About us
Learn why UAL Online is a fantastic choice to study an MA online. Our online postgraduate courses are taught 100% remotely, with outstanding support for students.
UAL Online shortlisted for Learning Technologies Award
- Written byChloe Bowen
- Published date 23 October 2026
Share story
UAL Online has been recognised for its inclusive approach to digital education, earning a place on the shortlist for the ‘Excellence in accessible and inclusive digital learning’ category at the 2026 Learning Technologies Awards. The Learning Technologies Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in digital learning and learning technology worldwide.
Winners will be announced at the Learning Technologies Awards ceremony on 11 November.
This recognition reflects UAL Online’s commitment to placing accessibility and inclusion at the forefront of the learning experience.
A background to UAL Online
UAL Online was established to bring UAL's world-leading creative education to more people around the globe through fully online, part-time postgraduate study.
Using an innovative learning design framework, the team works closely with subject-specialist academics to bring the experimental, collaborative and practice-led qualities of a UAL creative education into an accessible and inclusive online experience.
Its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), developed specifically for online postgraduate study, is shaped by best practice in accessibility and user experience, industry standards, user testing and student feedback.
With the option to take breaks from study if needed, the learning experience is designed to accommodate the different circumstances of UAL Online’s global cohort. Through industry-informed projects, peer-to-peer collaboration, reflection and digital studio practices, they are supported to develop their skills, advance their careers and explore new possibilities and with a growing portfolio of online courses, UAL Online is creating new opportunities for people around the world.
Debbie Grieve, Director of Design and Production at UAL Online, said:
“We’re delighted to see UAL Online recognised in this way. From the outset, our ambition was to reimagine how a creative arts education can thrive in a fully online learning experience. By combining UAL's distinctive approaches to creative education with evidence-based learning design, we’ve created an experience that supports collaboration, critique, reflection and authentic creative practice for a global community of learners. Accessibility, flexibility and inclusion have been central to that vision.
Being shortlisted is a testament to the expertise of colleagues across UAL who have worked together to make world-class creative education available to students wherever they are in the world.”
How UAL Online embeds inclusive design
At UAL Online, inclusivity shapes the whole student experience – from curriculum and assessment to content, technology and the design of the VLE.
All content is designed in line with WCAG AA accessibility standards, with mobile access, downloadable videos and transcripts, and low-bandwidth options supporting students in different locations and circumstances.
Students can access learning materials and study at times that suit them, alongside opportunities to connect and collaborate in live sessions.
Flexibility extends to assessment too. Where appropriate, students can demonstrate their learning through written, audio or video formats, recognising that students communicate and create in different ways. Regular feedback on work in progress is also built into each unit, helping students develop their practice and prepare for assessment.
Students pay per unit and can work towards different postgraduate awards, giving them greater choice over how they progress through their studies. Together, these choices help remove barriers to postgraduate education while creating a high-quality online experience designed for creative learning.
UAL's Climate, Racial and Social Justice principles are embedded throughout the learning. Ideas such as systems thinking, future design and designing for social justice are woven into learning outcomes, curriculum content and course media. Students are encouraged to question established ways of thinking, explore different perspectives and consider environmental, social and cultural issues through their creative practice.
