AN ANALYSIS OF HIGHER EDUCATION FACULTY CONCERNS REGARDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A UNIVERSAL DESIGN INITIATIVE

Abstract

This study applied the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) to analyze higher education faculty concerns regarding the application of the principles of Universal Design (UD). It represents a deep analysis of faculty concerns. The CBAM model is an innovation adoption model that views adoption as a developmental process. The analysis of faculty concerns informs the design of an innovation initiative that intended to increase the use of UD principles in higher education teaching. The study relied upon faculty interviews as a primary data source. Seven faculty from the School of Education at a large midwestern university participated. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were coded using the CBAM stages as coding categories. In aggregate, the results indicate that faculty clustered in the Personal and the Management categories. In these category, faculty are unsure of the demands of applying UD and how to meet those demands as well as a lack of clarity about how to implement the principles. This suggests that they had knowledge of the principles of UD but were unsure how to apply them in course design or teaching methods. The study offers possible explanations for these results. It also provides design recommendations based upon the results. Finally, the study describes some barriers that faculty reported regarding participation in professional development events, such as workshops and online short courses.