At its core, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a mindset. It’s a set of beliefs and principles that guide educators and employers in everything they do.
Through UDL, success is encouraged and outcomes are improved by focusing on learner variability and creating customizable learning experiences.
Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework that guides the design of learning experiences to be accessible and effective for all students from the outset.
Rather than retrofitting accommodations after lessons are created, UDL builds flexibility into curriculum design, recognizing that learners have diverse needs, strengths, and preferences.
Developed by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) in the 1990s, UDL emerged from research in neuroscience, education, and accessibility. The framework is built on three core principles that address how students engage with learning, access information, and demonstrate their knowledge.
This principle addresses learner motivation and engagement. Students need different ways to become interested and stay motivated during learning. Some students thrive with collaborative work, while others prefer independent tasks. Some need immediate feedback, while others benefit from reflection time.
In practice: Offer choices in topics, varied difficulty levels, collaborative and independent work options, and regular opportunities for self-reflection and goal-setting.
This principle addresses learner motivation and engagement. Students need different ways to become interested and stay motivated during learning. Some students thrive with collaborative work, while others prefer independent tasks. Some need immediate feedback, while others benefit from reflection time.
In practice: Offer choices in topics, varied difficulty levels, collaborative and independent work options, and regular opportunities for self-reflection and goal-setting.
The UDL approach to teaching minimizes barriers and maximizes outcomes for all learners. It begins with the foundational understanding that every learner is highly variable. No learner is just one thing; we all have strengths and weaknesses.
Those strengths and weaknesses become apparent based on the task, the environment, the resources and tools available, and even a learner’s affect (what sort of day they’re having).
UDL aims to change the design of the environment and curriculum rather than to change the learner. By anticipating learner variability and proactively reducing the barriers to learning, UDL empowers all learners to engage in rigorous, meaningful learning experiences by:
Moving from theory to practice requires intentional planning and the right tools. Here are key strategies for successful UDL implementation.
At Everway, our suite of education software is designed for neuroinclusion, supporting all three UDL principles.
Everway’s digital tools help students stay engaged and motivated to learn.
Read&Write’s Screen Masking feature increases focus and reduces distractions
Voice Note in Read&Write helps students to self-reflect
Simplify Page in Read&Write allows you to change the amount of reading on a page so learners can work at a level that’s right for them
Equatio’s Mathspace and Whiteboard features present math problems in symbols, images or drawings for visual learners
Automated differentiation in ULS tailors content to each student’s level
Everway’s digital tools help students stay engaged and motivated to learn.
Read&Write’s Screen Masking feature increases focus and reduces distractions
Voice Note in Read&Write helps students to self-reflect
Simplify Page in Read&Write allows you to change the amount of reading on a page so learners can work at a level that’s right for them
Equatio’s Mathspace and Whiteboard features present math problems in symbols, images or drawings for visual learners
Automated differentiation in ULS tailors content to each student’s level
Contact us to learn how our integrated education technology solutions support Universal Design for Learning across all three principles.
