Skip to Main Content

Universal Design for Learning Information Resources & Technology

Support Page Content

Why Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles for curriculum development that give all individuals equal opportunities to learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone — not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.

We're Here to Help

Schedule a Consultation

At a Glance

  • Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students an equal opportunity to succeed.
  • This approach offers flexibility in the ways students access material, engage with it and show what they know.

Three Main Principles of UDL

UDL is a framework for how to develop lesson plans and assessments that is based on three main principles:

  • Representation: UDL recommends offering information in more than one format. For example, textbooks are primarily visual. But providing text, audio, video and hands-on learning gives all students a chance to access the material in whichever way is best suited to their learning strengths.
  • Action and expression: UDL suggests giving students more than one way to interact with the material and to show what they’ve learned. For example, students might get to choose between taking a pencil-and-paper test, giving an oral presentation or doing a group project.
  • Engagement: UDL encourages teachers to look for multiple ways to motivate students. Letting students make choices and giving them assignments that feel relevant to their lives are some examples of how teachers can sustain students’ interest. Other common strategies include making skillbuilding feel like a game and creating opportunities for students to get up and move around the classroom.
Decorative Image