Professional Learning: Universal Design for Learning
Why is everyone talking about UDL?
In contemporary education, you will encounter a lot of acronyms so it's sometimes difficult to remember the impact of each concept on teaching and learning. The concept of UDL, also know as Universal Design for Learning, is a key ingredient to effective instruction as it reminds educators to diversify their teaching approach to accommodate all learners. The implementation of UDL also reinforces the importance of creating accessible documentation so that students may engage with the multiple means of representation.
This section will provides some basic information on UDL as a starting point but will feature more resources as we dive deeper into this concept as part of our teaching practice.
Teaching Spotlight
Karen Ducharme, Professor, Career/Prep & Port-Secondary Programs - Kingston
"Using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles has allowed me to create a learning environment that is inclusive, where all my students have equal opportunity for success. Creating an inclusive learning experience impacts all aspects of my teaching: the design of my course, the delivery methods used to teach the curriculum, my choice of assessments, and even my interactions with my students. My experience using UDL has been quite positive; it has helped me to establish a classroom environment that fosters a sense of belonging and engagement, where students feel supported. "
Exercise: Overview of Universal Design for Learning
We encourage faculty and staff to engage in the following interactive exercise to learn more about the principles of UDL.