Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is gaining attention in higher education as a way to make curriculum more accessible to all learners, including those with diverse learning challenges. Higher Ed. Learning Management Systems (LMS) can facilitate UDL implementation.  This article includes practical strategies for using an LMS to get started with UDL.

Chapter 5 from Teaching Every Student In the Digital Age focuses on setting clear educational goals that recognize learner variability and promote student learning. This chapter describes ways educators can design goals that allow students to use a variety of methods and means to achieve the goal.   

This article describes how to use the three principles of UDL to design curricula that address the influence of emotions on learning in a higher education context.  Emotion and learning are inextricably linked, but curriculum design and teaching practices often overlook the role of emotion on academic success.  This resource provides practical ways in which instructors can design educational activities to address the interplay between emotion and learning.

Superintendent Berman's reflections on the principles of UDL, and their application in the classroom.  He makes a strong case for honoring diverse learning styles and designing curriculum that meets the needs of all students.   "Rather than seeing inability or disability in our students, we recognize natural variability."  Sheldon Berman

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Dr. Todd Rose of CAST explains UDL, variability, and designing to meet the needs of diverse learners at the 2012 Cyberlearning Research Summit. 

Dr. David Rose, co-founder of CAST, stresses the importance of providing flexible learning opportunities and shares his vision for redesigning education to help students discover their strengths and become expert learners.  Rose uses an orchestra metaphor to illustrate his argument.  

This document and video assist you locating excellent resources housed on BCSC’s district webpage on Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The “UDL” page hosts a variety of resources from a short video describing UDL to a longer video on BCSC’s district journey to UDL implementation. Take a look at “Teacher Spotlight” which highlights an elementary and secondary teacher describing their journey in implementing Universal Design for Learning. You may also take a look at BCSC’s “Request for Educational Planning” which is a downloadable form BCSC staff utilize to request educational planning support from their building UDL Facilitator. Among other resources are Technology Tools aligned to the three principles of Universal Design. As well as several other resources you may find on BCSC’s webpage.

These blogs will appeal to educators, parents and community stakeholders interested in understanding and implementing UDL.  

Blog Titles include:

• UDL 101
• Universally Designed Goals
• Universal Design for Learning: Implementation
• Universal Design for Learning: 5 Things it is Not! 
• What Will It Take to Change Education and Learning in America
• Learning Environment Versus Lesson Plan
• Universal Design for Learning and Learner Variability

In this video, Mindy Johnson gives an overview of design thinking and UDL presented at the Inclusive Learning Network's 2017 Global Accessibility Awareness Day Online Mini Conference.

This short video guides university faculty on theoretical and practical strategies to create assessments based on the UDL framework.