Follow these recommendations for designing classes and creating accessible course materials that include all students.
Principles of UDL
Equitable Use: Provide the same means of use for all students; identical whenever possible, equivalent when not.
Flexibility in Use: Provide choice in methods of use.
Simple and Intuitive: Eliminate unnecessary complexity.
Perceptible Information: Communicate necessary information effectively to students, regardless of ambient conditions or students’ sensory abilities.
Tolerance for Error: Anticipate individual variation in learning pace and prior skills.
Low Physical Effort: Minimize nonessential physical effort in order to allow maximum attention to learning.
Size and Space for Approach and Use: Consider size, space, posture, mobility, and communication needs.
A Community of Learners: Promote connection among students and between students and instructors.
Instructional Climate: Be welcoming and inclusive, and communicate high expectations to all students.
How to Include UDL in Courses
Knowledge Delivery
Offer printed material in multiple formats (hardcopy, online, word doc, pdf, etc.)
Create opportunities for active participation during lectures.
Provide copies of lecture slides before class.
Describe in words all images, charts, graphs, tables, etc., in your course materials. Include captions on all videos and alt text for all images.
Present online lectures in multiple formats, such as captioned videos, transcripts, slides with notes, and audio-only.
In-Class Activities
To assess participation in class:
Use electronic polls during class when there is a discussion or question.
Have students write and submit questions or discussion points, either electronically or on paper, at the end of each session.
Use activities like think-pair-share where students are sharing their partner’s ideas with the class as opposed to their own.
Create an online discussion board where students can post questions or thoughts.
When developing in-class activities, make sure they have as few physical requirements as possible.
Vary the types of activities used in class, including large group work, small group work, and individual work.
Create opportunities for students to present their in-class work in a variety of ways.
Assessment
Use a series of lower-stakes assignments that allow students to use a variety of skill sets.
Diversify assessments to include options beyond papers and exams. Consider incorporating visual and audio media, presentations, and makers-based projects, for example.
OR have multiple choices of presentation medium for each assignment, like writing a paper, making a video, or creating an infographic.
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Tobin, T.J. & Behling, K.T. (2018). Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press.
Burgstahler, S.E., Ed. (2017). Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press.
Zaloudek, J.A., Chandler, R., Carlson, K., Howarton, R., Eds. (2018). Universal Design for Learning: Teaching to All College Students. Menomonie, WI: Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center, University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Oslund, C. (2014). Supporting College and University Students with Invisible Disabilities: A Guide for Faculty and Staff Working With Students With Autism, AD/HD, Language Processing Disorders, Anxiety, and Mental Illness. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Meeks, L.M. & Jain, N.R., Eds. (2016). The Guide to Assisting Students with Disabilities: Equal Access in Health Science and Professional Education. New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Dolmage, J.T. (2017). Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Developed by , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reprinted with permission.