What is UDL?
The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines offer a framework to create instruction and assessments that address the diverse needs of students in higher education. By applying UDL’s three principles, faculty can foster student agency and design learning that is:
- Purposeful & Reflective
- Resourceful & Authentic
- Strategic & Action-Oriented
Multiple Means of Engagement (The Why)
Focus: Motivation, purpose, and persistence—key drivers of adult learning.
✔️ Promote Choice & Autonomy → Offer flexible assignment formats e.g. allow students to choose between writing a paper or creating a video or audio presentation).
✔️ Ensure Relevance → Link theory to practice, community issues, or debates.
✔️ Foster Belonging → Use peer review, discussion groups, and collaborative projects to reduce isolation in large classes.
✔️ Provide Actionable Feedback → Give improvement-focused comments on student work.
Multiple Means of Representation (The What)
Focus: Ensure content is accessible and comprehensible for students with diverse sensory, linguistic, and cognitive needs.
✔️ Customize Information Display → Use technology to ensure that content is accessible; include video transcripts and adjustable fonts/formats.
✔️ Clarify Language & Symbols → Provide glossaries, definitions, and explanations e.g. diagrams, animations and verbal examples.
✔️ Build Intellectual Connections → Start with prior knowledge, use concept maps to help students to identify key ideas and relationships.
Multiple Means of Action & Expression (The How)
Focus: Flexible demonstration of learning
✔️ Optimize Access to Tools and Technology → Ensure Learning Management Systems, texts, and lab tools work with assistive technologies e.g. screen-readers, voice recognition.
✔️ Vary Response Options → Accept diverse forms of student work including podcasts, videos, oral exams, portfolios, as well as essays.
✔️ Support Strategy Development → Scaffold large projects by providing timelines, templates, and interim checkpoints to help students plan, monitor and manage their progress.
Key Takeaway
UDL is about removing barriers—not lowering standards.
Small, intentional design choices can transform learning environments into spaces that are more inclusive, engaging, and empowering for every learner.