Universal Design for Learning

Margaret Flood; Anna Frizzarin; María Pilar Gray Carlos

Section 5: Inclusive Teaching Methods and Assessment

Universal Design for Learning

Margaret Flood; Anna Frizzarin; and María Pilar Gray Carlos

Example Case

This practical example provides a possible template that teachers can follow to plan their learning and teaching. Column 1 represents a learning activity designed for a Science class adopting a rather traditional approach. Column 2 describes the same activity but planned according to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles and guidelines. Column 3 specifies which aspects of the UDL-framework are tackled by the changes made in the UDL-plan.

Non-UDL	UDL	Actions
Objective(s)
The students will write the name and the correct functions of each cell part.	The students will be able to correctly identify each cell part and describe its functions.	The goal is written as to provide flexibility so that students will have choices for how the goal is to be achieved.
Learning Activity
The teacher introduces the information about the cell parts and functions using a PowerPoint with text (frontal lecture). Afterwards students are asked to create cell models with cookies and decorations.Materials available: cookies, icing, decorations.Physical space: students sit in their assigned seats.	The teacher introduces the information about the cell parts and functions using a PowerPoint with text, pictures, video clips (frontal lecture). After that, students examine and discuss in pairs 3D cell models. The teacher then asks the students to name cell parts and describe their functions. To carry out the activity, students can choose to work individually, with a partner, or in a small group. Moreover, they can choose among what “product” to create: a cookie model, a poster, 3D models, a song, a video, an interactive web-based program on cells, other (get teacher approval).Materials available: cookies, icing, decorations, poster boards, writing utensils, computers, and iPads with needed software/apps.Physical space: tables, desks, computer stations, open spaces.	Provide options for perception. Foster collaboration and community.Foster collaboration and community. Optimise individual choice and autonomy. Use multiple media for communication. Use multiple tools for construction and composition.
Evaluation
Given a worksheet, students will fill in the blanks by writing names of cell parts and their functions.	Students will have the following options: Write cell part names and descriptions of functions on a blank diagram. Point to and verbally name each cell part and describe its function (on the 3Dcell model). Other options if approved by the teacher.	Optimise individual choice and autonomy. Use multiple media for communication.

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adapted from Murawski & Scott, 2019, pp. 176-177

Initial questions

In this chapter you will find the answers to the following questions:

What is UDL’s framework?
What is variability and neurodiversity?
How does UDL support my Planning, Teaching and Learning, Feedback and Assessment?

Introduction to Topic

What is UDL?

This introduction to Universal Design for learning (UDL) describes the concept of UDL and its three principles of Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression. It talks about variability, a key concept underpinning UDL, and how neurodiversity is defined within the context of UDL.

The UDL Guidelines were first introduced by CAST in 2008 as a framework to improve and optimise teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. The guidelines have evolved through several iterations, with the latest being UDL Guidelines 3.0, released in July 202412. UDL Guidelines 3.0 emphasises creating inclusive and flexible learning environments by addressing barriers rooted in biases and systems of exclusion. It integrates asset-based approaches and theoretical frameworks, focusing on learners’ multiple and intersecting identities. This version shifts from educator-centred to learner-centred language, promoting interdependence and collective learning. Since its inception, the UDL framework has been dynamic, continuously developed based on new research and feedback from practitioners. Each update has aimed to better honour and value every learner, ensuring that all can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. Universal Design for Learning is a change in mindset and a framework for inclusion. UDL is a proactive approach to learning, teaching, and assessment design that supports the varied identities, competencies, learning strengths, and needs of every learner in our classroom and school community. The UDL Guidelines are the tool to support inclusive practices in our learning environments. They do this by providing opportunities to offer a variety of pathways (choice and flexibility) to learners to ensure that:

Learners understand the lesson content
Goals are clear and specific to the expected outcome
Assessment is flexibly designed to facilitate every learner to communicate and demonstrate their learning, knowledge, values, and skills through a variety of formats (Meyer et al., 2014).

UDL highlights three design principles that provide a map for teachers: Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression. The UDL Guidelines offer recommendations, or checkpoints, for enacting each UDL principle (see Fig. 2).

Figure 2: UDL Guidelines by CAST.

Multiple means of engagement

Learners differ greatly in the ways they can be engaged or motivated, and that external factors can impact on this. Thus, teachers need to ask: How can, and will, our learners engage? In order to facilitate learner engagement, variability needs to be considered. A variety of elements can influence how learners engage, including neurology, culture, personal relevance, subjectivity, and background knowledge. The diverse needs of learners requires that numerous engagement strategies are employed to support every learner in every context. For example, some students may not be interested or ready to participate straight away. Some will tire easily because of the physical or cognitive effort involved in achieving the learning goal whereas others will look forward to the practical elements. If teachers provide multiple, intentionally designed options for engagement, then each learner is offered a way into their learning (CAST, 2024).

Multiple means of representation

Learners perceive and comprehend information presented to them differently. Thus, teachers need to ask; how will learners perceive the content presented to them and how can the content be best presented in a way that provides access for each learner to engage with learning? Like engagement, there is not a one-size-fits-all means of representation. Some will not have sufficient access through text and will process information better through visual or auditory means. Others will enjoy independently exploring the content. Some will work better if they can access instructions in stages as they work through the content or task (CAST, 2024, Flood & Banks 2021).

Multiple means of action and expression

Every learner navigates their learning environment and expresses what they know differently. Thus, teachers need to ask; how can learners best act on their learning and demonstrate their knowledge, learning, values, and skills? Are learners given the opportunity to show their best selves? There is no one means of action and expression. Rather, it is about being clear on the goal of the task and providing those intentional options to learners that enable them to achieve. Some will not know how to start a task or how to express themselves clearly, or they may be unable to plan their actions. Others will have a system for planning their actions and will easily craft an essay, project, or presentation to display their knowledge. Some may be able to express themselves well in writing but not speech, and vice versa. Thus, if only one act of expression is offered to learners, they may feel they will not accomplish the task well. (Cast, 2024; Flood & Banks 2021).

Designing for Variability

For teachers, there may be a fear around inclusive practices and how to design for the inclusion of every learner in class sizes of up to 30 learners. UDL encourages moving away from a learning approach which focuses on? lesson design, in terms of ability and disability, to one which promotes? variability. Through this UDL mindset, learners are not labelled by their disability, social background, gender, race, and so on, instead the approach involves all learners? Variability recognises not only the diversity in a group of learners but also the variability within each learner. It considers the ‘jagged profile’ (Rose, 2016) as a more comprehensive way of identifying a holistic view of our learners’ strengths and areas for support. This jagged-profile approach to variability pays attention to context and the environment that facilitates intentional design to remove barriers to learning.

Neurodiversity

Variability is a dominant feature of UDL because it is the dominant feature of the nervous system (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014). Neurodiversity in UDL recognises that there is no single way that a brain will respond to the learning environment. Because there is no ‘average’ brain and therefore no ‘average’ learner, teachers need to stop planning, teaching, and assessing based on that idea. UDL recognises that there are goals which drive the nervous system. Thus, the brain is divided into three strategic networks (see Fig. 3) that the UDL principles were designed around:

The Affective Networks (Engagement), which is the how of learning
The Recognition Networks (Representation), which is the what of learning
The Strategic Networks (Action and Expression), which is the why of learning.

Figure 3: The three UDL strategic networks by CAST.

Source: based on CAST

The UDL Guidelines, and associated checkpoints, correspond to the nervous system and brain structure in order to help teachers address the predictable variability in learning that will be present in any environment (CAST, 2018; Meyer et al., 2014).

Key aspects

The following three main sections – Planning, Teaching and Learning, and Assessment and Feedback – provide a general overview of how UDL supports inclusive teacher practices. Each section follows the same structure. Initially, we briefly outline how these key aspects are conceptualised within the UDL-framework. Options are then considered in order to deepen understanding of each topic with relevant examples on how to enact the three UDL principles for both in-person and digital learning environments. For modelling UDL-principles, two alternative tables (A and B) will be provided for the two settings (in presence and online/hybrid) respectively, from which the readers can choose according to their own needs and/or interests.

Planning

A key priority is to understand that UDL is goal driven. Teachers need to focus on the learning outcome of a particular lesson or indeed a unit of lessons. Only once the goal is clear and specific to the learning outcome, can the teacher identify barriers to learners achieving this outcome. In other words? once these barriers are identified, teachers can then design their lessons to remove them. This may appear as an onerous task involving planning for each individual learner separately, however, this is not the case. As UDL is designed around the connection between the three learning networks of the brain, variability can be predicted, hence learning can be intentionally designed for (Myer et al, 2014). A practical example of this is planning a lesson to debate the pros and cons of the plastic bottle. The teacher knows the goal is to debate/form an argument. However, writing a paragraph on the topic is the required goal. Consequently, students now face a barrier as the lesson plan has not considered the variability of the learners. There are barriers for students who may find writing a challenge, might have dyslexia, may be slow writers, or for whom English is not their first language. In this case, the teacher can create specific choices or pathways for students (e.g., an oral or poster presentation or a written presentation) which is designed to offer them a variety of means to meet the goal of debating.

It is also important to note that to support variability in learners’ options for Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression must be integrated at the planning stage so that they can be put into practice at the later stages.

Table 1a: UDL-Planning for in-person learning contexts.

UDL-Planning for in-person learning contexts

UDL planning is goal-driven. That is, once the intended learning outcome for a unit of lessons is defined, teachers will then need to consider how to address their learners’ variability to remove eventual barriers to its achieving (Meyer et al., 2014). To do that, teachers must guarantee accessibility of teaching and learning and design different options for their learners to choose from. This includes methods, materials and assessments used to teach the lesson. In-person situations allow for a variety of solutions, given that learners can interact both with their classmates and with the physical environment surrounding them. In the following, we will see how teachers can apply UDL to their planning for in-person learning contexts in relation to its three underpinning principles.

Remember that planning is about anticipating variability and removing barriers. It is about naming and sourcing the strategies and choices for the lesson to be prepared and applying them to teaching, learning, assessment and feedback. A helpful resource for planning with UDL in mind is this step-by-step lesson planner (Posey, no date).

Engagement

Practical approaches to engagement in lesson design include:

Making sure that the goal, and tasks specific to it, are clear
Making sure the strategies and choices planned for support the learning goal
Using/understanding learners’ prior knowledge of the lesson. Plan time to facilitate this. Use connecting sentences such as

‘Remember in our lesson on X we learned Y. What do you remember? How can we use the learning here/ We are going to use that learning now to x’
‘Today we’re starting a new topic. Has anyone heard of/seen X?’

Check your lesson plan for any barriers to learners achieving the goal
Include one or two strategies that will increase engagement in the lesson. Examples include:

Choice boards to get students’ interest
Options for collaboration to sustain effort
Options for self or group reflection for self-regulation.

Representation

Practical examples for Representation include:

Prepare visual, auditory, and written options for perception

Captions

A sign, symbol, or image that represents the topic, a word, or concept. Images might be a representative image or can be something more concrete. For example, when talking about the Renaissance in History paintings from artists of the time might be on the wall for discussion
A voice recording or short video describing the topic, word, or concept
A readily available resource appropriate to the topic, word, or concept. This might be a Powtoon, an analogy, an appropriate expert/role model talking on the subject, or a virtual tour of an environment

Prepare different ways learners can access instructions

Instructions are clearly laid out in steps with visuals where possible
Screencast offers students the opportunity to watch and listen to instructions with a demonstration
Short video recording
Online version of written instruction to support learner who use Text-to-Speech
Plan in time for learners to process the instructions using the option that works best for them

Identify language that may require clarification and build strategies into plan

Glossary of terms (text, auditory, visual)
Peer-to-peer support
Contextualising language

Providing graphic organisers as an alternative to writing for comprehension. Some useful tips on Graphic organisers are available here.

Action and Expression

Practical examples for Action and Expression include:

Have clear goal orientated plan to support students’ executive functioning

Checklists to provide structure direction
Rubrics to provide information on expectations clearly related to the goal
Clear deliverables

Flexible ways to communicate and demonstrate learning specific to the learning goal

Write
Record
Draw
Build

Identify and provide the tools for physical action

Technology
Relevant materials based on communication methods offered
Physical space.

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Table 1b: UDL-Planning for digital learning environments.

UDL-Planning for digital environments

To properly implement UDL, teachers must guarantee accessibility of teaching and learning and design different options for their learners to choose from. This includes the methods, assessments and materials used to teach the lesson. Technology provides wide support for teaching and learning situations that can take place both in hybrid or blended contexts (in-person and online) and in asynchronous and synchronous contexts.

Digital technologies can support, enhance, and facilitate in each stage of the three UDL principles.

UDL provides a frame of work to help teachers in their planning, enabling them to include digital resources to support students in achieving the intended learning goals. It is important to note that the application and use of UDL principles do not require a mastery of all technologies and digital resources available in the market. Purposeful, user-friendly digital tools are widely available. The aim is to choose one at a time, and work with essential tools that best support the access to the content, the delivery method, appropriate and timely feedback, and student engagement as well as the opportunity for students to show what they have learnt through mediums that best support their expression.

Planning is about anticipating variability and removing barriers. It is about naming and sourcing the strategies and choices for the lesson to be prepared and applying them to teaching, learning, assessment and feedback. A helpful resource for planning with UDL in mind is this step-by-step lesson planner (Posey, no date).

Engagement

Practical approaches to engagement in lesson design includes:

Careful choice of the tool(s) that is going to be used and for what activity it may be useful
Build in time to show students how to use the tool(s) and explain what it is intended for and how they will be interacting with it
Avoid choosing tools that can overlap specific purposes. For example, using two different apps for collaborative learning when they essentially address the same type of activity
Set clear expectations for what, why and how the digital tools and environments are used. This addresses boundaries for communication and supports possible issues of online security
In the online environment it is possible to break down objectives into self-contained areas to guide students to achieve the objectives. This “chunking” will not necessarily take the same time online as it would in-person. Students can access resources in and at their own time
When preparing for online or hybrid teaching, it is convenient to consider students’ learning experiences:

Signpost and plan the different activities (provide checks in?, checklists, negotiate deadlines for draft work). This will also help students to learn how to self-regulate their learning
Consider timing? In that some units can be covered over short periods, while others may require a slow build up over a longer period with some in-person guidance, peer work and support

These learning experiences can include activities/assignments that provide:

Teachers’ input (actual teaching)
Activities that students do independently
Activities that provide opportunities for collaboration

Make the activities goal-relevant and use digital spaces and tools to:

Include opportunities to find information online that relates to their studies, e.g., real life connections, pictures, videos, stories
Connect to aspects of personal relevance for students such as home, culture, and community
Create a space where students can communicate their own views and opinions, always respecting those who may not feel confident or comfortable in open bigger forums
Allow students to share own interests, when relevant and appropriate, so they feel confident communicating about things they care about
Provide opportunities for students to collaborate and teach each other concepts or topics. This can be done in small groups, and then shared more widely. Always keep in mind the means of representation, and students’ level of comfort in bigger groups intervention

Always try to identify any possible barriers for student engagement: equipment, keyboards, connectivity, etc.

Representation

It is important to make content-related input comprehensible.

Content-related text materials and resources are websites, digital texts such as word documents, presentation slides, webpages, online reading materials and worksheets, audio and video content. Two examples of what they can provide include:

Digital texts which provide features that enable students to look up vocabulary, highlight key concepts, consult hyperlinks that make available more information
Digital graphic organisers offer support in organising and executive skills by providing tools for students to think, gather and organise information using multimodal elements (such as graphics and audio) to amplify the information

When using audio and video it is important to make sure that they do not contain extraneous information:

Make sure that the speech is clear and that the pacing of the audio or video is appropriate
Provide the appropriate amount of information. For example: focus on relevant aspects, trim videos if needed or create banks of websites you have assessed first (a resource bank)

Content-related information is the information provided by the teachers when presenting and discussing content online. Important points to consider are to:

Provide step-by-step instructions on what is expected
Minimise superfluous information
Avoid the use of slang, idioms, irony or sarcasm, as there may be students who struggle with meaning and nuance
Be clear and consistent in and with the medium through which you provide instructions and related information, such as, setting expectations, describing assignments, providing criteria for grading
Maintain clear and consistent feedback and responses to student questions

Through the various means of representation, always bear in mind the cognitive load. It is preferable to plan for less than more. It is also important to advance one little step at a time.

Action and Expression

Digital tools are the perfect medium to give students varied ways to express what they have learnt.

Incorporate multimodal forms of expression. Allow students to develop their expressive skills and demonstrate what they know using text, photos, graphics, audio, and video
Address student anxiety and stress. Digital tools allow students to scaffold their work, by working independently or by sharing and supporting each other in pairs or small groups
Provide timely feedback. For students with disabilities, language learners or different cultural approaches, providing ongoing support and feedback enables them to develop their understanding and ultimately reach their learning goals
Provide alternative ways to demonstrate what they have learnt. There are digital tools that support oral and visual production, and students can scaffold their work to feel how they progress
Provide clear rubrics that can be applied across multimodal production of work
Scaffold assessment according to rubrics.

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Teaching and Learning

Firstly, teaching and learning must take into consideration the student, environment, curriculum, context, cognition and emotions. When planning for choice and flexibility, teachers need to ensure that the options planned will work in practice. Thus, teaching and learning follows on from intentional planning with the intentionality continuing into practice. Teachers will have a range of choices they can include in their lesson. Nevertheless, the teacher must clarify the goal and then intentionally choose the options that will work best in a specific lesson and context.

Think about this in terms of a GPS on phones. When we enter the destination, GPS provides an option that allows flexible routes to reach the destination. Firstly, it offers modes of transport. Then, it offers a variety of route options and highlights barriers or challenges – such as delays along the route. Once the preferred route is chosen there are options to preview the route in advance, use the written steps, visual map, audio directions, or a combination of options. Once enroute, GPS will adapt the journey. For example, if there is an unforeseen barrier e.g., a traffic jam, GPS will offer the choice of staying on the planned route or taking an alternative one. Regardless of the means, routes, and detours taken you still arrive at your destination. This method can be similarly applied to UDL in terms of teaching and learning. Furthermore, remember that the ‘current location’ or ‘starting point’ will be different for every traveller, as are the travel choices made. However, the destination goal remains the same, reinforcing the intentionality of choice?

Table 2a: UDL-Teaching and learning in in-person learning contexts.

UDL-Teaching and learning in in-person learning contexts

UDL teaching and learning reflects, and puts into practice, the intentionality of planning envisioned in the framework to address learners’ variability and create barrier-free learning environments. As shown in the previous section, this intentionality translates into the design of multiple options for Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression. Teaching and learning is about implementing these options in class and making sure they actually work. This involves facilitating the lesson, monitoring, and feedback on learners’ progress (Posey, no date).

Engagement

Practical approaches to support learners’ interest, effort, and self-regulation are:

When dealing with an argument, provide choices between different sub-topics; for example, discussing a specific region/country in Geography, different workstations (one per subtopic) can be organised in the classroom to explore different aspects: e.g., landscape, history of the region, tourism offer, gastronomy, etc.
Provide varied materials – i.e., with different degrees of difficulties – to offer choice to learners in the perceived challenge
Use collaborative work to engage learners in the learning process (and choices may be offered in this case, e.g., allow learners decide the roles they will take within small groups, define their own norms of collaboration, etc.)
Allow learners to move around the classroom during learning and make sure they have free and easy access to the materials and resources they need. For example, let them decide where to sit, or stand, in the classroom while working on their assignments (e.g., sitting at the desk, on a carpet, on a cushion, standing, etc.)
To emphasise the importance of the goals and objectives, plan a time at the beginning of the lesson to discuss them with learners
Make sure learning outcomes are clear and always available to learners. They may be displayed in a variety of ways in the classroom (on a poster on the classroom walls, written on the blackboard, posted on a shared platform, etc.)
Role-play activities (letting learners choose their role) and/or problem-solving tasks (letting learners choose how to approach them) can be organised to simulate real-life situations and support learners’ engagement.

Representation

Teachers should present the information in varied formats (e.g., when introducing a new concept, unit, etc.) which resonate with learners’ different strengths and preferences for processing information – such as a lecture, activity-based exploration, or demonstration (Jackson & Harper, 2006).

Practical examples for presenting lesson content in class include:

Using the textbook/other written materials (be aware that digital materials/texts allow for more flexibility than printed ones, as they provide many opportunities to customise how the information is displayed – e.g., in terms of colours/contrast, font style, character dimension, etc.)
Listening a podcast or an audio file (also from learners’ own mobile phones)
Showing a video
Manipulating concrete/physical objects

Using posters or digital presentations (PowerPoint, Canva) also including visual/graphical elements (e.g., images, symbols, etc.) to support verbal instruction.

Additionally, teachers should always ensure to provide alternatives for perception (visual, auditory, and written) and to support students’ understanding and decoding of language, symbols, etc.

Auditory alternatives to visual information include:

Podcasts
Audio registrations
Text-to-speech

Tactile alternatives to visual/auditory information include:

Texts in Braille
Concrete/manipulable objects
Videos should have captions and/or written transcripts of their content

Verbal instruction (or in general auditory information) should be accompanied by written and/or other visual/graphical support (e.g., images, symbols, etc.)
Practical strategies to provide support for all learners’ comprehension and understanding are:

Taking time for highlighting the most important features/aspects – e.g., writing keywords or developing a mind map on the blackboard (both analogically and digitally)
Offering glossaries with difficult and/or important words (also with their translations in learners’ first languages if necessary)

Providing visual/non-linguistic support for vocabulary clarification (e.g., pictures, videos, symbols, etc.).

Action and Expression

Teachers need to provide their learners with a range of different assignments/tasks and tools to ensure flexibility in the ways in which they can demonstrate their skills, understanding and knowledge.

Practical examples for this include:

Assigning tasks that can be done/completed in different formats

by writing (essay, poem, article for a newspaper, drama-script, blog, etc.)
through oral presentations (e.g., in person, through audio or video recording)
creative assignments (e.g., creating videos, posters, comics, recording podcasts, etc.)
projects that involve physically constructing something
creating a mind-map and verbally presenting it.

The list of available options may be displayed in different ways in class (e.g., on the white/blackboard, on a handout with a rubric specifying task objectives and expected outcomes, posted in a shared platform, etc.).

Creating tasks that allow for different paces and with different degrees of difficulty (e.g., offering multiple texts with a range of difficulty levels). This also includes providing different scaffolding options such as:

o individual charts to follow the activity flow

o guide sheets explaining procedures

o subdividing the topic area into subtopics

o access to a peer expert

Making sure that technologies (general/assistive) are available and that learners have alternatives to physically interact with materials and resources (e.g., by hand, voice, single switch, joystick, keyboard, or adapted keyboard)
Providing a range of support tools. Digital tools provide flexible and accessible instruments that enhance learners’ performance and participation. Some examples of this are:

o spell and/or grammar checkers

o word prediction software

o text-to-speech

o speech-to-text software and apps (e.g., Voice Note)

o note-taking apps (e.g., SoundNote, Notability)

o concept mapping tools (e.g., Popplet).

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Table 2b: UDL-Teaching and Learning in digital learning environments.

UDL-Teaching and learning in digital environments

UDL teaching and learning puts into practice the intentionality of planning envisioned in the framework to address learners’ variability and create barrier-free learning environments. As shown in the previous section, this intentionality results in the design of multiple options for Engagement, Representation, and Action and Expression. Teaching and learning is about implementing these options and making sure they actually work. Technology enables people to meet and connect together synchronously (Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, Google Docs) and also allows students to work in their own time and place independently with asynchronous tools (Google Classroom, Seesaw, Edmodo, Canvas) and support hybrid and blended situations as well.

Engagement

Practical approaches to support learners’ interest, effort, and self-regulation include:

Ensuring learning outcomes are clear and always available to learners. Make them accessible and prominent in the learning platform you work with (Moodle, Blackboard, Edugo)
Providing online bulletin boards such as Miro or Padlet which can illustrate information in a visual, written and collaborative way that enables students to choose between different sub-topics within a main topic. These boards can be used synchronously and asynchronously for teachers to provide banks of resources; students to engage in brainstorming, and sharing in a visual, written and audio form
Providing varied materials – i.e., with different degrees of difficulties – not just in content but in format, scaffolding information to offer choice to learners while addressing the challenge. This can be done in written, but also through audio or visual formats (Screencast-O-Matic, Screencastify)
Enabling learners to decide when and how they will be engaging with materials and completing tasks. Use asynchronous tools that will facilitate working independently and enable a check point with peers and with tutors. Tools for teleconferencing (Zoom) or student interaction (Google Hangouts) will facilitate both independence but with a link to collaboration with peers and access to the teacher
Stressing the salience of goals and objectives, as well as planning (and recording) an introduction at the beginning of the course and in every lesson. Providing captions and transcripts (Screencast-o-matic.com, Zoom)
Implementing role-play activities and/or problem-solving tasks to simulate real-life situations and support learners’ engagement. Students can practise online and then record themselves or record and picture from around them and post them (Padlet, Miro).

Representation

Teachers should present the information in varied formats (e.g., when introducing a new concept, unit, etc.) which resonate with learners’ different strengths and preferences for processing information – such as in the case of a lecture, activity-based exploration, or demonstration (Jackson & Harper, 2006).

Practical examples for presenting lesson content in class include:

Using the textbook/other written materials with hyperlinks, vocabulary support, in audio and written form, using touch screens that allow to increase and change font size and font and background colour (Genial.ly)
Listening a podcast or an audio file
Showing a video

Using narrated digital presentations (PowerPoint, Canva) including visual/graphical elements (images, symbols, etc.) to support.

Action and Expression

To ensure flexibility in the ways in which learners can demonstrate skills, understanding and knowledge, teachers need to provide them with a range of different assignments/tasks and tools they can choose from.

Practical examples for this include:

Assigning tasks that can be completed in different formats. Students can create their own stories in written format with built in text-to-speech support, image options and graphics (Book Creator), and other tools that can be used to produce final work or for scaffolding writing towards producing longer texts
Provide a choice of tools that enable students to produce oral texts with visual aids for activities such demonstrating concepts, producing a professional looking product, interviewing peers, etc. (Voicethread, Explain Everything, Adobe Spark, Easel.ly)
Provide help for students to organise their ideas and information for stories, writing assignments, and science lab reports prior to writing (MyStudyBar, Readwritethink Storymap)
Plan carefully how to share the rubrics so students are tested and feedback on their progress to achieve the intended learning goals.

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Assessment and Feedback

When the teacher is clear about the lesson? goal, and has facilitated flexibility and choice of how to learn, providing choice and flexibility in how to communicate this learning is a natural step. Assessment from a UDL lens means that teachers need to think about assessment and feedback from the students’ perspective. They need to ask how learners can best communicate through language or actions, and facilitate their understanding, knowledge, skills, and values around the learning experience. The objective of an assessment is often a written exam. However, if the goal is not necessarily written?, then a written exam can be a barrier for many learners, with the result that teachers do not fully capture the learners’ capability. By offering learners more choice such as writing or presenting an oral presentation, creating a movie or podcast, role play, learners can present their work in a way that best suits their needs and ability. An example of this is assessing a lesson on character development. The default mode of assessment would be to ask learners to write a paragraph or essay outlining how the character has developed throughout the play. However, if the teacher is clear about the learning outcome – understanding character development – then it becomes clear that just writing alone can be a barrier. Thus, the teacher intentionally offers other assessment choices; the learner can choose to write, role play, or create a poster. What if a learner approaches and asks for a fourth option, to do a comic strip. While it wasn’t an intended choice it supports achieving the specific learning objectives. The outcome is that the learner can express their knowledge and learning according to what suits them. The teacher then learns the competency level of the learner and can readjust expectations or offer support based on this new understanding, rather than what they previously demonstrated/attempted?. Additionally, the teacher may learn of a talent or interest of the learner that can be used to engage them in further learning experiences.

This example also highlights the value of feedback, particularly from students / and the importance of student input? When students feedback to teachers and the teacher acts on this feedback, it communicates to the learners that they have a voice in and responsibility for their own learning. It is important that feedback, like assessment, is formative which can be teacher or student led. Finally, it is important that feedback is constructed to support and challenge learners in a learning process, and not label their general learning competency based on a specific moment in time.

Table 3a: UDL-Assessment and Feedback in in-person learning contexts.

UDL-Assessment and feedback in in-person learning contexts

CAST (ref) highlights that methods and materials used in assessments often require skills and understanding that are not relevant to measure learners’ knowledge, skills, and abilities, but which may also pose barriers. As such, they should be minimised by providing learners different supports and options on how to demonstrate what they have learned. Once the learning objectives – and thus the focus/construct for the assessment – are clear, then there can be flexibility in the assessment options insofar as they align to and measure the intended goals/constructs.

Thus, applying the three UDL principles to assessment means offering flexible options in how the assessment is represented, how learners can show what they know, and how they engage in the assessment process (CAST, 2015). This applies both to formative and summative assessments. However, UDL puts particular emphasis on the importance of formative assessment as an essential part of the learning process, insofar as it is intended to monitor learners’ progress and to inform and adjust instruction during its course (Meyer et al., 2014). This kind of assessment is not only is useful for teachers to collect evidence about their students’ progress, but importantly, allows students themselves to learn about their own performance and that of their peers. In this way, they become a proactive part in monitoring their progress and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning.

Feedback plays a crucial role in this respect and constitutes a key feature of UDL for addressing learners’ variability. By being goal-oriented, relevant, timely and specific it is indeed meant both to guide each learner towards mastery and to inform teachers’ instructional practice.

Engagement

Increasing learners’ engagement in assessment can enhance their performance. Practical strategies to do this include:

Involving learners in the choice of the ways they are going to be evaluated (e.g., allowing them to come up with new ideas/suggestions). For example, provide them a list of options and the last point should include this question: ‘Do you think you would best complete the task in a different way? If so, discuss your idea with the teacher’
Taking time to discuss with them the importance and the value of the evaluation (linking learning goals and objectives and assessment)
Creating authentic/relevant/problem-solving tasks for assessment
Explicitly expressing confidence that learners can meet high expectations
Providing different degrees of (perceived) challenge in assessment tasks (e.g., providing different questions/topics so that students can choose the one they feel most prepared on; providing different response formats, etc.).

To engage learners in the learning process, ongoing, relevant and mastery-oriented feedback is also essential. Opportunities for feedback are:

Teacher-to-student. Plenty of opportunities exist in class for teachers to provide feedback to their students during and after learning activities. Practical examples for this are:

Orally during/after an activity/assessment
Written after an activity/assessment (planning a time to discuss it together in person/in class)

Through informal check-ins
Student-to-student. Use the peer group as a source of feedback; for example, this can be done at the end of an oral presentation asking the class to provide feedback on the performance, or in a shared platform online where the students post their ongoing works/projects and give and receive feedback from the others

Student-to-teacher. Receiving feedback from the students allows teachers to reflect on what was done and eventually rethink and redesign strategies and activities. For example, at the end of each lesson, teachers can ask learners to give feedback on their progress (in whatever form they feel more comfortable with – orally, written, noted on a self-assessment journal, via mail/message, etc.).

Representation

Applying the principle of Representation to assessment means considering how the information and content of the assessment task are presented.

Options for presenting assessment items and instructions include:

written (printed and/or digital)
audio
video
mind map.

Alternatives for perception (visual, auditory, and written) and support for understanding and decoding of language, symbols, etc. should be offered in assessment too. Strategies for this include:

Record and post the description of the given tasks/assignment to allow learners to listen to it again
Providing graphical/visual support to written instructions
Offering glossaries explaining keywords.

Action and Expression

To get accurate data regarding students’ knowledge and capability, teachers should provide multiple means of response and multiple opportunities in varied media for them to demonstrate their skills, understanding and knowledge.

For example, written assessments may allow different question/answer formats, such as:

Multiple choice
Fill-in-the-blanks
Short answer
Analysis questions
Essay questions.

However, if written production is not the measured construct, then alternatives should be offered to complete the assignment. These may include:

writing a text/document
preparing a presentation.
creating a video
recording a podcast
creating an infographic
drawing.

UDL assessment also provides support on construct-irrelevant dimensions. Examples of different support tools and scaffolds are:

text-to-speech and speech-to-text
hyperlinked multimedia glossaries
online translators and spell/grammar checkers
word prediction software
calculators
rubrics or checklist specifying relevant components
models/templates
graphic organisers.

⇆ Swipe to scroll if necessary

Table 3b: UDL Assessment and Feedback in digital learning environments.

UDL-Assessment and feedback in digital learning contexts

CAST highlights that methods and materials used in assessments often require skills and understanding that are not relevant to measure learners’ knowledge, skills, and abilities, and which may also pose barriers to learning. As such, they should be minimised by providing learners different means and a variety of options to demonstrate what they have learned. Once constructive alignment (Biggs 1996) and working through content provides a clear idea on how students can be assessed, the assessment is measured and the means of assessment production are supporting expression and individual needs. Thus, applying the three UDL principles to assessment means offering flexible options (and therefore choice) in how the assessment is represented, how learners can show what they know, and how they engage in the assessment process (CAST, 2015).

Feedback constitutes another key feature of UDL for addressing learners’ variability. By being goal-oriented, relevant, timely and specific it is indeed meant to guide each learner towards mastery.

Engagement

Increasing learners’ engagement in assessment can enhance their performance. Practical strategies to do this include:

Involving learners in the choice of the ways they are going to be evaluated (e.g., allowing them to come up with new ideas/suggestions). Communicate this idea orally and in writing, and post in a clearly designated area within the syllabus and within the learning environment so that students can access it? synchronously (Zoom, Google Hangouts) or asynchronously (Google Classrooms, Blackboard, Moodle)
Once students are clear on the why and when of the assessment (linking learning goals and objectives and assessment), propose tools that best suit them to prove their learning, in written, or an interactive electronic page, or through video, or written text with audio support (Microsoft Word or Powerpoint, Flip, Genial.ly, Pecha Kucha)
It is important to create authentic/relevant/problem-solving tasks for assessment that have a meaning in the “real-world”
No matter what tool or medium in which the assessment takes place it is important to provide different degrees of (perceived) challenge in assessment tasks and make sure there is a system to check in progress or allow consultation
Feedback opportunities can be provided both via synchronous tools (Google Docs, Zoom) or asynchronously (Email, Forums, Voicethread, Flip).

Feedback is very important at every step of the course and in any lesson, in particular in online environments where physical presence of the teacher is reduced, mechanisms for following up, checking and supporting progress are needed.

Representation

Applying the principle of Representation to assessment means considering how the information and content of the assessment task are presented.

Options for presenting assessment items include:

written (Microsoft Word, Book Creator)
audio/video file; teachers may also record and post the description of the given tasks/assignment to allow learners to listen to it again (Voki, Lingt, Flip)
mind map (MindMup, Readwritethink Storymap).

Action and Expression

Provide different options to complete the assignment:

writing a text/document (Google Docs, Microsoft Word)
preparing a presentation (PowerPoint, Prezzi, Canva)
creating a video (Flip)
recording a podcast (Soundtrap)
creating an infographic (Infogram).

Written tests may allow different question/answer formats (Google Forms, Moodle and Blackboard assessment tools), such as:

Multiple choice
Fill-in-the-blanks
Short answer
Analysis questions
Essay questions.

Both in-person and online (blended, hybrid, asynchronous or synchronous) teachers should always plan for different support tools to reduce the measurement of construct-irrelevant factors.

⇆ Swipe to scroll if necessary

Closing

We began this chapter introducing UDL as a ‘shift in mindset’ which proposes the proactive and intentional design of learning environments which are responsive to learners’ differences. Inclusion and participation in learning is thus enhanced in this framework via the design of methods, materials and assessments used to teach the lesson that are flexible and accessible for all learners. The focus on the accessibility of teaching and learning constitutes indeed a key feature of the UDL approach and reflects a shift of perspective from what students can/cannot do (with respect to the “average”) to the contextual barriers that may prevent them from succeeding in learning. This marks a pivotal change, insofar as it implies the recognition of the role of the environment in hindering learning progress and learners’ active engagement in it, moving beyond labels and categories (and thus overcoming a medical/deficit-oriented perspective on disability and difference; Meyer et al., 2014). Moreover, the emphasis on flexibility and choice enables the implementation of a differentiated instruction – and thus individual learning paths – for all, avoiding the risk for some children of being stigmatised for their need of special accommodations.

In this sense, the UDL framework can be seen as a driver of inclusion and equity. The inherent flexibility and choice allows a more equitable education by acknowledging, embracing and celebrating students’ unique identities (with all their intersections) and providing them with all they need to succeed in their learning (Chardin & Novak, 2020).

At the beginning of this chapter, we set out three questions to answer for teachers. The next step is for you to ask and answer this question in relation to your practice: ‘How can I use UDL to support and challenge the learning of every student in my classroom?’

Local contexts

Closing questions to discuss or tasks

How does viewing UDL as a “shift in mindset” from deficit-based approaches to removing contextual barriers change the way you design and implement lessons?
Looking at the example case provided, which specific UDL modifications (e.g., choice boards, alternative formats, varied assessment methods) do you believe most effectively bridge the gap between traditional and UDL-informed teaching?
Considering the emphasis on formative feedback in the chapter, how can you use both student and peer feedback to refine and adapt your UDL practices over time?
Reflect on a previous teaching experience where student engagement was lacking. Using the UDL framework, analyze what might have caused the engagement gap and propose concrete strategies or adjustments to overcome these barriers.
Develop a plan for incorporating ongoing formative feedback into your teaching practice. Outline how you will collect, analyze, and act on this feedback to continually improve accessibility and inclusion in your classroom.

Literature

Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing Teaching Through Constructive Alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347-364. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138871

CAST (2004). UDL Principles for Learning. https://udlguidelines.cast.org

CAST (2015). Top 10 UDL Tips for Assessment. Available at: https://slds.osu.edu/posts/documents/top-10-udl-tips.pdf (Accessed 6th October 2022)

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org (Accessed 10th October 2022)

CAST (2021). UDL Rising to Equity initiative; CAST. Available at [UDL: The UDL Guidelines (cast.org)] (https://udlguidelines.cast.org/) (Accessed 26th July 2021).

CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org

CAST (no date). UDL Tips for Assessment. Available at: https://www.cast.org/binaries/content/assets/common/publications/downloads/cast-udltipsforassessment-20200920-a11y.pdf (Accessed 10th October 2022)

Chardin, M., & Novak, K. (2020). Equity by design: Delivering on the power and promise of UDL. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Floos. M. (2021) An Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Inclusion through variability. Education Matters. Retrieved from https://irelandseducationyearbook.ie/irelands-education-yearbook-2021/second-level/

Flood, M.; Banks, J. (2021). Universal Design for Learning: Is it gaining momentum in Irish education? Education Sciences, 11(7), 341. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070341

Meyer, A., Rose, D.H.; Gordon, D. (2014). Universal Design for Learning: Theory and Practice. Boston, MA: CAST Professional Publishing.

Murawski, W. W., & Scott, K. L. (Eds.) (2019). What really works with Universal Design for Learning. Corwin Press.

Rose, T. (2016). The End of Average. New York: HarperCollins.

Posey (no date). Lesson planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Available at: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/lesson-planning-with-universal-design-for-learning-udl?_sp=aec8c71b-bc8a-4133-b843-a45349f9c779.1663247873874 (Accessed 10th October 2022)

About the authors

Dr Margaret is an Assistant Professor in Inclusive Education and the MAP Academic Advisor for the Education Department. Her experience in inclusive and special education includes teaching, teacher professional learning design and delivery, policy development and curriculum design. She is a leading expert in UDL. Margaret’s research interests include contextual dimensions and the role of teachers in inclusive policy and practice enactment, teacher engagement with professional learning for inclusion and student voice. As a Fulbright Scholar, in 2021 Margaret worked with Lynch School of Education and Humanities at Boston College and CAST to explore equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice through the lens of UDL. Margaret is the creator and host of the Podcast ‘Talking about all things Inclusion’.

Anna Frizzarin has a PhD in Pedagogy and Didactics and works as a researcher in the field of inclusive education. Her research focuses on inclusive teaching and learning, inclusive development processes of educational contexts, attitudes and social representations in relation to perceived diversity and the resulting implications for students’ participation in schools.

María Pilar Gray Carlos was born and raised in Spain but spent over 20 years living and working in the United Kingdom, where she built a distinguished career in higher education. Her primary role was at the University of Reading, where she implemented, managed, and coordinated the Spanish program at the Institution-Wide Language Centre. Under her leadership, the Spanish program became one of the most successful alongside French and Mandarin Chinese.

Pilar also held notable academic roles as a visiting lecturer at Oxford University and as an external examiner for Spanish programs at the University of Manchester and the University of Sheffield. Beyond teaching, she contributed to university-wide initiatives, including the Electronic Management of Assessment (EMA) project, which streamlined and digitized the submission and evaluation of assessments across all schools and programs at the University of Reading.

Pilar holds a BA in English Literature and Linguistics, an MA in Translation, and an MSc in Digital Education, reflecting her commitment to both language and technology-enhanced learning.

Currently based in Spain, she has worked as a consultant for online Spanish language teaching start-ups and as an associate professor of Spanish at IE University. Currently she teaches part-time at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo.

Her career has been enriched by her dedication to social impact. Pilar has worked on community development projects in Mexico, raised awareness about endemic violence against children and women in the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan), and created programs for Spanish learners to enhance their language skills while participating in development projects with communities in Nicaragua.

Her current focus is on exploring the impact of technology on teaching and learning, particularly how shifts in delivery methods influence pedagogy, methodologies, and the experiences of educators and students.

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All means all! - OpenTextbook for diversity in education Copyright © 2025 by all-means-all.education is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Introduction to Topic

What is UDL?

Multiple means of engagement

Multiple means of representation

Multiple means of action and expression

Designing for Variability

Neurodiversity

Key aspects

Planning

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Teaching and Learning

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Assessment and Feedback

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Engagement

Representation

Action and Expression

Closing

Local contexts

Literature

About the authors

License

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