A few weeks ago we talked about UDL in the conversation around accessible syllabi. This post provides more back ground on what UDL or (Universal Design of Learning) is, and how it can be useful to you when you for the purposes of teaching and learning. The information I am providing was adapted from the work of Flower Darby, author of Small Teaching Online. and the UDL Higher Education Special Interest Group.
Within the higher education landscape, there are unique challenges. Some of these include: differing school models and missions, degrees of faculty’s focus on research (sometimes over instruction), the size of classes and campuses, the connections between faculty and students, the lack of background in the area of teaching for many individual faculty, the relationship among faculty and other service providers (e.g., disability services), and the impact of legislative accessibility standards (different for different countries).
Although UDL first took hold in K12 education, the neuroscience and the principles that undergird this framework certainly apply to higher education as well, to address the wide variety of students that an institution may serve. When we think about the college context and about today’s students, we realize that other considerations come into play in addition to students’ needs and preferences relating to both learning and technology.
For example, today’s college students [at both the graduate and undergraduate level] are more likely than ever to be juggling at least one of the following challenges, and often more than one:
Working to pay for college
Raising a child on their own
Dealing with mental health challenges such as anxiety
Facing food or housing insecurity, if not both
Or a myriad of other issues.
Given this reality, it’s important that we build in support and options within the very design of the class. While students at IU can request accommodations based on need, Newt Miller, Associate Dean at Ashford University has said, we can “accommodate off the bat,” (2020) so that students don’t need to request special treatment, deadline extensions, or opportunities to revise and resubmit, as examples.
General Resources:
This video provides more information about the importance of UDL in our college classes.
Additional Resources
UDL in Computer Science Education: http://ctrl.education.illinois.edu/TACTICal/udl.html
Q&A: Making Sense of Universal Design for Learning (12-minute read)
Tobin, T. J. & Behling, K. T. (2018). Reach everyone, teach everyone: Universal Design for Learning in higher education. West Virginia University Press.
Chardin, M. & Novak, K. (2021). Equity by design: Delivering on the power and promise of UDL. Corwin Press.
https://thinkudl.org/episodes/ep3-making-udl-work-for-everyone-with-thomas-j-tobin
National Center on Accessible Educational Materials (AEM Center): Explore free webinars & resources to help bring accessibility to your learning design
Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice: FREE multimedia e-book describing the foundations and implementation of UDL.