Universal Design for Learning

It is the curriculum rather than the learner that needs to be “fixed.” – Anne Meyer and David Rose

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for designing inclusive learning experiences. UDL has three principles: Engagement, Representation, and Action/Expression and a set of guidelines under each principle to help make learning experiences more flexible and supportive for learners.

The UDL framework was developed by CAST. UDL can help us proactively plan and design learning environments that proactively integrate supports and scaffolds for learners in PreK-12 and post-secondary educational environments. The UDL framework has 3 main principles that are further defined by 9 guidelines and 31 checkpoints.

At first glance, the 31 checkpoints seem like a list of strategies that resemble good teacher and differentiated instruction. However, UDL is more than just a list of differentiation strategies; it’s also a process of intentional planning and design. The UDL design process:

Starts by considering LEARNER VARIABILITY
Focuses on REDUCING BARRIERS in the curriculum and instruction.
Builds in SUPPORTS AND SCAFFOLDS that all students can use from the outset, considering students strengths and assets and their needs.

The UDL Design Cycle, described in detail later on this page, provides a step by step process to think about how we can design for learner variability from the outset.

What is learner variability?

Learner variability is the norm in our classrooms. Every student has strengths/abilities, preferences/interests, backgrounds/experiences, and support needs. There is no “average” or “typical” learner; in your classroom, you will always have a full range of learners.

The term “diversity” or “diverse learner” is often used in education; the term is commonly used to describe students who are identified for services or not in the majority group (e.g., students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students from different cultural backgrounds). This term can be limiting because “diversity” can end up being a term for students who are “different” from a mythical “typical” student. In contrast, the term learner variability acknowledges that all students have varied and diverse needs and learning characteristics.

How do we reduce barriers?

UDL focuses on reducing barriers in the learning environment. UDL emphasizes that the barriers are in the curriculum, not the student. The question for us as teachers is “where are the barriers in my learning environment, and how can I reduce that for the varied learners I have in my classroom?” When we design lessons, learning activities, and learning environments, it is important to identify what will create barriers for students.

Barriers in curriculum and instruction can include academic, socio-emotional, and physical ones. For example, if we are teaching a science unit which requires reading text to understand key concepts, reading itself can be a barrier. If we assign a project that requires self-direction, a barrier may be a lack of clarity of what is expected and how to successfully do the steps of the assignment. UDL provides a framework to consider barriers related to Representation, Action and Expression, and Engagement and address them in our lesson and learning environment design.

What supports and scaffolds can we use?

As teachers, we regularly provide supports for students. These can include the ways we break down a larger task, give varied ways to learn something, and provide extra help. With UDL-based design, the focus is on building in supports to the lesson from the outset.

Scaffolds are a type of support that can be provided for students to use when and as they need them. Scaffolds can be removed (or not used) when students no longer need them. Think of scaffolding in terms of physical scaffolds we sometimes see when building are being built. That scaffolding helps the builders reach the top until it’s no longer needed because the actual stairs or foundations are built. Similarly, we can provide scaffolds for students to use until they no longer need them.

UDL provides a framework to consider what sorts of supports and scaffolds can help address learner variability. UDL has three main principles that organize learning supports and scaffolds we can use when we design learning experiences:

Representation: ensuring that learning content and materials are accessible and comprehensible to our learners
Action and Expression: ensuring learners have varied ways to demonstrate their knowledge and skills and supports to build skills and manage their learning process, and
Engagement: ensuring that learning is relevant and engaging and that students have various ways to engage with and regulate how they learn

Under each principle, there are three guidelines that define supports and scaffolds.
Note about students receiving special education services: It is essential to provide the accommodations and modifications that are on a student’s Individualized Education Plan. Sometimes the UDL-based strategies you incorporate will integrate those supports within a lesson. It is important to provide any accommodations and modifications that are not provided by the UDL-based lesson.

How can I use UDL to design lessons that support all learners?

As you plan and design a lesson or learning activity, you can use a step by step process to analyze where the barriers are and how you can support students. You do not have to use every guideline; instead, you can apply the ones that make sense of a particular purpose.

The UDL Design Cycle is a step by step process to think about your learning objectives, consider barriers that can arise and think about learner variability. Then decide which UDL guidelines you can apply to the lesson or activity to provide supports and scaffolds.

Planning process using the UDL Design Cycle

Step 1: Identify goals/objectives for a lesson or learning activity
Keep your goals/objectives simple and state what you would like students to learn or do.

Step 2: Consider barriers and learner variability
Ask yourself what barriers there are to reaching the goals/objectives that you stated. When you teach this lesson, what will create barriers for learners?
What supports or scaffolds can you provide to reduce barriers and address learner variability?

Step 3: Develop assessments for each goal/objective (formative and summative)

While developing assessments, consider which UDL guidelines can be used to reduce barriers and address learner variability identified in Step #2.

Step 4: Develop methods and integrate flexible materials

While developing methods and materials, consider which UDL guidelines can be used to reduce barriers and address learner variability and needs identified in Step #2)

Additional Resources

How to break down barriers to learning with UDL

In this Understood post, Allison Posey from CAST how we can identify and break down barriers as part of a planning process.

Cracks in the Foundation: Personal Reflections on the Past and Future of the UDL Guidelines

David Rose, one of the co-founders of CAST who was part of the original group who developed UDL, reflects on his journey as an educator, describing the institutional and societal barriers he encountered as a young teacher. In this paper, Dr. Rose explains how UDL is being reconceptualized as part of CAST’s Rising to Equity initiative, a multiyear, community-driven effort to revise the UDL Guidelines to identify, name, and redress systemic barriers to equitable learning and outcomes.

UDL in 15 minutes (podcast)

In this podcast series on her UDL Approach website, Dr. Loui Lord Nelson interviews teachers on how they use UDL in their settings.

References

Basham, J. D., & Marino, M. T. (2013). Understanding STEM education and supporting students through universal design for learning. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(4), 8-15.

Evmenova, A. S. (2018). Preparing teachers to use Universal Design for Learning to support diverse learners. Journal of Online Learning and Research, 4, 147-171.

Meyer, A., Rose, D. H., & Gordon, D. T. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: Theory and practice. CAST Publishing. (Access a free multimedia edition)

Lord Nelson, L. (2021). Design and Deliver Planning and Teaching Using Universal Design for Learning, Second Edition. CAST Publishing.

Meyer, A., & Rose, D. H. (2005). The future is in the margins: The role of technology and disability in educational reform. In D. H. Rose, A. Meyer, & C. Hitchcock (Eds.), The universally designed classroom: Accessible curriculum and digital technologies (pp.13-36) . Harvard Education Press.

Rao, K. (2019). Instructional design with UDL:Addressing learner variability in college courses. In S. Bracken & K. Novak (Eds.), Transforming higher education through Universal Design for Learning: An international perspective. Routledge.

Rao, K. (2021). Inclusive instructional design: Applying UDL to online learning. Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 10(1), 10.51869/jaid2021101

Rao, K., Gravel, J.W., Rose, D.H., Tucker-Smith, T.N, (2023). Universal Design for Learning in its 3rd decade: A focus on equity, inclusion, and design. In R.J. Tierney, F. Rizvi, & K. Erkican (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education 4th Edition, (712-720), Vol. 6. Elsevier. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818630-5.14079-5.

Rao, K., & Meo, G. J. (2016). Using universal design for learning to design standards-based lessons. Sage Open, 6(4), 1-12. doi:10.1177/2158244016680688. Retrieved from tinyurl.com/udldesigncycle

Rao, K., Torres, C., & Smith, S. J. (2021). Digital tools and UDL-based instructional strategies to support students with disabilities online. Journal of Special Education Technology, 36(2), 105-112. 10.1177/0162643421998327

Rose, D. H., & Gravel, J. W. (2009). Getting from here to there: UDL, global positioning systems, and lessons for improving education. In D. T. Gordon, J. W. Gravel, & L. A. Schifter (Eds.), A policy reader in universal design for learning (pp. 5-18). Harvard Education Press.

Smith, S. J., & Basham, J. D. (2014). Designing online learning opportunities for students with disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 46(5), 127-137. doi: 10.1177/0040059914530102

Tobin, T. J. & Behling, K. T. (2018). Reach everyone, teach everyone: Universal design for learning in higher education. West Virginia University Press.

Torres, C. & Rao, K. (2019). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for language learners. CAST Publishing.