Supporting Students with Disabilities Part III: Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) uses learning science to design courses that can help a wide range of students, including those with disabilities. This is the third in our series Supporting Students with Disabilities. You can also check out Part I: Start Here, Part II: Affirming Spaces for d/Deaf Students, and Part IV, Affirming Spaces for Blind Students.
According to its creators, Universal Design for Learning is a "framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn" (CAST Links to an external site.). Here's some the big ideas:
- UDL can help you design your course in a way that helps a wide range of students - whether or not they have documented disabilities.
- Giving students choices allows them leverage their strengths and customize their experience, no matter what their needs. For example, students could choose between watching a video or reading a text depending on preference, or on need (i.e., unreliable wifi).
- There's a saying in UDL, "Necessary for some, helpful for many," that describes many classroom supports. For example, captions help deaf students AND someone watching videos next to a sleeping baby. Giving students a choice between a final presentation, oral exam or essay could help a student with dyslexia, social anxiety, OR a broken hand. Having a volunteer post notes after class can help a student with motor-writing issues AND the student who was home sick. Having flexible deadlines can help a student with chronic illness AND a parent who loses childcare. Like curb cuts - created for wheelchair users but helpful for parents with strollers and travelers with wheeled suitcases - a single change can help many.
- Many UDL strategies, like minimizing threats, supporting collaboration and student organization, or scaffolding learning, are well-known learning approaches (that also happen to help disabled students). Learn more at CAST's website
Practical UDL - ideas to try
Many faculty have added flexibility and other supports during the pandemic. Here are some more easy ways to incorporate UDL in your course:
- Give students choices about HOW they learn. For example, let them read an article or listen to a podcast to learn background on a topic.
- Give students choices about WHAT they learn. For example, let students choose the topic for their final project, or choose a topic to focus on for a week's reading.
- Give students choices about WHEN they learn. For example, make an assessment "take home" or keep a test open online for 1-2 days, so students can choose when to take it; make a short video about a topic that students can re-watch on their own time; or allow "relaxed" deadlines.
- Let students choose how they demonstrate their learning. This could mean students choosing topic or format. For example, for a major project, you could let students pick their subject within a format, or allow students to propose alternate formats for a traditional writing assignment. In a smaller level, they could choose to post with audio or video Links to an external site. instead of text in a Canvas Discussion.
- Add/update one thing at a time (AKA Plus-One Thinking Links to an external site.) - Try choosing *one* place to offer choice or multiple supports this semester, see how that goes, re-evaluate and revise and/or try one more the next time you teach. To start, try focusing on a "pinch point," i.e. an area where students typically struggle or ask a lot of questions. For example, if students aren't understanding an assignment, you might create a brief video or a checklist to help them.
- Help students get the support they need. Encourage all students to access campus supports like tutoring or the Office of Disability Services. Help them understand struggle is normal, and it is common to need help in college.
Good luck on your UDL journey!
Learn More:
- About Universal Design for Learning Links to an external site. - short intro video with links to more detailed UDL guidelines
- It's Time for a Reimagining of Disability Etiquette Links to an external site. - guide with simple recommendations for interacting with disabled people.
- Check out the "Accidental UDL Tool"
Links to an external site. for a list of easily adoptable UDL strategies for higher education.
- This comes out of research on how faculty at Tufts and Salem State Universities responded to the pandemic Links to an external site. by Kirsten Behling, Kate Pillette, and Lisa Bibeau, the Assistant Dean for Disability Services at Salem State.
- Read about "Plus-One Thinking" Links to an external site. to get started in UDL
- More on ideas for incorporating UDL strategies into your course:
- Read more on choice in assessment in our New Course Design course
- Try out some different engagement tactics to spark excitement and curiosity for learning
- Check out our Course Readiness Checklist to help make your Canvas course more universally designed for learning.
Image source: UDL and the Learning Brain, CAST 2018 Links to an external site.