Universally Designed for Learning

There is no single way of learning. All learners and styles of learning are included and engaged by design.

The Equity Rubric for OER Evaluation gives a resource a high rating for Representation if it “activates internalisation with options for comprehension through the supplying of background knowledge, highlighting of patterns, and relationships.”

The Rubric suggests looking for “options for engaging with texts, such as text-to-speech, audiobooks, or partner reading; clarifies vocabulary and symbols; support for decoding of text, mathematical notation, and/or symbols; illustrates through multiple media.”

The CAST Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines explore applications of Representation through three underlying aspects:

• Perception
  Content is provided in multiple formats, avoiding reliance on one sense of perception (sight, sound, etc.)
• Language & Symbols
  Communication is accessible to all learners regardless of first language and prior familiarity with context-dependent symbols and terms.
• Comprehension
  Meaning construction and transfer is supported by highlighting knowledge connections and relationships between content and learning outcomes.

To learn more about Universal Design for Learning and for concrete suggestions of how to apply these principles, check out the CAST UDL Guidelines.

Acknowledgement: I would like to acknowledge Dr Carolee Clyne, Learning Strategist Consultant, for her substantial contributions to this section.

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