Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including neuroanatomy, that guides the development of flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences [Rose, DH, & Meyer, A (2002) "Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning" Alexandria, VA: ASCD.] .

Recognizing that the way individuals learn can be as unique as their DNA, the UDL framework, first defined by the Center for Applied Special Technology(CAST) in the 1990s [Orkwis, R, & McLane, K (1998). A curriculum every student can use: Design principles for student access. ERIC/OSEP Topical Brief No. ED423654. Reston, VA: ERIC/OSEP Special Project.] , calls for creating curriculum from the outset that provides:

* "Multiple means of representation" to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,
* "Multiple means of expression and expression" to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, and
* "Multiple means of engagement" to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn [Rose & Meyer, 2002, p. 75; ] [CAST (2008) Universal design for learning guidelines 1.0. Wakefield, MA: CAST. Retrieved July 1, 2008 from http://www.cast.org/publications/UDLguidelines/version1.html] .

Curriculum, as defined in the UDL literature, has four parts: instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments [Rose & Meyer, 2002] . UDL is intended to increase access to learning by reducing physical, cognitive, intellectual, and organizational barriers to learning, as well as other obstacles.

These principles also lend themselves to implementing inclusionary practices in the classroom. The emphasis being placed on equal access to curriculum by all students and the accountability required by IDEA 2004 and No Child Left Behind legislation has presented a need for a practice that will accommodate all learners [Karger, J. (2005). What IDEA and NCLB suggest about curriculum access for students with disabilities. In DH Rose, A Meyer, & C Hitchcock, Eds. "The Universally Designed Classroom: Accessible Curriculum and Digital Technologies." Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press. ] .

Origins of UDL

The concept and language of Universal Design for Learning was inspired by the universal design movement in architecture and product development, originally formulated by Ron Mace at North Carolina State University [Rose & Meyer, 2002] . Universal design calls for designing and constructing buildings, homes, products, and so forth that, from the outset, accommodate the widest spectrum of users [ [http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/about_ud/udprinciples.htm Center for Universal Design, NCSU] ] . UDL applies this general idea to learning: that curriculum should from the outset be designed to accommodate all kinds of learners [Meyer & Rose, 2002] .

However, recognizing that the UD principles created to guide the design of things (i.e., buildings, products, etc.) are not adequate for the design of social interactions (i.e., human learning environments), researchers at CAST instead looked to the neurosciences and theories of progressive education in developing the UDL principles [Rose & Meyer, 2002; CAST, 2008] . In particular, the work of Lev Vygotsky and, less directly, Benjamin Bloom informed the three-part UDL framework [CAST, 2008] .

Some educational initiatives, such as Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) and Universal Instructional Design (UID), adapt the Mace architectural principles to learning environments, primarily at the postsecondary level. While these initiatives are similar to UDL and have, in some cases, compatible goals, they are not equivalent to UDL and the terms are not interchangable; they refer to distinct frameworks [McGuire, JM, Scott, SS, & Shaw, SF (2006). Universal design and its applicaitons in educational environments. "Remedial and Special Education 27"(3), 166-175] .

National Initiatives

In 2006, representatives from more than two dozen national education and disability organizations formed the National Universal Design for Learning Taskforce to raise awareness of UDL among national, state, and local policymakers [National Taskforce on UDL, www.udl4allstudents.org] .

The organizations represented in the National Task Force on UDL include the National School Boards Association, the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), Easter Seals, American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Association on Higher Education and Disability, Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE), American Occupational Therapy Association, National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE), National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA), TASH, the Arc of the United States, the National Cerebral Palsy Association, and the Advocacy Institute [National Task Force on UDL, www.udl4allstudents.org] .

Activities have included sponsoring a Congressional staff briefing on UDL in February 2007 and supporting efforts to include UDL in major education legislation for both K-12 and postsecondary.

Related Publications

A number of books have been published on the subject of Universal Design for Learning. These include:

*"Learning to Read in the Digital Age" (1998) by Anne Meyer and David H. Rose. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

*"Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning" (2002) by David H. Rose & Anne Meyer, with Nicole Strangman and Gabrielle Rappolt. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision & Curriculum Development;

*"The Universally Designed Classroom: Accessible Curriculum and Digital Technologies" (2005), edited by David H. Rose, Anne Meyer, and Chuck Hitchcock. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

*"A Practical Reader in Universal Design for Learning" (2006), edited by David H. Rose and Anne Meyer. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

ummary

Universal Design for Learning is a promising, research-based framework approach for improving the quality of education across grade levels and subjects for all learners.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html What is Universal Design for Learning?]
* [http://www.udl4allstudents.org/ National Universal Design for Learning Task Force]
* [http://www.cast.org/tes/ Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning]