Dear Faculty,

The encouragement of learning in LMU's mission happens every day in your work with students, and because each student learns a little different, valuing learner diversity is one of the best ways you ensure student success.

In this edition of our newsletter, the Instructional Technology team explores how concerted efforts to make learning inclusive and accessible can also have a huge impact on student success. In the sections below, we look at practical ways to improve the learning experience by:

• Adopting Accessibility Standards
• Leveraging Remediation Tools
• Being Inclusive by Design

Did you know? Disability Support Services (DSS) expects the number of students they support to increase each academic year. At the end of the fall 2025 semester, there were 1,433 students registered with DSS, an increase of 10% from two years earlier.

Sincerely,

Instructional Technology
LMU Information Technology Services

Students can face a combination of limitations, not just related to learning abilities but also related to time constraints or environmental circumstances. So, making learning material available in suitable ways creates valuable opportunities and benefits. Research shows (Murray et al., 2014) that support for students with formal disability accommodations can also improve retention, learning outcomes for other students.

LMU is committed to improving learning experiences for everyone and adopting Digital Accessibility best practices plays a vital role in that process. ITS has established a new Digital Accessibility hub that provides resources about making learning content equitable.

Beyond explaining standards and concepts, the Digital Accessibility hub also explains tools that are available to assist in remediation efforts. Panorama is a robust tool for streamlining the remediation effort and for elevating the usability of course content. For faculty, Panorama ensures course content meets accessibility standards. It works inside Brightspace where it's convenient, secure, and supported. For students, Panorama offers alternative formats of learning material that can prove invaluable when students face individual challenges.

In this video, Law Professor Susan Smith Bakhshian describes her experience using Panorama.

Universal Design For Learning

To move beyond "fixing" legacy files to creating content that doesn't need to be remediated, explore Universal Design for Learning (UDL). This is a set of principles that accounts for the variability of learning types. UDL recommends developing curriculum with multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression. Learn more about UDL for Higher Education directly from CAST, the originators of UDL.

Inclusive Pedagogy

Inclusive Pedagogy is an approach that goes so far as to consider variations in culture and background, as well as diversity in ability. It involves personalizing learning experiences by responding to individual needs and creating social learning communities. LinkedIn Learning has several relevant resources. Inclusive Learning Design emphasizes equity and how to design with inclusion in mind.

Join us for lunchtime workshops and drop-in sessions where we help you learn about accessibility and the remediation process. The Instructional Technology team will be available to help you use Panorama in Brightspace and help you improve a document on the fly. Bring something basic or something challenging. Register below or explore all upcoming workshops.

In Person - Tuesday, Oct. 20 at noon in University Hall 2218.

Virtual - Friday, Oct. 23 at noon via Zoom

310.338.7777
servicedesk@lmu.edu

213.736.1097
servicedesk@lls.edu

Produced by LMU Information Technology Services

This communication was approved by LMU Internal Communications.

1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, California 90045-2659
Copyright and Privacy | Terms and Conditions