Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Response to intervention (RtI) provides tiered levels of supports to all students and allows for increasingly more intensive and individualized instruction. Similarly, universal design for learning (UDL) addresses needs of students by proactively planning for instructional, environmental, and technology supports to allow all students to effectively access and engage in instruction.

The model of differentiated instruction requires teachers to be flexible in their approach to teaching and adjust the curriculum and presentation of information to learners rather than expecting students to modify themselves for the curriculum.

The effects of training in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) on lesson plan development of special and general educators in a college classroom environment were investigated. A true experimental group design with a control group was used for this study. A one-hour teacher training session introduced UDL to the experimental group; the control group received the intervention later. A three-factor analysis of variance with repeated measures was completed for each of the dependent variables (i.e.,

Education should help turn novice learners into expert learners-individuals who know how to learn,who want to learn,and who,in their own highly individual ways,are well prepared for a lifetime of learning.Based on knowledge of brain-recognition network,strategic network and affective network in addition to the essence of e-media,there are three principles of UDL:(1) multiple means of representation,(2) multiple means of expression,and(3) multiple meanings of engagement.

A grant-funded initiative for professional development that used the framework of Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) included activities in developmental reading, writing, and math courses. Participants, most of whom were part-time instructors, engaged in an intensive administrator-led, 2-day workshop followed by participant-led activities that extended over multiple semesters. Elements of the training are described; examples of strategies used by these instructors based on UDI principles are included; and insights into the value of designing teaching to incorporate UDI principles are shared.

The article outlines 5 key strategies for creating and converting online course content to be more accessible to learners.

Literacy instruction for students with significant intellectual disabilities traditionally emphasizes isolated skills instruction focusing on sight words and basic vocabulary. Recent research suggests these students benefit from high-quality instruction that includes comprehension and storybook reading. This study examined the effect of a technology-based universal design for learning (UDL) approach to literacy instruction, Literacy by Design (LBD), on the reading achievement of 16 students...

The proliferation of new technologies will not diminish literacy but rather expand it. In particular, we shall argue that new technologies—from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) to iPods, sound blogs and text-to-speech—have revived the importance of listening and “re-balanced” literacy such that printed text remains an important facet of literacy but is not itself synonymous with literacy.

Identifying faculty attitudes can determine readiness for organizational change with respect to implementing UDL principles and can be useful when developing training methods or materials. This paper discusses such a study conducted at a medium-sized, public, research university during fall 2011 with the purpose of

Provides an overview of how UDL applies to higher education with illustrations of UDL implementation using both campus models of systemic change and coursework exemplars.

Responding to the call by educators for empirical evidence of UDL's beneficial effects on student learning, performance, persistence, and ultimately retention, this study measured changes and/or improvements in instruction as perceived by students following UDL instructor training and subsequent course delivery modifications. This study also describes the process that was undertaken to develop and implement pre- and post-student surveys, and points the way toward further research regarding the benefits of UDL implementation to postsecondary education.

The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to introduce the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by going to its origination in the field of architecture—the Universal Design, in order to illustrate the inclusive nature of UDL, 2) to shed light on one of the most important aspects of UDL—collaboration. The UDL framework provides teachers with a unified framework to collaborate on the development of an accessible and inclusive curriculum through flexible pedagogy and tool use...

This article examines findings on student perceptions of individual interventions based on the principles of universal design for learning (UDL). The examination includes a comparison of the reported perceptions of mainstreamed students with high incidence disabilities (i.e., learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, or other health impairments under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) to that of their general education peers. Findings showed that relative to their other academic classes,

The traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach to curriculum denies the vast individual differences in learning strengths, challenges, and interests. The focus of this article is a novel approach, called Universal Design for Learning, to addressing the challenge of individual learner differences. Cognitive science research suggests the joint action of three broad sets of neural networks in cognition and learning: one that recognizes patterns, one that plans and generates patterns, and...

This paper describes the results of the data collection phase of a faculty action-research project that grew from a core group of university faculty members' concerns about how best to support students with disabilities on campus. A survey was used to identify faculty members' stages of concern about and use of nine Universal Design for Learning guidelines in their classes.

To prepare teacher candidates for the growing number of online learners they will encounter in their professional practice, it is important that they have the opportunity to experience quality online learning themselves. This paper reports a case study of an online teacher education course that was designed based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Drawing from survey results and statistics collected through the online learning management system, 24 teacher candidates' online learning experiences were shared.

Authored by the teaching staff of T-560: Meeting the Challenge of Individual Differences at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, this article reflects on potential applications of universal design for learning (UDL) in university courses, illustrating major points with examples from T-560. The article explains the roots of UDL in cognitive neuroscience, and the three principles of UDL: multiple means of representing information, multiple means of expressing knowledge, and multiple means...

Based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL focuses on the learner) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI focuses on instruction), the purposes of this study were to determine if faculty were incorporating UDI/UDL into their instruction, and their attitudes toward students with disabilities, as these could be barriers to learning.