EDMA 610 Faculty Interview Response: Dr. Gunderson by Ben Seipel

Steph Roman

2025-10-23 04:27:27 UTC

My takeaway from this interview with Dr. Jamie Gunderson includes her discussion on the her thesis dissertation and her continued research as she mentions a topic that is similar to my research study in looking at the ways that technology has been used in the classroom to support student learning. From her own studies, she found that technology can spark different growth in students and this continues to interest me as throughout the course, I continue to find resources on the use of digital technologies and digital programs within K-12 education.

I also liked that she mention the impact of UDL and how it can be transferred into separate environments that are not education as this was not something that I had thought about before.

Lidia Leal

2025-10-25 04:33:21 UTC

Thank you Dr. Gunderson! I appreciated the in depth review of your study. It shows that iPads can be used to help our students in general education. I also like how passionate you are about Universal Design for Learning. I would like to learn more about UDL because when I went through the credential program, it wasn’t something that I remember learning about.

I loved your advice to be open to what the data says and there will be adjustments along the way!

Alondra Plancarte

2025-10-25 05:16:32 UTC

Dr. Jamie Gunderson,

Thank you for sharing about your research and your advice.

I didn't know about your research crush, Dave Eddie Burn. Thank you for sharing about him and about his article. I agree on how it's interesting (also alarming) that schools adopt certain technologies without researching them and identifying if they're assistive or instructional.

Thank you for saying that the administrative tasks in research can be overwhelming. This validates others experiences! Lastly, thank you for recommending to go through our research with an open and flexible mind. I hope to learn more about you and your work on UDL.

Julie McCarthy

2025-10-25 17:19:31 UTC

Thank you, Dr. Gunderson! I really appreciate how you highlighted the love for the creative aspect of research rather than just the analytical side. I am the same way, although the more research I do, the more I’ve started to develop an interest in the data as well. I also really valued your advice about approaching research with a question rather than an answer. I’ve definitely found myself expecting certain results and being surprised by the opposite!

Briando Contreras

2025-10-25 20:22:42 UTC

It was awesome getting to know you more Dr. Gunderson through this faculty interview. Your study was on the use of iPads as a trial for your students with intellectual disabilities. You explained that connecting your passion with the research can have a positive impact on the quality of work you put in. Utilizing these devices in different ways was sparking some different parts of growth in your students in different content areas. Your current research revolves around the same area with UDL as one of your main focus. I did not know that UDL was only used in special education and not in general education back then. A takeaway of the advice you gave in the video is that the role of the researcher is to ask questions and the data will tell you more about the questions. Being open to what's out there and what do we need to know more of. Thank you for sharing.

Sue Kelly

2025-10-25 20:52:22 UTC

Thank you for your advice on data and to shift our mindsets of expectations of data. I love your work on UDL. You did a presentation in the Admin program on UDL and I learned so much. I appreciate your work and your insight as a researcher!

Brittany Hester

2025-10-25 21:46:30 UTC

Thank you so much, Dr. Gunderson, for your insight! I really appreciate your work on UDL, and I would love to learn more about your research on the implementation in College classrooms. It sounds fascinating. My biggest takeaway was to ask the question and then let the data show you where to go with that question. As a new researcher, I feel the need to ask a question and prove a specific answer, so it is a great reminder to remain open-minded and follow the data.

Julianna Jackson

2025-10-26 01:02:54 UTC

Jamie Gunderson has a remarkable background in special education and a strong passion for Universal Design for Learning. Her innovative research, particularly her work with iPads to support students with extensive needs, highlights her dedication to improving educational access and engagement. Having been her student for a year, I greatly appreciated her insights and guidance. Her commitment to advancing inclusive education is truly inspiring.

Savannah Anderson

2025-10-26 05:28:53 UTC

Dr. Gunderson,

Thank you for sharing your research around accessibility used in the classroom, specifically iPads and how it helped provide a more equitable classroom.

In regard to UDL, I am so intersted in providing these tools not only in order to understand how it can help students in marginalized groups, but how it can increase learning in my own classroom. Thank you for also catching my interest the stating you had a "ersearch crush" because it definitely made me click on Dr. Dave Edyburn's page and look more into his studies!

Fatimah Khan

2025-10-26 06:17:57 UTC

Thank you, Dr. Gunderson's for sharing such great information! Dr. Gunderson did her research on UDL, which she is really passionate about. Dr. Gunderson also mentioned how her students used iPads in class, which were both effective and beneficial for their academic growth. It's nice to hear that students are getting the support they need in class. Dr. Gunderson mentioned how research can be overwhelming, but it's important to go in with an open mind, prepared to make adjustments, and most importantly, be creative. Overall, I found Dr. Gunderson's interview to be great and useful!

Abigail Stebbins

2025-10-27 03:45:53 UTC

Thank you, Dr. Gunderson! It was so neat to watch your interview and learn about your work with assistive technologies and instructional technologies in extensive support needs classrooms! One thing that really stood out to me was how you mentioned the UDL framework and how overtime it has become used more in the general ed classroom. This really shows how research in education is helping educators to make learning more accessible for all. At the end of your interview you mentioned modifying research methods and practices to benefit students which was also mentioned briefly in the CITI training we just completed. Thanks!

Griselda Rivera

2025-10-28 03:06:50 UTC

I found Dr. Gunderson’s interview inspiring, especially how her research on iPads and Universal Design for Learning began in her own classroom! It is amazing that it impacted many students and educators. I appreciated her view of research as both creative, flexible and her reminder that it’s about discovery, not just proving a hypothesis. Her commitment to inclusion and equitable access through technology really stood out to me.

Adriana Peck

2025-10-28 17:09:49 UTC

Hello Dr. Gunderson!

Thank you so much for your time. One of the most influential impacts in education (in my opinion) has been the rapid integration of technology in classrooms in the wake of the pandemic. You mentioned that your research for your dissertation was originally done in 2010, and I can only imagine that there is more data to be analyzed now. UDL is so important and I am so glad it has been integrated so thoroughly into the credential program and Masters of Education program here at CSU Chico. Being aware of what the data says and being open is one of the key ways to keep biases out of research! Thank you for those reminders!

Krystal Herrera

2025-11-04 03:39:43 UTC

Thank you Dr. Gunderson! I appreciate how you did your dissertation on something you were passionate about and trailblazing in educational technology. UDL plays a big role in helping students and looking at it qualitatively and quantitatively be applied to instruction/courses is something valuable for all students especially those classrooms who need the most support. I love how you focused on educational technology as an inclusive and accessible way of instruction and support.

Cristina Pucci

2025-11-04 05:32:29 UTC

Thank you, Dr. Gunderson! I really appreciated your words of encouragement as a beginning researcher. I feel I really needed to be reminded that research is not about finding a "perfect" answer, but more about seeing what is out there and what can we discover. I feel like this approach is a lot less scary/intimidating as well!

Nicole Keane

2025-11-07 23:18:34 UTC

The research that you are doing right now is so cool! We often hear about UDL, but implementing it can be challenging. It would be great to have training and be able to see the impact it makes in the classroom.

I also agree that students with disabilities should be exposed to the general curriculum and provide the right accommodations and modifications, it also allows students to create social connections when they have access to the general education setting.

Kyle Auxier

2025-11-08 15:05:02 UTC

I really liked how Dr. Gunderson’s research came straight from what she was doing in her classroom. It’s awesome that she used iPads and UDL to help make learning more accessible for her students. I also liked how she said research is kind of like a creative project. I also appreciate her comments about the hard parts too, like all the paperwork, but how she still focuses on the fun and meaningful parts. The reminder to stay open to whatever the data shows instead of trying to make it fit what you want was also really good advice.

Stephanie Baldree

snparsons1 — 2025-12-03 03:31:26 UTC

Thank you, Dr. Gunderson. I absolutely loved having you as a professor in the credential program a few years ago. My favorite memory is using the assistive technology as a way to produce music. I still have the video! Your knowledge of UDL helped me better implement it in the classroom when I was student teaching, as well as now.

I appreciate that you recommend we go into research with an open mind. Without having preconceived notions of what the research will say. Thank you!