What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

What does it mean to have a universally designed course, and how do we achieve it? Well, let's talk about UDL!

Our students bring a wide variety of skills, needs, and interests to the classroom. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles provide instructors with a framework for designing educational environments that allow all learners to gain knowledge, skills, and the enthusiasm that comes with learning.

The goal of UDL is to provide all students with support and remove any barriers to the learning process. Employing universal design principles in planning and developing courses from the very beginning creates an accessible environment, minimizing the need to alter it later for any student.

According to Rose (2006), the needs of all learners can be met by applying the following principles to the development of goals, instructional methods, classroom materials and assessments:

Representation

Provide multiple and flexible methods of presentation to give students with diverse learning styles various ways of acquiring information and knowledge.

Expression

Provide multiple and flexible means of expression to provide diverse students with alternatives for demonstrating what they have learned.

Engagement

Provide multiple and flexible means of engagement to tap into diverse learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn.

Accessibility is an important facet of UDL: Accessibility means that a student with a disability can access and effectively use materials in your course. UDL and Accessibility are related, but have different meanings. To reiterate, while it can vary, course materials that are universally designed are often accessible as well e.g., using videos with captions.

References:

CAST (2018). UDL and the Learning Brain. Wakefield, MA. https://www.cast.org/products-services/resources/2018/udl-learning-brain-neuroscienceLinks to an external site.

Rose, D. (2006). Universal design for learning in postsecondary education: Reflections on principles and their application. Journal of secondary education and disability, 2(19). ({Rose-2006}_-_Universal_Design_for_Learning_in_Postsecondary_Education.pdf)