Online learners face unique challenges related to social isolation and limited opportunities to build relationships, yet belonging and community are fundamental needs that shape student motivation and success. In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, we'll show how you can proactively foster belonging in the online classroom. We'll review practical strategies for building social presence in online spaces. And we'll cover how to support students with multiple roles, implement inclusive design practices, and maintain a focus on meaningful connections. Whether you're designing your first online course or looking to strengthen the sense of community in your existing courses, this episode offers actionable approaches for creating a learning space in which all students feel welcome and valued using Universal Design for Learning.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

UDL Tips

"Sense of Belonging and Online Learning"

Resources

Anthropic. (2025). Claude Opus 4.5 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/

Åkerfeldt, A., Bergdahl, N., & Hrastinski, S. (2023). Adult learners' perceptions of distance education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 30(1), 248-266.

Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529.

CAST. (2024). Foster belonging and community. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/effort-persistence/belonging-community/

Dulfer, N., Gowing, A., & Mitchell, J. (2025). Building belonging in online classrooms: relationships at the core. Teaching in Higher Education, 30(4), 1024–1040.

Mitra, S. (2022). Does collaborative learning improve student outcomes for underrepresented students? Evidence from an online bottleneck business course. Journal of Education for Business, 97(3), 161–167.

Price, J., & Fox, A. (2023). Transformative praxis: A critical design framework for belonging and inclusion in technology-rich learning spaces. Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology, 12, 55-71

Shatila, S. L. (2024). Not alone when I’m feeling stressed: Online adult learner connection and retention. Adult Education Quarterly, 74(1), 43–61.

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing

There's more to cheating than fault and punishment. In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, we'll reframe the issue of academic integrity through an ethics-of-care lens rather than a punitive framework. We'll review practical strategies for building an integrity-centered community, from co-creating classroom agreements to designing assessments that support authentic engagement. We'll cover how you can model integrity skills, provide clear guidelines around collaboration and AI use, and embrace restorative approaches when concerns arise. Whether you're rethinking your syllabus policies or looking for ways to help students learn the ethics that they'll need in their careers, this episode will provide you with practical strategies that you can use to create a culture of care using Universal Design for Learning.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

Resources

Anthropic. (2025). Claude Opus 4.5 [Large language model]. https://claude.ai/

Bertram Gallant, T. (2008). Academic integrity in the twenty-first century: A teaching and learning imperative. ASHE Higher Education Report, 33(5), 1–143.

CAST. (2024). Cultivate empathy and restorative practices. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/engagement/emotional-capacity/empathy-restorative-practices/

International Center for Academic Integrity. (2021). The fundamental values of academic integrity (3rd ed.). https://academicintegrity.org/aws/ICAI/asset_manager/get_file/911282

Karp, D. R. (2019). The little book of restorative justice for colleges and universities (2nd ed.). Good Books.

Lang, J. M. (2013). Cheating lessons: Learning from academic dishonesty. Harvard University Press.

McCabe, D. L., Butterfield, K. D., & Treviño, L. K. (2012). Cheating in college: Why students do it and what educators can do about it. Johns Hopkins University Press.

van As, J., & Kluyts, M. (2023). Reimaging academic integrity through the lenses of ethics of care and restorative justice to establish a culture of academic integrity. In U. G. Singh, C. S. Nair, & R. Watson (Eds.), Academic quality and integrity in the new higher education digital environment: A global perspective (pp. 23–54). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95423-5.00003-X

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing

Each of us has our own way of looking at the world around us as we strive to better understand it. In this episode of the UDL Guidelines podcast, we'll consider how honoring diverse approaches to understanding—from the empirical and experiential to the Indigenous and creative—allows educators to create more inclusive and impactful learning experiences. We'll review practical strategies for diversifying your assignments, presentations, and learning materials. Whether you're redesigning a course or just looking to enable the collaborative construction of meaning in your classroom, this episode will provide you with practical strategies that you can use to implement Universal Design for Learning in your work.

This podcast is brought to you by the Goodwin University Institute for Learning Innovation and the Center for Teaching Excellence, specializing in Universal Design for Learning. Our goal is to transform how you think about teaching and learning. Learn more at goodwin.edu.

Resources

CAST. (2024). Cultivate multiple ways of knowing and making meaning. Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/representation/building-knowledge/making-meaning/

Knowles Teacher Initiative. (2025, May 27). Different ways of knowing: In support of a broadened life science classroom. https://start.knowlesteachers.org/resource/different-ways-of-knowing-in-support-of-a-broadened-life-science-classroom

Walsh, R., & Danto, D. (2024). Ways of knowing and higher education. In M. E. Norris & S. M. Smith (Eds.), Leading the way: Envisioning the future of higher education. Canadian Digital Scholarly Publishing. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/futureofhighereducation/

Gurm, B. (2013). Multiple ways of knowing in teaching and learning. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 7(1), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2013.070104

Knowles, M., Holton, E. F., III, Robinson, P. A., & Caraccioli, C. (2025). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (10th ed.). Routledge.

Credits

Based on UDL Tips by Diana J. LaRocco, EdD
Produced and Hosted by Brian A. Dixon, PhD
Music by Lynne Publishing