Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice

Written by Sasha Blakeley

What is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal design for learning (UDL) is a pedagogical theory that aims to make the school system accessible to all students. The universal design for learning definition notes that the primary goal of UDL is to remove systemic barriers in education, resulting in a more inclusive learning environment. In a UDL framework, students are all thought of as individuals with unique learning styles and needs. Teachers who utilize UDL principles will often present learning materials in several different formats to suit students with differing learning styles. They give students the opportunity to respond to educational materials in various ways, and they provide students with the support they need to thrive in school.

UDL was originally developed by an organization called CAST, also known as the Center for Applied Special Technology. CAST created UDL to make education more accessible and inclusive, and the theory soon took off. Universal design for learning is currently gaining prominence around the world as a major development in pedagogical theory. There are many ways for teachers to implement UDL in their classrooms, benefiting both students and educators. UDL can help students engage more deeply with educational materials, ultimately making it easier for teachers to move through the curriculum, create a dependable classroom environment, and support students' needs.

Three Principles of Universal Design for Learning

There are three primary principles of universal design for learning, according to CAST's framework. These principles are engagement, representation, and action and expression. Each of these principles is highly varied and broad in scope, meaning that teachers can find multiple ways of incorporating each one into any classroom. Engagement refers to how students interact with educational materials. Representation refers to the ways that teachers choose to provide educational materials to their students. Action and expression are terms for the myriad ways that students can explore what they know and demonstrate their learning.

Aspiring teachers may learn about UDL during their teacher training programs, as the theory is becoming more widely understood all the time. After completing a teacher training program, educators will need to gain licensure by taking the relevant exams; in many parts of the country, teachers take the PRAXIS test, but some states have their own exams. The CBEST exam and the TExES exam, as well as other tests, might also ask test-takers questions about UDL or other strategies for inclusive learning. Being familiar with the main principles of the theory is a good strategy, both for those who have yet to become teachers and those who would like to improve their inclusive classroom policies.

Engagement

Engagement is another way to talk about students' motivation to learn. According to the UDL guidelines, students will vary in what helps them engage with materials. Some students might find it easier to immerse themselves in the material when they can learn based on a carefully established routine. Other students might thrive on novelty. A preference for working alone or in groups is also a way that students can demonstrate their unique form of engagement. To ensure that everyone can be involved with the curricula, teachers should provide diverse ways for students to interact with learning materials according to their own engagement styles.

To ensure high levels of engagement, UDL guidelines suggest that teachers heavily emphasize student autonomy, giving students choices whenever possible. They should create a classroom environment that limits distractions. Teachers should strive to make the goals of a given project or assignment clear to students and should make it possible for students to work collaboratively. When a class can work well together, they may be more likely to form a strong community and improve their overall engagement. Some students will find it harder to stay focused than others will. To help those students, teachers can aim to provide them with the tools they need to motivate themselves, avoid procrastination, and engage with school materials in a meaningful way.

Representation

Representation refers to the actual learning materials that teachers provide their students with. Realistic examples of universal design for learning are usually presented in various forms. Many teachers, whether they are familiar with UDL principles or not, will know about the different learning styles that students can have. Some students might learn best by reading a text or listening to a presentation. Others might learn best when there is a visual component to a lesson, like an illustration or a video. Still, others will absorb information best when they are able to do a hands-on activity or incorporate some kind of physicality or movement into a lesson. In addition to these preferences, some students may have disabilities like hearing or vision impairments that make it more difficult to learn using certain methods. A big part of UDL is removing these barriers that make learning unnecessarily challenging for some students.

Teachers can diversify their representation in the classroom by ensuring that each lesson includes alternatives to visual and auditory information according to student needs. Any learning materials should have clear syntax, unambiguous visuals, and, ideally, an option for students to customize the representation that they receive. Classes with English language learners (ELLs) should also have representations that support students' language capabilities. To ensure student comprehension, teachers can focus on what students already know, helping them make connections and grasp the material. There should always be opportunities for students to ask questions about the lesson that they are receiving.

Action and Expression

The final major principle of UDL is action and expression. This is a term for the various ways students can express and act on the knowledge they receive during a lesson. Some students may find it relatively straightforward to express what they have learned, either verbally or in writing. Others might find this kind of expression challenging, possibly because they are ELLs who lack the second language skills to express themselves effectively or they have a physical disability or language disorder that makes writing or speech difficult. Those students should be given alternative options for action and expression based on their unique needs. Some students might need to take more time to write down their thoughts. Some might express themselves through art or gesture. Some might not feel comfortable speaking in front of peers but might still have internalized the lesson effectively.

Teachers can facilitate action and expression by giving students multiple options to convey their learning. Using various tools and assistive technologies to make communication more accessible to students can also have a huge impact. Maintaining clear but flexible expectations for student communication can help all students feel supported in their classroom actions and expressions. Getting to know individual students' communication styles can take time, but when teachers put in the effort, they can go a long way toward creating an inclusive learning space for all students.

Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice

Teachers can incorporate universal design for learning theory and practice into their classrooms in many tangible ways. There are several universal design for learning strategies that improve student engagement while ensuring that each classroom is accessible to students of all backgrounds, needs, and ability levels. The following strategies build a classroom where everyone can access the tools and support they need to reach their full learning potential.

Particular elements of UDL may be easier to implement than others; some are effectively free, while others may require a higher budget and greater external support. Anyone interested in creating a classroom based on UDL principles should be aware that the process of integrating these guidelines and strategies into a real classroom takes time and effort. Rather than seeing UDL as a one-and-done change to an established classroom setup, teachers should consider it an ongoing process that can always be improved upon.

High Expectations for Student Success

UDL is not the only pedagogical theory to note the importance of high expectations. It is widely recognized that when teachers expect great things from their students, the students are more likely to deliver. Some teachers might shy away from demanding too much of their students, and that concern is understandable; many children and teenagers report experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues, partly because of the high levels of pressure they experience to succeed in school. However, teachers can set high expectations for their classes without contributing to worsening mental health outcomes for children and teenagers.

The key to setting high expectations is to reframe what those expectations are. Requiring all students to achieve high grades on their assignments is not always the best way forward, as there will always be some students who fall behind in certain areas or struggle with some subjects more than others. Rather than focusing on achievement, teachers can set high expectations for student engagement and effort. Students should be asked to do their best and to be thoughtful when engaging with materials, regardless of the final grade that results. In this way, all students can aim high based on their individual strengths without assuming everyone will achieve the same academic standards.

Setting low expectations for students — and especially setting lower expectations for some students over others — can become a negative self-fulfilling prophecy. When students believe that little is expected of them, they will be less motivated to improve. They may also start to internalize the idea that they are not as capable as their peers of achieving great things. When teachers positively acknowledge student efforts, they can set the stage for greater success in the future. Measuring students' efforts against their past achievements rather than measuring students against each other is also an important strategy that can teach students to strive for their own personal best rather than focusing on how they compare to others.

Varied Learning Styles

Students learn in all kinds of different ways. In more traditional pedagogical models, there was a heavy emphasis placed on treating all students as blank slates. According to these theories, students should all be treated the same way and taught using the same strategies. The impetus behind such a theory is understandable; equal treatment sounds, on paper, like a fair prospect for a classroom. However, newer research has made it clear that students thrive in schools when they are treated as individuals with specific needs, experiences, desires, and strengths. Universal design for learning takes this approach to new levels, heavily emphasizing an individual approach to student learning.

All students bring their unique backgrounds and experiences to the classroom. Some students might find a standard classroom perfectly suited to their needs; these students will engage well with the material as it is presented, and they can produce work that fully meets teachers' expectations. Many other students, however, will discover that at least some aspects of a regular learning environment are not ideal for them. They might find lectures boring, group work frustrating, or material uninspiring. By engaging with students' varied learning styles, teachers can help everyone have a better school experience.

Many teachers are familiar with general trends in learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning are the three major types of learning that get a lot of attention. Some students might fall neatly into one of these three categories, while many others will have a more blended approach. In addition to these major learning styles, some students might benefit from more repetition than others. Some might benefit from completing creative projects to solidify their knowledge. Others might learn better by teaching the information to someone else. Acknowledging and catering to different learning styles is a great way to incorporate UDL principles into the classroom. Ideally, teachers should strive to give students choices in how they approach their learning.

Systemic Barriers

One of the most important goals of UDL is to dismantle the systemic barriers that make it more difficult for students to succeed in school. The UDL philosophy is that barriers exist in the system, not in the student. In other words, any student can learn and participate fully in school if their needs are met. Some students experience barriers in school because of language. While there are systems in place to help ELLs succeed in mainstream schooling environments, students whose first language is not English may still find the classroom environment challenging. With the right resources and a sufficiently flexible UDL approach, teachers can help ELLs overcome these barriers. That might mean using strategies like differentiated learning, presenting educational materials in multiple languages, and more, depending on the needs of a particular class.

Students with disabilities often find that mainstream school environments are not fully accessible to them. While schools in the United States are required by law to provide accommodations to students with disabilities, many students and teachers know that without proper funding and resources, those accommodations may be insufficient. Having access to assistive communication devices and other forms of disability assistance in schools is crucial for all students with disabilities, as well as being one of the core tenets of UDL. Teachers can help reduce these systemic barriers by learning more about their students' disabilities and being open to adapting the classroom environment as needed.

Some students have learning experiences that fall outside the norm without necessarily being connected to a formal medical diagnosis or disability. For instance, it is common for some students to have difficulties with sensory integration, particularly (but not exclusively) if they have ADHD or autism spectrum disorder. For those students, some sounds might feel distracting or overwhelming. A classroom's fluorescent lights might make it impossible to concentrate. Working in silence without having a toy to fiddle with or a notebook to doodle in might feel torturous. Part of creating an inclusive classroom means providing the space for students to do what they need to support their own learning, like wearing noise-canceling headphones or sunglasses in class to avoid sensory overload.

Numerous other dimensions can act as educational barriers for some students. Socioeconomic status, immigration status, race and ethnicity, religion, and other aspects of student life can make school more or less accessible. Under a UDL framework, teachers are encouraged to account for all these factors, making the curriculum and the class environment inclusive to students from differing backgrounds. For example, it is a good idea for teachers to be aware of major holidays in the world's religions and develop a class schedule around those events. Scheduling a major test on Yom Kippur might create a learning barrier for Jewish students. Asking students to talk about their family history may present challenges for students who are adopted, in foster care, or might have other reasons to be hesitant about discussing their background. A good way around all these issues is to present alternatives for student learning whenever possible.

Lifelong Learning

Incorporating UDL principles into the classroom is an extensive process that can take time. As the theory becomes more widely recognized, more schools will likely be able to support teachers in their efforts to make their classrooms more UDL-friendly. Teachers and students can still benefit from UDL principles without completely changing the classroom system. Even by giving students more autonomy in their engagement with learning materials, teachers can take a major step to make their classrooms more inclusive. UDL is not about being perfect — it is about continuous learning and growth. Teachers and students who incorporate UDL into their daily lives can prioritize becoming lifelong learners. UDL is designed to help everyone be more open to learning and to be more open to understanding each other's diverse perspectives.