Universal Design for Learning

“Universal Design for Instruction calls for goals, materials, methods, and assessment that are appropriate for the maximum number of learners” (Hoover, Nall, & Willis, 2013, p.27).

Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) was developed to “increase access for students with learning disabilities at the postsecondary level, providing a framework that librarians can apply to designing inclusive information literacy curricula. The Research Services Librarians at Landmark College, a college for students with learning disabilities or AD/HD, have adapted the principles of UDI to develop an approach to library instruction called Universal Design for Information Literacy (UDIL)” (Chodock & Dolinger, 2009, p.24).

UDIL is an integrated approach that ensures that information literacy instruction is accessible to all learners. Using repetition, slower pace or multimedia presentations could benefit individuals with disabilities in developing their information literacy skills (Chodock & Dolinger, 2009).

Nine Principles of Universal Design for Instruction

Nine Principles of Universal Design for Instruction (Scott, McGuire, and Shaw, 2001) include:

  1. Equitable use,
  2. Flexibility in use,
  3. Simple and intuitive instruction,
  4. Perceptible information,
  5. Tolerance for error,
  6. Low physical effort,
  7. Size and space,
  8. A community of learners,
  9. Instructional climate

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL can be divided into 3 main components:

  1. Multiple Means of Representation,
  2. Multiple Means of Engagement,
  3. Multiple Means of Expression.

“Ideally, educators apply these components to their lessons, which give students various ways to collect information, interact with it, and respond to it” (Webb & Hoover, 2015, p.539).

“Faculty who anticipate diversity can intentionally build inclusive instructional approaches into their teaching” (McGuire & Scott, 2006). The same is true for instructional librarians.

Strategies & Tips for Implementing UDI

Applin’s Recommendations (1999):

  1. Include short, specific, verbal instructions/explanations
  2. Simple, large visual representations
  3. Include immediate, hands-on experience
  4. Use simple, well-labeled handouts
  5. Pictures should be large and labeled
  6. Definitions should be brief and contain illustrations

Books on UDL/UDI

Engage the Brain by Allison Posey

Research on the brain has shown that emotion plays a key role in learning, but how can educators apply that research in their day-to-day interactions with students? What are some teaching strategies that take advantage of what we know about the brain? Engage the Brain answers these questions with easy-to-understand explanations of the brain’s emotion networks and how they affect learning, paired with specific suggestions for classroom strategies that can make a real difference in how and what students learn. Readers will discover how to design an environment for learning that makes material relevant, relatable, and engaging.

Universal Design for Learning by Anne Meyer; David Rose; David Gordon

In the 1990s, Anne Meyer, David Rose, and their colleagues at CAST introduced universal design for learning (UDL), a framework to improve teaching and learning. Based on new insights from the learning sciences and creative uses of digital technologies. UDL can help educators improve and optimize learning experiences for all individuals.

Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice by Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

Editor, Universal Design in Higher Education: Promising Practices Founder and Director, DO-IT Center, University of Washington. The Center for Universal Design in Education.

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