Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides learners with an equal opportunity to learn. It’s defined as “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST website). At its very core is the principle that “variability [among learners] is the rule, not the exception” (David Rose, from the CAST organization). 

Grounded in neuropsychology and with particular attention paid to the affective aspects of learning, the UDL guidelines emphasize designing and employing multiple means of engagement, representations, and action and expression.

Multiple Means of Engagement or the WHY of learning

This principle asks you to use multiple means of recruiting interest, to provide options for sustaining effort and persistence, to foster collaboration and community, and to harness students’ emotions and motivations for learning (CAST, 2018).

In your online class, to implement the principle of Multiple Means of Engagement, you could consider:

• Having students introduce themselves wherein they share their academic goals for the course and describe how their classmates can support their learning journey.
• Including opportunities for student collaboration, such as through team projects, breakout group activities, or peer assessment.
• Guiding students in reflecting on their learning and progress towards achieving the course learning outcomes and their own goals.

Multiple Means of Representation or the WHAT of learning

This principle asks you to present information and content in different ways by offering alternatives for auditory and visual information, supporting decoding language and symbols, and guiding meaning construction and information processing (CAST, 2018). 

In your online class, to implement the principle of Multiple Means of Representation, you could consider:

• Including alternative text (alt-text) for any images and captions for audio and video.
• Presenting course content in more than one form, for example as text and as a 3D model or as a graph and as an animation.
• Having students use online concept mapping software to connect their background knowledge to new information.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression or the HOW of learning

This principle asks you to differentiate the ways that students can express what they know. This is facilitated by ensuring your course is accessible to students using assistive technologies, providing graduated levels of support in assessment, and supporting students’ executive functions (CAST, 2018).

In your online class, to implement the principle of Multiple Means of Action and Expression, you could consider: 

• Verifying that your course site, content, and assessments are navigable by assistive technologies
• Allowing students to express their understanding by using forms of assessment that align with their strengths
• Using features of Brightspace that support executive functioning, like the Checklist tool to help students keep track of their assignments

UDL Resources

Student Accessibility Centre and Student Success Centre
More ideas on how to implement UDL and suggestions for creating an inclusive classroom can be found on the Student Accessibility Centre and Student Success Centre websites.

Centre for Learning and Teaching
Educational Developers at CLT offer Faculty retreats and workshops on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) where, by the end of the sessions, you will be able to articulate the basic UDL and CRP principles and philosophies, how they intersect with each other, and identify ways in which you are already using UDL and/or CRP in your courses, or ways in which you anticipate you will. Reach out to the Transformative Pedagogies Team (formerly EDIA) at transformativepedagogies@dal.ca or visit the Transformative Pedagogies webpage.