Welcome to This Module!

In 60-80 minutes, this self-paced introductory module walks you through how to make your course design more inclusive with UDL guidelines, in order to increase the quality of student learning.

This module was developed at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver Campus, located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people.

1.1. Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Recognize systematic barriers in classrooms or courses;
Identify UDL’s benefits for both students and instructors;
Explain UDL’s scientific underpinnings, and how they are related to learning.

1.2. What is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that allows us to recognize and address diversity of learners and reduce barriers to learning.

UDL derives from the Universal Design (UD) movement in the field of architecture that aimed to create physical environments that are barrier-free and accessible to as many people as possible at little or no extra cost.

Figure 1: Staircase in a building in Los Angeles For example, sidewalk were originally created for wheelchair users, but more people, from people pushing a cart carrying heavy equipment to people using a stroller, can benefit from them. Creating sidewalk ramps from the beginning is more efficient in terms of time, cost, and the number of people served than creating curbs first and then adding ramps afterwards.

UDL is a valid framework for guiding educational practice that: “(A) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the ways students are engaged; and (B) reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains high achievement expectations for all students, including students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient.”
By the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA)

Applying this proactive design approach of UD to learning, UDL guides us to make learning environments accessible and inclusive by design. UDL is a set of principles for curriculum development that enable all learners to gain knowledge, skills and enthusiasm for learning by giving them equal opportunities to learn.

Watch this short video by CAST to see how the UDL framework guides the design of instructional materials and curriculum that can be adjusted to meet individual needs.

Title: UDL At a Glance
Duration: 4:36 min.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/bDvKnY0g6e4

1.3. Why is UDL Important? UDL's Benefits to Learners and Instructors

Many traditional teaching practices tend to cater to or privilege only certain types of learners, such as those learners who are able-bodied, fluent in the language of instruction, or good at learning course content by reading textbooks or listening to lectures. However, in reality, all learners bring their varying backgrounds, strengths, needs and interests to our education system and classrooms. If this diversity is not recognized and addressed by proactive design, it can create barriers to learning. The UDL guidelines can help us reduce environmental and curricular barriers by bringing flexibility and options into learning design from the outset.

How does UDL enhance student learning?

Watch this short video was by CAST to learn how UDL can help diverse learners in higher education settings.

Title: UDL in Higher Education
Duration: 2:09 min.
YouTube:https://youtu.be/bDvKnY0g6e4

The implementation of UDL strategies can have a positive impact on instructors as well. The benefits for instructors include:

Having concrete strategies to improve student learning
Reducing workload by avoiding a need to accommodate varying individual student needs retroactively
Enhancing their professional capacity in the area of inclusive design and teaching
Maintain academic rigor and high expectation by making learning activities tactable for students

To learn more -- Read Katz, J. (2014) Implementing the Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning: effects on teachers' self-efficacy, stress, and job satisfaction in inclusive classrooms K-12. International Journal of Inclusive Education 19:1, pages 1-20.

1.4. What are Systemic Barriers in Teaching and Learning?

Accessibility is an important concern for UDL, but UDL doesn’t approach accessibility only from a disability perspective. It is more broadly concerned about reducing any barriers to learning by making sure that all of the instructional materials (e.g., texts, images, audio) as well as classroom environments and activities are accessible to as many learners and instructors as possible. For example, UDL encourages us to use a video with captions, but it is to help not only students with hearing challenges but also students who speak English as an additional language. It can also help reinforce other students’ understanding of the content.

UDL recognizes systemic barriers in teaching and learning settings. Systemic barriers are policies, procedures, or practices that can prevent individuals from having equal access to a service and fully participating in a situation. They are often put into place unintentionally, and yet they can have negative impacts.

Systemic barriers to learning include:

Using colours to deliver information. (e.g., “Correct answers are in green,” which can be a barrier for those learners or instructors who are colorblind.)
Having unclear learning outcomes or objectives for a program, a course, or a learning activity. Lack of transparency can make the learning process difficult for some students, such as those who are not familiar with implicit academic expectations and norms, and those who need support to stay focused on learning goals in face of distractions.
Requiring students to demonstrate their understanding of course content in only one way (e.g., only in an essay) when their understanding can be assessed in other ways as well.
Providing information in only one way (e.g. text) without alternative media (e.g., videos, audio).
Classroom that does not have wheelchair-accessible tables.
Expensive textbooks and fieldtrips (i.e., economic/financial barriers for some learners).
Providing examples that are relevant or understandable only to limited groups of students.
Assigning a group assignment that requires significant work outside the class time. (Barrier for some students, such as students who commute from afar, have parenting responsibilities, and have multiple jobs.)

1.5. Learning Activity

Following are commonly asked questions about UDL. What do you think the answers would be?

1.6. Learning Networks and UDL Principles

Informed by cognitive neuroscience, UDL addresses three broad distinct and interrelated learning networks of the brain, and UDL has three principles that correspond with these networks. This module is organized by these UDL principles, and here is an overview.

Affective Networks

These networks represent the “why” of learning and are located at the medial regions of the brain. This area of the brain evaluates patterns and the emotional significance of the information being perceived, and stimulates motivation for learning. Learners perceive and respond to new information or tasks differently (e.g., excited, overwhelmed). To support these networks, it is important to provide a balance of challenge and support, different ways to recruit learners' interest, and multiple ways to engage learners. It is also important to remind students of goals and objectives to help them stay focused and motivated.

Affective networks inform UDL's Principle: "Provide multiple means of engagement." This principle is covered in Topic 2 of this module.

Recognition Networks

These networks, being situated at the posterior half of the brain’s cortex, represent the “what” of learning. This area of the brain helps us gather facts and categorize what we see, hear and read, but everyone processes information differently. To support different learners’ recognition networks effectively, it is necessary to provide information and content using a variety of media.

Recognition networks inform UDL’s Principle: “Provide multiple means of representation.” This principle is covered in Topic 3 of this module.

Strategic Networks

These networks represent the “how" of learning and are situated in the anterior regions of the brain’s cortex. This area of the brain helps us to plan, execute and monitor action and skills. Learners are different in the way they acquire patterns and in higher-level strategies such as planning, organizing and monitoring. It is important to give students choices, strategies and appropriate tools for planning and demonstrating their knowledge.

Strategic networks inform UDL's Principle: "Provide multiple means of action and expression". This principle is covered in Topic 4 of this module.

1.7. Activity: Identify Systemic Barriers and Possible Solutions

Steps/Instructions

Review each persona listed below.
Read the Scenario and identify the barriers for each persona.
Answer the questions.
Release the answers.

This activity, including personas, was adopted from the "Redesign or Accommodation" Activity in Coolidge, A., Doner, S., Robertson, T., & Gray, J. (2018). Accessibility Toolkit – 2nd Edition., Victoria, B.C.: BCcampus. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/accessibilitytoolkit/

Persona: Trish

Trish persona My name is Trish. I have a physical disability resulting from a car accident that left me with partial paralysis and motor issues requiring a motorized wheelchair.

I am physically dependent on my family, so especially enjoy reading and studying independently. I prefer e-book formats and PDFs that can be easily loaded onto my iPad.

I am 18 years old and live with my family.

Scenario: Second Year Science Course

Petra has taken over the teaching responsibilities for a second-year science course. The required materials for the course include:

A substantial course pack of readings – primarily journal articles and selected chapters from an out-of-print textbook. The previous instructor developed the course pack and had provided the university’s bookstore/printshop with photocopies they had made of the selected articles and chapters. Students who register for this course purchase a copy of the course pack from the bookstore at the beginning of term.

An e-textbook that includes more reading materials plus an extensive set of quizzes. Students pay the publisher directly to gain access to their e-textbook and its ancillary resources.

Answer the questions:

How would any of these required course materials and activity present possible barriers for Trish?
What are possible solutions that you can think of?

Release Answers (click to expand)

Barriers:
- Course Pack materials are not accessible as Trish has physical disability and can't go through the print materials independently.
- E-textbook may also be a barrier for Trish (financial barrier)
Solutions/Redesign:
- Provide the course pack materials online and in PDF format. Make sure they are accessible.
- Replacing e-textbook with an open textbook (if possible)

Persona: Steven

Steven persona My name is Steven and I am a first year, part-time student who has come to UBC after a decade in the workforce, looking to earn a university degree to improve my career prospects. I am a single parent with sole custody of my two-year old son. I work about 35 hours a week on top of taking classes, and I rely on a neighbour for childcare who has health problems and sometimes can’t take care of my son.

I don’t have much control over my work schedule, as it changes from week to week (and sometimes unexpectedly from day to day), and I often try to complete schoolwork while on the bus to campus or my workplace and back. I struggle to pay for our rent and food each month, but I am determined to finish my degree and get a better job.

Scenario: First Year Engineering Course

Julie is new to the university and has been assigned to teach a course in Civil Engineering. She decides to use the same textbook as the previous instructor used, but requires students to have the latest edition. She doesn’t really know how much the book costs for students, but the new edition actually is about $200. If students don’t read the textbook they won’t do well on frequent quizzes that are based on material in the textbook.

In this course Julie also assigns students to groups for a group project. These groups have to work with community partners—student groups address some engineering problem or question the community partner has. They must meet with the community partner at least twice during the term.

Answer the questions:

Would anything in this course as described present possible barriers for Steven?
What are possible solutions that you can think of?

Release Answers (click to expand)

Barriers:
- The textbook cost is a financial barrier for Steven.
- Meeting with the community partner might be another barrier for Steven as he might not be able to arrange for a childcare.
Solutions/Redesign:
- Replace the textbook with an open textbook where possible.
- Make a few copies of the textbook available through your institutions’ library for low income students.
- Ensure the meetings with the community partner happen during class hours or can be done virtually.
- Provide assignment options besides group project.

This is the end of an overview of UDL. For your reference, you can download the CAST’s table on UDL guidelines, which lays out how learning networks of the brain are connected to UDL’s principles and guidelines.

The rest of this module will walk you through following three principles of UDL one by one:

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement (Topic 2)
Provide Multiple Means of Representation (Topic 3)
Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression (Topic 4)

Note: Click the Next button below to move on to the next page, Topic 2: Multiple Means of Engagement.