It is critical for universities to uplift a growing diversity of students, whether that be race, economic status, ethnicity, cognitive differences, gender, physical ability, and many more characteristics. We believe creating pathways for all students to be successful while providing rigorous content is important, and we are collectively making progress. Implementing an effective inclusive learning initiative might be a new or unfamiliar process. How do institutions prioritize their efforts for universal design for learning (UDL)? What impact does professional development for faculty have on accessible course materials? It is critical for universities to shift to meet the needs of a variety of students. This includes race, social class, ethnicity, cognitive differences, gender, families, and many more. At the university level we should embrace these changes and take steps toward believing that diversity makes us stronger. If we believe that working to make changes, to create pathways for all students to be successful, and to provide rigorous content is important then we must take that step. UDL is a platform for building that step; for raising people up, expanding opportunity, and creating an environment for divergent thinking. And at its core, this is what a university should be providing its students.

For many universities, implementing an effective inclusive learning initiative may be a new or unfamiliar process. Creating buy-in from campus leadership, creating faculty awareness, and tracking progress are just a few of the steps necessary to help drive a cultural shift in how faculty think about and approach accessibility and universal design. Ally is a tool that our university has integrated into our learning management system (LMS) to help address accessibility. Ally scans courses and indicates the level to which files (and images) may be problematic when it comes to accessibility - these indicators are red, orange, and green dials next to files and images. By clicking on the indicator (which only instructors can see), you are guided through the steps to make the content more accessible. Lastly, students can download accessible versions of files, allowing them to convert materials to HTML, electronic braille, or audio.

Examples of UDL in post secondary education given here are within the context of three California State University institutions.

Example - Fresno State
Fresno State University in central California. Fresno State is one of 23 universities in the California State University System. The school is set in the central interior of the State of California known as the Central Valley. The institution serves a very diverse group of students. In 2017 68% of the students attending the university are the first in their family to attend college, 60% students attending are those whose families qualify for Pell grants, and 70% students are multilingual. The U.S. Department of Education designates this university as both a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is one of the largest CSUs. Located in northern Los Angeles, CSUN is likewise a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution with a diverse body of students. CSUN founded the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, which completed its 35th conference in March 2020. NCOD: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at CSUN was established in 1964, and CSUN has a nationally renowned program for Deaf students.

The Faculty Center supports faculty in their professional development as teachers, scholars of education, and innovators in practice. The Center promotes an inclusive campus-wide community and a culture committed to excellence in teaching and learning. We provide personalized consultations and targeted workshops to train faculty on how to best use technology to improve teaching. Topics include instructional design, supporting diverse learners, classroom management, assessments, lecture video capture, and alternative pedagogical approaches, such as flipped classroom design and online/blended instruction. The use of Ally helps faculty to identify and remediate course content, and also has great benefits for students. Faculty learn how to design inclusive course materials and maximize student learning opportunities.

CSU San Marcos is the 20th CSU campus established and located in North San Diego County just 15 miles from the coast. CSUSM is also a Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander-Serving Institution and an increasingly diverse student body with 53% being first-generation. We provide support to faculty on topics related to teaching and learning. Implementing Blackboard Ally has helped us achieve some of our inclusive excellence goals. We launched it in Summer 2018. Our unit helps instructors by processing course materials for instructors and also teaching them how to remediate course content. Faculty gain insight regarding UDL principles and how to review their course content and structure to increase student success through access.