Samtse College of Education (SCE) successfully launched a professional development (PD) workshop on September 14, 2025, titled “Transforming Pedagogy with Technology and the Universal Design for Learning Approach in STEAM Education“. This event, organized by SCE in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, is part of the Impact Scaling Grant for the Connected Learning for Teacher Capacity Building in STEM (CL4STEM) project.
💡 Equipping Teachers for Inclusive Learning
The workshop’s primary objective was to equip teachers with the knowledge and practical skills needed to make teaching, learning, and assessment more inclusive, equitable, engaging, and effective. This was achieved through the framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the strategic integration of technology.
While the CL4STEM initiative began with a focus on STEM education in April 2021, its strategies have been successfully adapted and scaled to benefit teachers from the Arts and Humanities as well. The current workshop was attended by the Principal, Vice Principal, and 33 teachers from Norbugang Central School, Samtse Dzongkhag.
🛠️ Hands-On Practice with UDL and Tech Tools
Participants received an orientation on the three principles of UDL, its nine guidelines, and the 32 checklists developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). Crucially, the PD included hands-on practice using technological tools aligned with UDL principles:
- For Representation (Content Delivery): Teachers explored tools like Edcafe, NotebookLM, and interactive videos to present information in multiple formats.
- For Engagement (Student Motivation): They practiced using interactive books, branching scenarios, Quizizz, Canva, Wiki, KWL charts, and H5P to promote active participation and collaboration.
- For Expression (Demonstrating Learning): Teachers gained experience with interactive videos, Blogger.com, and H5P, which enables students to demonstrate their learning in varied ways.
This practical approach helped teachers understand how to integrate these tools to make lessons more inclusive and provide diverse opportunities for students to show what they know.
➡️ Next Steps: Practice-Based Implementation
This professional development is implemented as a practice-based model. Following the face-to-face workshop, participants now have six weeks to apply the UDL and technological knowledge and skills in their classroom practice.
To complete the program, teachers are required to submit one lesson plan and one reflective report as evidence of their practice. Faculty members from SCE will monitor the implementation to ensure effective learning outcomes, and successful participants will be awarded certificates acknowledging 30 hours of engagement.
By empowering teachers with the UDL framework and technology integration, this initiative helps to minimize barriers to learning and prioritize equity in the classroom, ensuring every learner is supported to reach their full potential.
Reported by Dr. Reeta Rai, CL4STEM Country Coordinator
