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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides learners with an equal opportunity to learn. It鈥檚 defined as 鈥渁 framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn鈥� (). At its very core is the principle that 鈥渧ariability [among learners] is the rule, not the exception鈥� (David Rose, from the CAST organization).听

Grounded in neuropsychology and with particular attention paid to the affective aspects of learning, the UDL guidelines emphasize designing and employing聽multiple means of engagement, representations, and action and expression.

Multiple Means of Engagement聽or the聽WHY聽of learning

This principle asks you to聽use聽,聽to provide options for聽sustaining effort and persistence,聽to foster collaboration and community,聽and聽to harness students鈥櫬爀motions and motivations for learning聽(CAST, 2018).

In your online class,聽to implement the principle of聽Multiple Means of聽Engagement,聽you could consider:

• Having students introduce themselves聽wherein聽they share聽their聽academic聽goals for the course聽and聽describe how聽their classmates聽can聽support聽their learning journey.
• Including opportunities for student collaboration, such as through聽team聽projects, breakout group activities,聽or peer assessment.
• Guiding students in reflecting on their learning and progress towards聽achieving the聽course聽learning outcomes聽and their own goals.

Multiple Means of Representation聽or the聽WHAT聽of learning

This principle asks you to聽聽by聽offering alternatives for auditory and visual information,聽supporting decoding聽language and symbols,聽and聽guiding聽meaning construction聽and information processing聽(CAST, 2018).听

In your online class,聽to implement the principle of聽Multiple Means of Representation,聽you could consider:

• Including alternative text (alt-text) for any images and captions for audio and video.
• Presenting course content in more than one form, for example as text聽and聽as a 3D model or as a graph and聽as an聽animation.
• Having students use online concept mapping software to connect their background knowledge to new information.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression聽or the聽HOW聽of learning

This principle asks you to聽. This is facilitated by ensuring your course is accessible to students using assistive technologies,聽providing graduated levels of support in assessment, and supporting students鈥� executive functions聽(CAST, 2018).

In your online class,聽to implement the principle of聽Multiple Means of Action聽and Expression, you could consider:聽

• Verifying that your course site, content, and assessments are navigable by assistive technologies
• Allowing students to express their understanding by using forms of聽assessment聽that align with their strengths
• Using features of Brightspace that support executive functioning, like the Checklist tool to help students keep track of their assignments

UDL Resources

Student Accessibility Centre and Student Success Centre
惭辞谤别听ideas on how to implement UDL and suggestions聽for creating an inclusive classroom聽can be found on the Student Accessibility Centre and Student Success Centre聽websites.

Centre for Learning and Teaching
Educational Developers at CLT offer聽Faculty retreats and聽workshops on聽Universal Design for Learning (UDL)聽and聽Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP)聽where, by the end of the聽sessions,聽you聽will be able to articulate the basic UDL and CRP principles and philosophies, how they intersect with each other,聽and identify ways in which you are already using UDL and/or CRP in your courses, or ways in which you anticipate you will.听Reach out to the Transformative Pedagogies Team (formerly EDIA) at transformativepedagogies@dal.ca or visit the Transformative聽Pedagogies webpage.听