WINTER SCHOOL DAY 1 (PLOVDIV, 1 DEC 2025)

Theme: Diversity & Inclusion in Contemporary European Higher Education — Focus on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Venue: Auditorium 7, UARD, Plovdiv

Day 1 successfully opened the Winter School with a full programme dedicated to understanding diversity and applying Universal Design for Learning in practice.
Andrean Lazarov (UARD) introduced the day, followed by a keynote from Prof. Dora Levterova-Gajdalova (Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”) on UDL principles and their application. Participants then moved into Workshop 1 on translating UDL from theory to practice and took part in a panel discussion addressing experiences and challenges faced by diverse student populations.

In the afternoon, Prof. Andrea Mangiatordi (UNIMIB) delivered a keynote on inclusion and diversity at university level, which led into Workshop 2 on successful strategies for inclusive education. Attendees began drafting lesson plans embedding UDL principles and concluded with student group meetings to organise next steps.
The day closed with a common dinner offering space for informal exchange and networking.

Thank you to all speakers and participants for an engaged start to the Winter School.
Next up: Day 2 focuses on hands-on UDL practice, barrier identification, and inclusive design exercises.