The keynotes and sessions in Spokane may be over, but the conversation is just getting started.
Join us for the InstructureCon25 Encore Series—a book club for the Instructure Community that brings the voices of featured speakers into your everyday learning. One book at a time, we’ll read, reflect, and keep the InstructureCon magic going until we’re together again in Louisville.
Each title comes with its own pacing guide and meet-up with other Community members. No pressure, just purpose.
UDL Now! by Katie Novak
Reading: March 1 - April 17
In UDL Now!, Katie Novak delivers a practical and empowering guide to implementing Universal Design for Learning in today’s classrooms. Blending research-backed insights with real-world examples, she provides actionable strategies that help educators design inclusive, flexible learning experiences that remove barriers and elevate student voice. With clarity and urgency, Novak shows how UDL isn’t a future ideal—it’s a now approach that ensures every learner has meaningful access to success.
Start the book on your own or follow along with our suggested schedule in the InstructureCon25 Encore Series Canvas Network course.
Then, during this Instructure Live event, be ready to share your favorite quotes, inspirational passages, and action items you’re excited to try. During this casual 45-minute meet-up, we’ll unpack those takeaways and prepare to apply them to our own practice. (Bonus: Attendees will be awarded a Book Club participation badge through Parchment Award Digital Badges!)
Whether you’re sharing a quick thought, a favorite quote, or a personal takeaway, there’s no wrong way to join in. Pick a prompt (or a few!) and let the discussion flow:
- Observe: What moment, passage, or strategy stood out to you the most? Think about what caught your attention (a specific UDL guideline that felt "lightbulb" worthy, a myth that was debunked, or a practical tip that made you rethink your lesson flow).
- Reflect: What did this book make you think or feel about the current "barriers" in your environment? Consider how the ideas connect to your beliefs about learner variability and whether your current habits prioritize the "average" student or the "expert" learner.
- Connect: Where do you see the three UDL pillars—Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression—already showing up in your work? Look for real-world examples where providing choice or multiple pathways has already led to more successful outcomes for your learners.
- Apply: How might you apply one "low-lift, high-impact" strategy from this reading to design your next interaction or lesson? Identify one specific barrier you can remove or one firm goal with flexible means you can implement to empower more autonomy in your daily practice.one small action or mindset shift you can take forward to embrace lifelong learning in your daily practice.
Let this book inspire you to see inclusive design not as a checklist, but as a dynamic commitment to equity and a key part of how we empower, engage, and elevate every learner.
If fewer than four participants share their interest by 12:00pm MT on the day of the meet-up, the event will be cancelled. Participants can still complete the independent reflection to earn their participation badge.
