Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated around the world annually on the third Thursday of May. The event aspires to raise awareness of the importance and impact of accessibility, share our progress, and renew our commitment to cultivating inclusion. This year, the University of Minnesota held its first systemwide Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) event on May 19, 2022. More than 370 people registered from all 5 system campuses. The event engaged participants in conversation and sparked thinking and learning about access and inclusion at the University. Program and Video Recordings Welcome and Panel Discussion: “UMN Systemwide Perspectives on Accessibility” The GAAD event began with a series of brief videos from some of the University's senior leaders about the importance of accessibility and inclusion. Michael Goh, Vice President, Office of Equity and Diversity Rachel Croson, Executive Vice President and Provost Bernard Gulachek, Vice Presiden...

This is the first post in a two-part series on effective messaging in support of student learning. Do students benefit from prompts that offer study tips and reminders? Can these prompts lead to student success? These are questions the University of Minnesota has been exploring through piloting ECoach, a tailored messaging system developed by the University of Michigan that supports students by facilitating one-on-one communication and coaching. Leslie Schiff, Associate Dean in the Office of Undergraduate Education, was motivated to bring ECoach to the University of Minnesota to explore the tool’s potential to personalize the education experience in large gateway classes. In Spring 2022, the University of Minnesota completed the 3rd semester of a pilot. To date, 3,141 students enrolled in intro-level Chemistry, Biology, Economics, and Philosophy classes have participated in the ECoach pilot. How does ECoach work? Instructors work with the ECoach support team to identify goals for thei...