Universal design for instruction

Universal instructional design (UID) or universal design for instruction (UDI) is an educational framework for applying universal design principles to learning environments with a goal toward greater accessibility for all students, including students with disabilities. UDI involves considering the potential needs of all learners when designing and delivering instruction by identifying and eliminating unnecessary barriers to teaching and learning while maintaining academic rigor.^[1] UDI is thus proactive and benefits all students, in contrast to providing accommodations for a specific student (e.g., providing a sign language interpreter for a student who is deaf).

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(Sheryl Burgstahler) Hi, I'm Sheryl Burgstahler. I used to be a math teacher. I used to be a technology teacher. My students were in middle school, high school, college, and online. In all these settings, I've experienced the challenge of connecting to all of my students. Today, I'm the director of DO-IT at the University of Washington. DO-IT stands for: DO-IT serves to increase the success of people with disabilities in education and careers. We have ideas for you on how to reach every student in your classroom. (Professor) So we're filling it about halfway up... (Narrator) At every academic level, there are students with a variety of backgrounds, interests, abilities, and disabilities. Some learn best visually; others are auditory learners. Maybe English isn't their first language. Or perhaps a student has a physical, sensory, or learning disability. The challenge is to maximize learning for everyone in the class. Universal design can help you do that. (Rodney Pennamon) I think that, really, the whole notion of universal design is really an exciting concept that really allows a professor to really explore a lot of different methods of teaching and instructing. (Al Souma) And one method does not fit all students. Traditionally, we've always used the oral method of teaching, but universal design offers us other avenues. More options. Therefore, we can reach more students. (Sheryl) Universal design isn't new. It's been applied in building construction for many years. Doors with sensors open for everyone, regardless of their size, their ability to walk, their strength, and an armload of books. In education, universal design means instructors anticipate student needs, rather than simply react to them. (Rodney) I try to teach to all different ability levels, all different interest levels... and so showing the captioned videos, having discussion groups, finding different ways...to really capture their knowledge and kind of breaking out of that traditional mold that I think we've become accustomed to sometimes in higher education. (Narrator) Universal design of instruction strives to make the environment, teaching methods, curriculum materials, and all other aspects of instruction accessible to all students, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. (Linda Walter) Good teaching is good teaching. And if you use really good strategies, it really benefits everybody in the class, not just the students with disabilities. (Narrator) Universal design can be looked at as a process in which teachers proactively plan for students with diverse characteristics, or as a set of strategies for inclusive curriculum and instruction. (Grace Hanson) Not knowing who you have as an audience, what their level of preparation might be, what their life experience is, what their cultural background might be, when you present materials in a variety of different formats...you're going to reach as many individuals as you can and assist them to be successful. (Narrator) Universal design of instruction can be applied to lectures, discussions, visual aids, video presentations, printed materials, labs, and field work. (Student) That is awesome. (Narrator) And again, it improves instruction for everyone in the class. (Professor) Bang... (Christina DeMille) A really good professor, to me, is someone who is obviously engaged when in class; you can always tell, because they face the class when they're talking; they make eye contact with specific students...they'll make comments about coming to see them at office hours; and you can really tell that they are interested in your learning and interested in you getting something out of the class. (Narrator) Flexibility is key. Select curriculum materials that can be accessed in more than one way, use a variety of methods for teaching content, and offer alternative ways to participate in class activities. These examples apply universal design. (Deborah Casey) I might put on my course syllabus, "If you have questions or concerns that I could assist you with in regards to the class itself," to come and see me. And what that does is it allows any student who has an issue that needs to be addressed to be taken care of. (Deb) When I'm in the classroom, I'm looking at each student as an individual...So I might use audio, visual, and kinesthetic methods to get across the information I want to share with my students. So rather than just look at one learning style, I try to diversify to include and encompass a variety of methods to help all of my students learn. (Christina) What I find helpful is when a professor hands out an outline or some kind of summary of what he's going to talk about, either daily or weekly, because I find that when taking notes, it's kind of hard to listen to what they're saying at the same time, and still get the level of detail and the level of information that you want in your notes. (Deb) One of the suggestions that was made was to create some documents of my course in alternative format. And I was concerned about doing that, because I'd have to prepare my lectures ahead of time to put in alternative format. So at the beginning I was frustrated, because I thought it would be difficult for me to coordinate my course work up front, put it on line, and at the time I was thinking it was really for a few students who may need that as an accommodation. In the end it benefited me; I was prepared for the course work; and the students actually, in all of the courses, commented at the end of the semester that it was beneficial to them. (Scott Laurent) What I found is that when professors were well prepared, when they thought about different ways of presenting the information, different ways of explaining the information, when they think through that process and come in the classroom ready to teach, that I learned more. (John Pedraza) I use my computer to design my course, to put my material in electronic format, to put my outline or my lecture notes on line; and then that way my students can get access to that whenever they need the material. I don't have to make copies to hand out that way. Tests should include questions that require a variety of responses, such as multiple choice and essay. Of course, there are still going to be times when you'll need to provide accommodations, such as a sign language interpreter for a student who is deaf. But applying universal design will minimize the need for these accommodations. (Richard Ladner) One can do some very generic things that'll work most of the time, you know, for example, making sure that you know your class lectures are in some accessible form, like electronic form for example. Very simple things like that. And I think most of us do that nowadays anyway in the electronic age after all. One thing maybe I should do is do a kind of a test with this image.... (Narrator) Universal design is measured on a continuum. A first step could be getting course materials on a Website. The ideal is to make sure those notes are presented in a universally accessible way. (Meryl Berstein) Although it might take a faculty member a lot of extra time to create the materials that they want to teach in their classroom through universal design, once they do it, it's done. And then their planning time and their execution time will be minimal in the future. (Sheryl) Outside the classroom, universal design can be applied to tutoring and learning centers. And the same principles apply. Make sure students can get to your facility and maneuver within it. Once inside, all students should be able to access printed and electronic resources, and be able to participate in all learning activities. (Kristina Michaels) We want to make it accessible for all students who want to study in our centers. (Kristina) Anytime, you know, a student should come in and express a need that they have, we definitely address their need, and find out how it is that we can best assist them. Universally designed instruction makes everyone feel welcome and fully included in the learning process. It assures access to course content and learning activities for all students. (Sheryl) We have more information on the universal design of instruction. Our goal is to help you make your curriculum accessible to students with disabilities. By doing that, you'll make your instruction better for everyone. Interaction Subtitles by the Amara.org community

Background

Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) applies and adapts universal design principles and the Principles of Universal Design^[2] to learning environments and learning products, with a goal toward maximizing learning for all students.

Universal design (UD), a concept pioneered by architect Ronald Mace at North Carolina State University (NCSU),^[3] refers to buildings, products, and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities.^[4] The Center for Universal Design at NCSU established a set of Principles of Universal Design^[5] based on UD to guide and evaluate the design process, with a goal toward creating more accessible products and environments. Universal Design for Instruction is an educational framework and set of strategies that applies both UD and the Principles of Universal Design to academic and teaching environments, learning products, and learning materials.

Specific UDI frameworks and educational initiatives vary between academic and policy institutions. The Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE)^[6] at the DO-IT Center (University of Washington) combines UD, the Principles of Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to create UDI strategies for applying universal design to educational products and environments.^[7] Each CUDE strategy is linked with relevant principles of UD and UDL.^[7] Using a different approach, the Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability at the University of Connecticut developed a set of UDI principles that draws on the work of Chickering and Gamson,^[8] who had originally published a set of principles for more inclusive postsecondary education, as well as the Principles of Universal Design.^[9]

Principles

The original seven Principles of Universal Design for products and environments established by the Center for Universal Design at NCSU^[10] follow; UDI applies these principles to learning environments.^[11]

Principle 1: Equitable Use
Principle 2: Flexibility in Use
Principle 3: Simple and Intuitive
Principle 4: Perceptible Information
Principle 5: Tolerance for Error
Principle 6: Low Physical Effort
Principle 7: Size and Space for Approach and Use

The DO-IT Center's Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE) combines UDI strategies and UD principles with the more specific Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework.^[12] Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is "a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn."^[13] UDL guidelines encourage curriculum designers to provide the student with options with respect to the following:

UDI 1: Perception
UDI 2: Language, Expressions, Symbolism
UDI 3: Comprehension
UDI 4: Physical Action
UDI 5: Expressive Skills and Fluency
UDI 6: Executive Functions
UDI 7: Recruiting Interest
UDI 8: Sustaining Effort and Persistence
UDI 9: Self-Regulation

The University of Connecticut researchers and practitioners propose nine principles that describe a successful implementation of Universal Design for Instruction. Four of them state that materials and activities should be:^[14]

1: Accessible and fair,
2: Flexible,
3: Straightforward and consistent, and
4: Explicit.

Three principles for universal design for instruction state that the learning environment should:

5: Be supportive,
6: Minimize unnecessary physical effort, and
7: Accommodate students and multiple teaching methods.

Universal design for instruction includes two more principles related to the delivery environment:

8: Tolerance for error and
9: Size and space for approach and use.

Examples of application to instruction

Ways of applying UD to instruction, developed through University of Washington Universal Design in Higher Education Initiative, include those listed below.

Delivery Methods: Use of a variety of delivery methods and learning approaches, including lecture, discussion, hands-on activities, projects, cases, and Internet-based interaction. All should be accessible to students with a wide range of abilities, backgrounds, and previous experiences.
Learning Methods and Materials: Print materials should be available in electronic format. Provide text descriptions of graphics presented on web pages. Use presentation tools to make presentations legible in large spaces. Use captioned video presentations. Provide outlines in advance to allow students to prepare for the topic to be presented. Create printed and web-based materials in simple, intuitive, and consistent formats.
Interaction: Encourage different ways for students to interact with each other and with the facilitator. This may include in-class questions and discussion, group work, and Internet-based communications.
Feedback: Provide effective prompting during an activity and feedback after the assignment is complete. Use feedback to help students correct errors and misconceptions. Allow opportunities for self-assessment. Ensure that electronic-based learning tools provide proper feedback for both navigation and learning and are designed in an accessible format.
Assessment/Demonstration of Knowledge: Ensure that students' opportunity to demonstrate knowledge is frequent and if possible, flexible. Consider options besides tests and papers for demonstrating knowledge, such as group work, demonstrations, portfolios, and videotaped or on-site presentations.
Physical Effort and Access: Ensure that classrooms, labs, and field work are accessible to individuals with a wide range of physical abilities. Make sure equipment and activities minimize sustained physical effort and accommodate people with different physical abilities. Ensure the safety of all students. Minimize the need for unnecessary physical travel by making materials available or allowing them to be submitted electronically.

The process

The Center for Universal Design in Education (CUDE) at the DO-IT Center at the University of Washington describes Universal Design of Instruction (UDI) as "a goal, a process, and a set of practices."^[7] According to CUDE, the UDI process is described as the following series of steps:^[7]

Identify the course. Describe the course, its learning objectives, and its overall content.
Define the universe. Describe the overall population of students eligible to enroll in the course and then consider their potential diverse characteristics (e.g., with respect to gender; age; ethnicity and race; native language; learning style; and abilities to see, hear, manipulate objects, read, and communicate).
Involve students. Consider perspectives of students with diverse characteristics, as identified in Step 2, in the development of the course. If they are not available directly from students, gain student perspectives through diversity programs such as the campus disability services office.
Adopt instructional strategies. Adopt overall learning and teaching philosophies and methods. Integrate these practices with universal design guidelines or strategies for learning or instruction.
Apply instructional strategies. Apply universal design strategies in concert with good instructional practices (both identified in Step 4) to the overall choice of course teaching methods, curricula, and assessments. Then apply universal design to all lectures, classroom discussions, group work, handouts, web-based content, labs, fieldwork, assessment instruments, and other academic activities and materials to maximize the learning of students with the wide variety of characteristics identified in Step 2.
Plan for accommodations. Learn campus procedures for addressing accommodation requests (e.g., arrangement of sign language interpreters) from specific students for whom the course design does not automatically provide full access.
Evaluate. Monitor the effectiveness of instruction through observation and feedback from students with the diverse set of characteristics identified in Step 2, assess learning, and modify the course as appropriate.