the UDL guidelines into their own courses, including

  • Using AI and other educational technologies to support teaching and learning,
  • Creating learner-centered experiences, and
  • Designing flexible assignments.

It was great to spend time learning from each other! If you missed the event, you can catch the replays here.

Faculty take-aways from the Summer Institute include

  • Start small when incorporating UDL guidelines,
  • Build on the UDL guidelines you are already using, and
  • Use Brightspace to support your teaching (regardless of modality).

The most asked question was: "Will there be more training/professional development on UDL?" The second was: "Will be bring Loui back?" The answer to both is: "Absolutely!" Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks!