Thinking Universally - History of the UDL Guidelines

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) emerged from the architectural concept of universal design. Ron Mace, North Carolina State University, envisioned universal design as a means to promote the design of products and environments that would appeal to all people, yet meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to provide access for individuals with disabilities.

Physical access to classrooms and other educational facilities was an important first step toward accessibility within the educational process. However, this did not ensure equal access to the general curriculum or opportunities for students with disabilities to benefit from what the school curriculum offered.

Founded in 1984 as the Center for Applied Special Technology, CAST applied the concept of universal design to a framework for curriculum reform in education. Based on the work of developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky (1962 - 1996), CAST has identified three brain networks that coincide with Vygotsky's prerequisites for learning:

Affective network: engagement with the learning task.
Recognition network: recognition of the information to be learned.
Strategic network: application of strategies to process information.

Below you will find more information on these three prerequisites for learning and how they have been used to create the UDL framework/guidelines.

Step 1. Print or bookmark the UDL Guidelines Infographic, we will refer to this infographic often in tips and professional development sessions throughout the semester.

Step 2. Dive into the UDL Guidelines

The UDL guidelines are a tool used in the implementation of Universal Design for Learning. These guidelines offer a set of concrete suggestions that can be applied to any discipline or domain to ensure that all learners can access and participate in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities.

Multiple Means of Action & Expression

Physical Action: How does the lesson have accessible materials and tools for students to interact with?
Expression and Communication: How are there multiple ways and tools for students to construct, communicate, and share ideas?
Executive Functions: How does the learning environment provide support for students to strategize, plan, and get the most out of the lesson?

Multiple Means of Engagement

Recruiting Interest: How does this lesson design spark students’ excitement and curiosity for learning?
Effort and Persistence: How does this lesson design tackle potential challenges with focus and determination?
Self-Regulation: How does this lesson design harness the power of students’ emotions and motivation in learning?

Multiple Means of Representation

Perception: How are students able to interact with the content in ways that don’t depend on a single sense?
Language and Symbols: How are students able to participate regardless of their background knowledge or facility with language, text, mathematical notations, or symbols?
Comprehension: How are students able to construct meaning and generate new understanding of information?

Further Reading

Analyzing a College Course that Adheres to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Framework - Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 12, No. 3, September 2012.