Meet A&S’s Accessible Design Coordinator Lori Hostetler
Lori Hostetler, the accessible design coordinator for the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ Office of Learning Design & Technology, is making significant strides in enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of course design across the University. With 20 years of experience teaching special education, Hostetler brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for fostering student success and belonging to her work, along with deep insight into what makes teachers effective in the classroom.
“As UVA’s inaugural accessible design coordinator, my role is to support faculty in making course and instructional design more accessible — both for students with disabilities and for those without,” said Hostetler, who holds a doctorate in higher education leadership.
Using her experience as an educator and scholar who has spent her career teaching and training teachers, Hostetler collaborates with Michael Palmer, director of UVA’s Center for Teaching Excellence, to apply the latest in pedagogical research to her work. Their recent co-authored book, Developing High-Impact Course Design Institutes: A Model for Change, explores the inner workings of course design institutes (CDIs), the intensive, multi-day experiences where instructors design or redesign courses based on learning-focused and equity-minded principles.
“We wanted to better understand what makes course design institutes effective — and more fundamentally, how we help faculty learn their way into a greater sense of efficacy in the classroom,” Hostetler explained.
CDIs can be transformative for faculty, helping them unpack their expertise to guide novice learners more effectively.
“It’s like an apprenticeship — faculty participants are learning not just facts about teaching but a way of thinking, and that takes thoughtful design,” Hostetler said.
According to Palmer, CDIs like the ones hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence are especially valuable in higher education.
“CDIs introduce faculty to a systematic way of designing courses — something most of them were never taught,” he said.
Research also definitively shows that CDIs produce better classroom outcomes, including significantly reducing student failure rates. Their book, which draws on extensive experience and robust survey data, provides a comprehensive introduction to CDIs and serves as a playbook for educational developers and their funders looking to launch or refine their own CDIs.
“We know that CDIs are impactful. We know that they lead to better learning environments and courses that the instructors enjoy teaching and students enjoy taking, and the book offers a roadmap to help others develop them quicker and better than they could on their own,” Palmer said.
“At UVA, our Course Design Institute models the best of what we found in our research — small communities of faculty working through complex ideas together, guided by their own inquiry rather than by lots of lecture by the CDI facilitator,” Hostetler said.
CDIs help faculty who have deep knowledge of their subject area unpack what they know and help them create classroom experiences that make it easier for novice learners to access both their teacher’s knowledge and enthusiasm, Hostetler explained.
“A CDI helps with that unwrapping, deciding what’s most important, deciding in what order those pieces go, and developing assessments and assignments that help students engage with it,” she said.
Christa Acampora, Buckner W. Clay Professor of Philosophy and dean of Arts & Sciences, recognized Hostetler’s work in helping Arts & Sciences reach one of its strategic priorities.
“Lori’s dedication to accessible and inclusive teaching embodies our deep commitment to ensuring that every student has the opportunity to thrive,” Acampora said. “Through her innovative approaches to learning, she is helping to create a more equitable academic environment and elevate the educational experience for all. In doing so, she advances our mission and upholds the values that define UVA.”
Hostetler’s expertise also extends beyond course design. Through the Digital Accessibility Working Group, she is helping ensure that the University is compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for digital accessibility.
“We’re building resources to help faculty begin understanding what digital accessibility really means and how to start making their course materials more inclusive as well,” Hostetler said.
Hostetler’s work in helping faculty create accessible and inclusive educational experiences is paving the way for a more equitable learning environment at UVA, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed.
“Teaching becomes more enjoyable when you see your students learning, applying skills, and developing the same passion you have for your discipline,” Hostetler said.
