2-minute read time.
Hello everyone,
It’s been a busy few months. Between birthdays and getting involved in a local theatre production, my schedule filled up quickly! But a recent conversation with a colleague about universal design in online learning reminded me how much I enjoy reflecting on this work, so I wanted to share a few thoughts.
In my current role, I collaborate with several post‑secondary institutions across the province, and it’s always interesting to see how differently each school and each instructor approaches lesson design and their learning management systems (LMS). Despite how long the internet has been part of our lives, higher education still tends to treat online spaces like uncharted territory. I’ve seen some LMS practices that definitely shouldn’t be repeated, let alone set a standard.
Whenever my team suggests a user‑experience‑focused structure for a course, it’s not unusual for concerns about academic freedom to surface. And often, that’s where the conversation ends.
To explain why universal design isn’t a threat to academic freedom but actually supports it, I like to use a simple analogy.
Think about a traditional paper book. No matter the genre, every book has certain recognizable elements: a cover, a table of contents, and pages that follow a clear order. Within that structure, authors have complete freedom to tell their story in their own voice.
An online course works the same way. Academic freedom lives in the content: the ideas, the teaching style, the activities. But the course still needs a consistent, navigable structure so learners know where they are and how to move forward.
It’s a straightforward comparison, but sometimes simplicity helps the message land. Universal design brings clarity and consistency to online education and, ultimately, supports what we’re all trying to achieve: helping learners succeed.
As always, thank you for reading,
Kristy
