The Faculty Excellence in Universal Design for Learning Award Committee is delighted to announce Dr. Lindsay Hinkle as the 2023/2024 award recipient. This award recognizes her outstanding commitment to creating inclusive and effective learning environments for all students.
Dr. Hinkle employs a variety of innovative methods and formats to present course content, ensuring accessibility and engagement for all students. In the classroom, she moves beyond traditional lectures, favoring active learning methods that foster student engagement and collaboration.
When asked why she values UDL, Dr. Hinkle explained, “Using UDL principles allows my students to bring their whole, authentic selves into the classroom space and helps me get to know them as people. Yes, I have students in my classroom. But being a student isn’t someone’s entire identity. My students are people with different interests and abilities, and I want them all to succeed in the classroom and beyond.”
Students consistently praise the clarity, precision, and transparency of Dr. Hinkle’s course material. Lindsay believes that students achieve mastery when they have a sense of purpose and autonomy. She designs her classes to bridge the gap between majors and non-majors with different levels of preparedness by providing multiple entry points. When talking about her course structure, Dr. Hinkle described, “Teaching in the Clark Honors College means I have students from a wide variety of majors in my classroom and each of them brings a different perspective and skillset to the table. I want my students to use their unique skills to demonstrate what they are learning in class. And when we can leverage their skills, their classmates understand the material from a different viewpoint.”
Dr. Hinkle also provides diverse opportunities for students to showcase their learning. Her grading system allows students to refine their work and reflect on their learning process. When talking about providing unique opportunities for students, Lindsay expanded on providing choice for students, “One of the principles I love incorporating is choice, whether that’s choosing the research topic or even the entire structure of a term project. Being able to choose and design parts of your assignments allows you to engage with the course topics in a way that’s meaningful to you. Because you are connected to the topic, you’re more likely to enjoy the work that you’re doing and be motivated to complete it when you hit a snag. The fun part for me is that I get to learn from my students since they often pick topics or design projects that I’ve not looked into myself. I’ve learned so much from my students in this way!”
Committed to transforming the culture of science education, Dr. Hinkle explained, “I think a lot about how I can make chemistry more approachable and less scary, because I know the reputation these kinds of courses have… By presenting information differently, using multiple means of assessing knowledge, and giving students choices, everyone gets the opportunity to learn and show how they’ve grown. One of the best parts of my job is seeing students realize they can be successful in this discipline, because I knew they could be all along.”
Lindsay’s nomination highlights her dedication and passion. The positive comments from her students show the respect and appreciation they have for her:
"It felt like the door was always open to talk about issues I was facing, and that she would do her best to help me solve the problem. It felt like she genuinely cared about how I was doing, my success in the class, but also in life."
"We were able to play to our own strengths, work at our own pace, balance the workload with our other courses, and not compare ourselves to others."
"The class culture established by Dr. Hinkle is really welcoming and creates a safe space for learning and being yourself.”
"She embraces us as people, more than just students and makes efforts to ensure we can all meaningfully participate within our capacities."
In closing, Lindsay states, “At the end of the day, I’m just being me. I try to give students multiple opportunities to grow and learn. I want them to know it’s okay to try new things and be bad at them. That we don’t always get it right the first time, but we do learn from those experiences and can be better the next time. That each of us brings something important to the classroom and the conversations within it. That people can approach problems differently and reach the same solutions. Using UDL principles in my courses only helps me achieve these goals and support my students. I hope they see me as someone who is always going to be in their corner cheering them on.”
Congratulations to Dr. Lindsay Hinkle on this well-deserved recognition for her dedication to Universal Design for Learning and her impactful teaching practices.