Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for teaching and learning that aims to make education accessible to all. It was developed by the nonprofit CAST using scientific insights into how people learn.
The idea of UDL is that learning should be designed to work with the unique skills, needs, interests, and abilities that different students bring to the classroom. Lessons and curricula should accommodate all students — including those with disabilities, differing cultural and linguistic backgrounds, learning styles and interests, gifts, talents, and more.
Universal Design for Learning Principles
There are 3 main principles of UDL that guide the development of curriculum, course materials, teaching methods, and student assessments.
- Design Multiple Means of Engagement: This means that educators should increase students’ motivation and engagement by tapping into their unique interests. By getting in touch with their students’ likes and dislikes, educators can use this information to guide their instruction.
- Design Multiple Means of Representation: This means that educators should present information and content in different ways to connect with the most students possible.
- Design Multiple Means of Action and Expression: This means that educators give students the opportunity to express themselves in a variety of ways. Assessments and grades are not tied solely to paper-and-pen tasks. Instead, they can include demonstrations of knowledge, video projects, speeches, drawings, etc.
For more in-depth information on UDL principles, read the UDL Guidelines.
The Science Behind UDL in the Classroom
The principles of UDL are based on neuroscience research that tells us the ways different people learn are as unique as our DNA or fingerprints.
There are 3 primary brain networks that affect our learning. These networks were used as a basis for developing the principles of UDL.
These networks are:
- The affective network, known as the “why” of learning. This network helps us get engaged and stay motivated. It’s how we become interested, excited, and challenged by the learning process. The first principle of UDL, Multiple Means of Engagement, addresses the need to make learning meaningful and interesting to students. When materials are presented in a way that appeals to students’ interests, they’ll be more engaged in learning.
- The recognition network, or the “what” of learning. This network helps us gather information and make sense of it. We use it to identify and categorize what we see, hear, and read (including letters, words, pictures, and styles of writing). People have different strengths in this network — some are visual learners, while others may need auditory or verbal support. These differences led to the second principle of UDL, Multiple Means of Representation. Presenting information in different ways engages all students’ recognition networks to the greatest extent possible.
- The strategic network, or the “how” of learning. This network helps us organize and express our ideas. We use it to plan and perform tasks like writing a report or solving a word problem. Students who struggle in this area may not do well with traditional tasks like paper-and-pen tests or essay writing. The third principle of UDL, Multiple Means of Action and Expression, addresses difficulties in planning or performing tasks by letting students express their knowledge in a variety of ways.
The best sources of information on UDL are CAST (formerly the Center for Applied Special Technology) and UDL-IRN (the Universal Design for Learning Implementation and Research Network).
UDL and AT
Many AT tools were originally designed to meet the unique needs of individuals with disabilities. These tools have often been “add-ons” to address what was lacking in existing educational materials.
Since the development of UDL, there’s been a stronger push to design technology tools to meet the needs of a wide range of students — including those with disabilities — from the beginning. Many tools once thought of as AT are now being used to support and assist a wide variety of students. UDL has benefitted from the existence of AT tools, and AT has benefitted from increased attention and adoption by a broader range of students.
UDL addresses the need to provide students with multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. As a result, educators have many options for utilizing technology tools that incorporate the principles of UDL.
For example, technologies that support the writing process (such as text-to-speech and/or word-prediction software) can be used in the classroom by any student who could benefit from it.
From a UDL perspective, technology tools should be designed to address all students’ needs, abilities, and interests. Decisions about which technologies to buy should also take these factors into account.
Say a school is planning to use a web-based tool. To examine how well the tool follows the principles of UDL, the school may ask:
- Will all students be able to access the tool?
- Will students be able to use alternative access methods to use the tool?
- Will the tool work with other AT, like screen readers or text-to-speech programs?
From the AT perspective, technology tools are provided or adopted based on the needs of the individual student. However, when educators follow a UDL model, it’s more likely that students with disabilities will have access to a wider range of tools and materials and that their individual AT will be integrated into daily learning.
