UDL Re-Design Part I: The research begins, and How reading about AD/HD students can revolutionize the college writing classroom

Hi!  So this is Part I of my summer series about re-designing my Critical Reading & Writing course as a blended courses designed around universal design principles.   I am also researching a paper for my UDL course this summer on more or less the same topic.   I was worried at first that I wouldn't be able to find enough sources specifically about UDL & college composition, but I'm feeling optimistic now.   I"m realizing that I can use sources about UDL itself, UDL vs. the medical model, papers from the Landmark Institute (college specifically focused on learners with LD), papers on neurodiversity and online learning, and, best of all, there ARE some papers about college composition, LD & UDL!

I'm also trying to model the process for my students, so I'm trying to be conscious about annotating, note taking, and organizing my paper.   I'll see what kinds of tools I end up using, and perhaps sharing some of them here!

In terms of the papers I've found on UDL & college writing: some are fairly basic, merely describing UDL and laying out a few strategies.  However, I think I hit the goldmine when I discovered this doctoral thesis from 2008 (I'm looking for more recent stuff because of developments in thinking about executive function as well as technology!).   I have so much to say about this paper - not the least of which is that it is elegantly and engagingly written - something I realize I"ve been missing as I'm reading academic papers!   So grateful to Barbara Graham Cooper for this work she did - so far I can't find out anything else about her, which is a shame!

I"m going to try to lay out some big takeaways from this paper (clocking in at 300 pages, which I devoured!), but if you teach writing and are curious about her well-thought-out suggestions for supporting neurodiverse writers - dont' be intimidated!  Follow the link, download the file, and skip right to p. 176.   Cooper's "At the brighter Margin: teaching writing to the college student with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder."  (Just open the link on this page to download the file).