Universal Design for Learning Strategies
By employing universal design for learning (UDL) strategies, faculty and instructors can create assessments, activities, and course materials that are accessible and inclusive for a diverse range of students. The primary goal of inclusive course design is to maximize student learning by increasing access and participation and reducing individual modifications.
Below are common curricular features and the potential, positive impact of their design with increased access of in-person and online environments.
Lecture content
Provides students options for accessing course content and may remove the need for individual notetakers in class
- Provide all students with lecture content in multiple formats such as PowerPoint slides, videos, outlines, and/or class notes before lecture
- Use provided templates for PPT slides and avoid inserted textboxes
- Record lecture to allow students to re-watch on their own time
- Allow for students to use their own personal electronic devices such as laptops, tablets and recorders to capture lecture content
Accessible Course Materials
Allows for all students to access written material in the same format without delay for converting
- Ensure documents and PDF’s are accessible
- Scanned documents cannot be read by a screen reader or assistive technology and will require Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to convert it to an accessible format
- Use textbooks with an online or electronic option
- Ensure all videos, including those created by you and outside sources, are captioned before being made available to all students
Alternative Assessments
Allows students to demonstrate mastery of course material without the need for accommodations such as extended time
- Short, low-stakes, frequent assessments
- Online assessments or projects where time is not an essential element
- Written assignments such as essays, reviews, or abstracts
- Presentations
- Case studies
- View additional assessment best practices