The Compliance Compass: Universal Design for Learning

The Office of Equal Opportunity and the NC State University Libraries have curated current resources to guide your inquiry, encourage introspection, and facilitate your engagement with various compliance topics.

Let’s Explore: Universal Design for Learning

These resources can help guide your exploration of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The term Universal Design was originally coined in 1988 right here at NC State University by Ron Mace, a professor in the College of Design, and colleagues, who defined it as “usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation of specialized design”.

This idea has been adapted to Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which is an extension of that same design philosophy, but applied to an educational setting. When we create learning experiences based on the UDL principles and guidelines, we are designing an experience that will be inherently more accessible and accommodating.

If you haven’t already discovered DELTA’s Teaching Resources, check out their website which provides a wealth of information, including many guides and courses on accessibility and UDL.

This list has been curated by Jill Anderson, Caitlin McKeown, and Anna Cohen.

Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education
Thomas J. Tobin and Kirsten T. Behling, 2018. Print Book and Ebook.
Aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students.

Square Peg: My Story and What It Means for Raising Innovators, Visionaries, and Out-of-the-Box Thinkers
Todd L. Rose, 2013. Ebook.
This book by Todd Rose illuminates the struggles of millions of bright young children–and their frustrated parents and teachers–who are stuck in a one-size-fits-all school system that fails to approach the student as an individual.

UDL University: Designing for Variability Across the Postsecondary Curriculum
CAST, INC., 2022. Ebook.
In this lively collection, 16 educators from Goodwin University, a career-focused institution serving a highly varied student community, share their experiences of applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to their instructional practice.

Mismatch
Kat Holmes, 2018. Print Book and Ebook.
In Mismatch, Kat Holmes describes how design can lead to exclusion and how design can also remedy exclusion. Designing objects with, rather than for, excluded users can create elegant solutions that work well and benefit all.

Seen, heard, and valued: universal design and beyond
Lee Ann Jung, 2023. Ebook.
A varied student population in our classrooms is an asset that educators can leverage to help ensure that our instruction is tailored to the strengths and needs of each student. This guide provides practical advice, such as demonstrating how to represent content, concepts, and skills in different ways to provide students with multiple modes of expression, tables for planning and reflection, and graphics illustrating multiple means of expression.

“UDL vs. Differentiated Instruction (DI): The Dinner Party Analogy,” Katie Novak.
The “Dinner Party Analogy” article uses the metaphor of hosting a dinner party to illustrate the differences between Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

“Reaching All Learners by Leveraging Universal Design for Learning in Online Courses | EDUCAUSE Review,” Roy Bowery and Leonia Houston.
An instructional design team at the University of Memphis successfully helped faculty apply the principles and guidelines of the UDL framework, resulting in greater awareness of the characteristics and needs of all students.

“The Faculty Perspective on Universal Design for Learning,” Margaretha Vreeburg Izzo, Alexa Murray, and Jeanne Novak.
The authors share their work in helping faculty apply UDL in higher education. An initial study resulted in the development of a curriculum for faculty professional development in UDL, and a second one evaluated its effectiveness. Ninety-two percent of respondents in the second study reported positive results from their professional development experience.

“Applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL),” Davey Shlasko and Romina Pacheco.
This article explores the origins of UDL and practical strategies for implementing UDL in various educational settings. By prioritizing accessibility and flexibility, UDL helps to address varied learning needs and fosters an equal and supportive classroom environment.

“Compassionate pedagogy for neurodiversity in higher education: a conceptual analysis,” Lorna G Hamilton and Stephanie Petty.
This article explores how higher education can embrace neurodiversity through compassionate interactions, curriculum design, and leadership culture, applying double empathy theory to address classroom barriers. Recommendations include Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and strengths-based approaches to create an educational environment that benefits all students, aligning with the neurodiversity paradigm.

“Applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the college classroom,” Kathleen A. Boone, Marla J. Lohmann, Kimberly A. Donnell, and D. Dean Hall.
Universities face the challenge of educating a broad student population. UDL offers a potential solution to this challenge. This article provides faculty with background information on UDL and practical ways to integrate these strategies into their courses, showing promise in meeting students’ varied learning needs.

Think UDL Podcast: Making UDL work for everyone with Thomas J. Tobin (39:18)
Host Lillian Nave talks with Thomas J. Tobin discuss how UDL reduces barriers to learning while maintaining academic rigor. They talk about how UDL is about so much more than accessibility, how UDL can be done poorly or very well, and how to apply UDL principles easily in single classes or at the system level across the university. They also discuss the reason why Tobin wrote his recent book with co-author Kirsten Behling, Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education.

Think UDL Podcast: Episode 74 (52:17)
Lillian Nave and Dr. Tracie Addy from Lafayette College take a look at barriers, what facilitates student learning, and what creates or hinders a sense of belonging. They also talk about course design, syllabi, how to engage students, and how to create assessments that work for everyone.

Think UDL Podcast: Students as Partners with Anastasia Williams and Lorena Perales (01:02:34)
Lillian Nave talks with Anastasia Williams (faculty at the University of Iowa) and Lorena Perales (student at the University of Iowa) about how they led a project to learn what has worked well and not so well in various courses based on real-time student feedback through a variety of instruments throughout the semester. Williams and Perales discuss how the project was created, evolved, and how students’ voices especially shaped the feedback to professors throughout the duration of the project.

The Balance by Dr. Caitlin Tucker: Universal Design for Learning with Dr. Katie Novak (53:21)
How can you create welcoming classrooms, design for learner variability, and remove barriers to learning? Dr. Catlin Tucker talks with Dr. Katie Novak, author and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, about Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a solution to the wide variety of student needs in a class. They discuss the belief system behind UDL, why it works well with blended learning, and how you can develop a framework that will drive your career until you retire.

The Accessible Learning Experience Podcast: Season 2, Episode 2 (27:06)
In this episode, AEM Center Project Director Cynthia Curry chats with Dr. Eric Moore, Director of Learning Technology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Moore provides insights on how we can all work to create workplaces where “people in all their variety are at the table, with disability being part of that variable tapestry that makes up our humanity.”

The Accessible Learning Experience Podcast: Season 2, Episode 10 (33:10)
Learn how one university celebrates the variability that learners bring into our learning environments and, through the application of UDL, creates communities of belonging for all learners.

The Myth of Average: Todd Rose at TEDxSonomaCounty
High school dropout turned Harvard faculty member talks about how a simple new way of thinking helps nurture individual potential.

UDL At A Glance
This short video from CAST offers an easy-to-understand primer on UDL and how it can minimize barriers and maximize learning for all students through flexible curricula.

Why We Need Universal Design | Michael Nesmith | TEDxBoulder
Michael is a deaf and native American Sign Language speaker working as a creative designer for Amazon. Throughout his career, Michael’s visual/conceptual way of thinking and problem solving has served him as both an asset and a challenge. He finds solutions around his disability through Universal Design.

CAST is the leading organization for defining, implementing, and researching UDL in education. Its website CAST.org, provides numerous resources for educators, notably:

Ronald L. Mace Universal Design Institute: The Ronald L. Mace Universal Design Institute is a non-profit organization based in North Carolina dedicated to promoting the concept and practice of accessible and universal design. The Institute’s work manifests the belief that all new environments and products, to the greatest extent possible, should and can be usable by everyone regardless of age, ability, or circumstance.