WHAT IS UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING?

At the very beginning of this course, we discussed the curb cut effect, saying, "When we design for individuals with disabilities, those same features are useful and beneficial for everyone." This idea is at the heart of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is an evidence-based framework that helps teachers create flexible learning environments that accommodate individual differences. Like with digital accessibility, the goal of UDL is to reduce barriers so that all learners have an opportunity to fully engage in learning.

UDL is a close relative of digital accessibility. The scope of UDL is broader, though, and it asks teachers to fundamentally reconsider how their course is structured and how students learn. That's why we've included this module on UDL. If you've done everything else in this self-paced course, this is a great place to learn how to further innovate your teaching. You'll also see a lot of connections in this module with our page on Cognitive Accessibility.

THREE PRINCIPLES OF UDL

UDL was originally defined by David Rose, one of the co-founders of CAST. The UDL Guidelines by CAST are internationally recognized as the foundational principles of Universal Design for Learning.

The CAST guidelines recommend that courses follow three principles by providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. These principles, based on neuroscience and learning research, engage different networks in the brain, each addressing the why, what, and how of learning.

Engagement - Affective Networks, The "Why" of learning, Representation - Recognition Networks, The "What" of learning, Action & Expression - Strategic Networks, The "How" of learning

Multiple Means of Engagement

People learn best when they care about their learning. Every student can be engaged and motivated to learn, though different learners will need different approaches. For example, some learners are engaged by spontaneity, while others are discouraged, frustrated, and even scared by spontaneity.

Some techniques for this principle include providing learners with choice and autonomy, minimizing threats and distractions, fostering collaboration and community, and developing self-assessment and reflection. You can design multiple means of engagement into your course by allowing students to explore their own topics, share their interests, and share how they learn best. You can also broaden your approach to participation and how you assess it, including a wide variety of options for students, such as verbal contributions, active listening, collaborative note-taking, in-class polls, peer review, group work, brainstorming, and mind mapping.

Multiple Means of Representation

Every learner is different in how they perceive and comprehend information. People with sensory disabilities require different kinds of content. Others may learn better through visual or auditory means, rather than text. In other words, no one form of representation is universally optimal for all learners.

Much of the content of this self-paced course is focused on practices that will make a significant impact for this principle. Creating digital content that is accessible provides options for learners to access the information through alternate means, such as text-to-speech or braille output.

A great next step here is to evaluate options for enhancing comprehension, such as building connections with background knowledge or highlighting patterns and relationships between ideas. Through these methods, you can help ensure that all your students are supported in understanding course content.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression

Learners differ in their ability to complete activities and assignments. For example, some students may be able to express themselves well verbally but not in writing, and vice versa. By providing multiple means of action and expression for students, you allow them to demonstrate their knowledge in a way that works best for them.

This principle recommends assigning multiple forms of projects and assessments, such as exams, presentations, essays, reviews, videos, and more. It's also a good idea to allow your students to choose the format of their assignment: for example, you could allow students to turn in an essay, presentation, or podcast.

It's important that you provide evaluation criteria for students across multiple means of expression. For example, if you assign an essay that has clear evaluation criteria, then allow students to submit audio without clearly indicating evaluation criteria, then the audio option could be seen by students as the "wrong" option.

NEXT STEPS

The remaining pages in this module discuss a variety of topics regarding UDL. These include some resources from our Continuity of Instruction community. If you want to learn more about UDL broadly and how to apply it to your course, we recommend browsing each of the principles, guidelines, and checkpoints in the CAST UDL Guidelines website. That website also provides an excellent model of how UDL works in practice, as they provide multiple forms of representation and ways to engage with the content. For example, if you're interested in the research behind the UDL guidelines, you can browse their collection of research evidence.

If you want a series of tactics to apply UDL to your course, check out the appendix to Joy Dolmage's "Universal Design: Places to Start". This document includes a large number of tactical recommendations, divided into categories. You can also view the original article in Disability Studies Quarterly, as well as the wiki of collected UDL tactics.

Quick Recap

UDL provides a framework for teachers to create courses that all students can fully engage in, regardless of individual differences.

Further Reading

About Universal Design for Learning (CAST)
CAST On Campus: UDL in Higher Education
UDL Syllabus (CAST)
Universal Design: Places to Start
Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction