This month’s newsletter was written in collaboration with Brad Grabham, UDL Consultant and Learning Experience Designer in OIT.
What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that aims to improve teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how people learn. UDL helps educators break away from the “one-size-fits-all” education model to design instruction in a way that benefits all learners by offering flexibility.
The UDL Guidelines outline an approach for how to implement UDL in your instruction. The core principles of UDL encourage the use of multiple means of:
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Representation (providing support and options for how students receive information)
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Action & expression (providing support and options for how students demonstrate their understanding)
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Engagement (providing support and options for how students engage with the content)
These principles are based upon the idea that there isn’t a single way of engaging with content or demonstrating knowledge that will be optimal for every learner, so providing options is critical to allow all students to learn in the way that is best for them.
How does UDL relate to accessibility?
In higher ed, accessibility and UDL are both focused on making sure all people are included in the educational process, so it is sometimes hard to distinguish the difference between the two. Fundamentally, accessibility is about making sure that people with disabilities can fully participate in learning experiences and engage with academic content, whereas UDL is about building flexibility into the teaching and learning process so that students have options about how they can learn and engage in the classroom. Oftentimes, accessibility features like closed captions are also a great way to provide all students with greater flexibility in their learning, so creating accessible content can make a course more universally designed.
A universally designed course should be accessible, so it’s important to keep accessibility in mind if you’re interested in creating learning environments and materials in accordance with UDL principles. The UDL guidelines alone don’t go into sufficient detail to support you in making a course fully accessible in digital environments, so make sure to consult CU’s accessibility training resources for support, or schedule a consultation.
UDL Implementation Strategies
Regardless of where you are in your UDL journey, the following strategies can be used to help make your classroom more universally designed.
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Student Choices: Provide students with choices in how they gain information and show what they know.
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Flexibility in Presentation of Content: Present information in multiple formats, such as text, images, video, and audio. (For example, an audio file can be accompanied by a written transcript so that students can choose whether to listen to the media, read the text, or read the transcript while listening to the audio simultaneously.)
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Metacognition: Help students understand how they can make decisions about how they learn by:
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Framing Choices: Describe choices that students can make in the learning process, and explain why students may find different options beneficial.
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Coaching on Choices: Provide written or verbal guidance to students about which learning choices may work best for them.
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Reflecting on Choices: Provide ways for students to reflect on the outcome of their choices.
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Where do I find support?
The CU Boulder UDL service offers consultations, workshops, presentations, and a UDL micro-credential for CU Boulder faculty, staff, and students.
To learn more or request a consultation or training, visit the Universal Design for Learning service page.
September Challenge
If you do any teaching or training in your role on campus, take 10-15 minutes and use the UDL Implementation Strategies above to evaluate a course, event, or learning activity that you are responsible for. You may wish to limit your examination of course materials to a single week or unit in order to limit the time you spend.
Even if you don’t teach or train in your role, you can take UDL outside the workplace and apply it to teaching something to a friend or family member. Try it out!
Your Thoughts
We want to hear from you about any questions or issues you run into while trying out this accessibility practice this month! Please send us your thoughts on this month’s topic.
If you have questions or comments, or would like support with accessibility, please contact us at DigitalAccessibility@Colorado.edu.