Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles that can be incorporated into curricular design to create inclusive learning environments. UDL allows all students equal opportunities to learn. The primary goal of UDL is to maximize student learning by increasing access and participation, and minimizing the need for individual accommodations.
The UDL resources on this page provide a "toolkit" to help faculty recognize and remove barriers in their courses, and reduce, or even eliminate, the need to facilitate accommodations for individual students. Incorporating seamless access into classrooms and curriculum will increase sustainability, as accommodations that are individual and consumable. For example, individual accommodations must be determined for each student, each class, each semester. However, when the curriculum is designed to be inclusive, the need to facilitate individual accommodations each semester is reduced.
The major UDL principles are:
- Provide multiple means of representation
- Provide multiple means of action and expression
- Provide multiple means of engagement
- Steps to an Inclusive Learning Environment
- Focus on essential course elements
- Establish clear expectations and learning objectives
- Design activities specific to the learning objectives
- Encourage self-directed learning and active learning
- Provide information using multiple methods
- Incorporate diverse assessment strategies
- Build in opportunities for feedback