Background on UDL
In the 2009 Universal Design for Learning Guidelines, researchers at the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) noted the goal of education in the 21st century is not simply the mastery of knowledge, but rather the mastery of learning. They assert that education should help turn novice learners into expert learners—individuals who know how to learn, who want to learn, and who, in their own highly individual ways, are well prepared for a lifetime of learning.
CAST‘s solution, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is an approach that addresses and redresses the primary barrier to making expert learners of all students: inflexible, one-size-fits-all curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners with disabilities are most vulnerable to such barriers, but many students without disabilities also find that curricula are poorly designed to meet their learning needs.
The research done by CAST concludes diversity is the norm, not the exception, wherever individuals are gathered, including schools. When curricula are designed to meet the needs of the broad middle—at the exclusion of those with different abilities, learning styles, backgrounds, and even preferences, they fail to provide all individuals with fair and equal opportunities to learn.
Universal Design for Learning helps meet the challenge of diversity by suggesting flexible instructional materials, techniques, and strategies that empower educators to meet these varied needs. A universally designed curriculum is designed from the outset to meet the needs of the greatest number of users, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes to curriculum unnecessary (CAST 2009).
Almost 10 years into the 21st century, educators are faced with both challenges and opportunities. This course is designed to assist you in confronting those challenges and exploring the unimaginable opportunities of education for all learners in the digital age.
CAST‘s solution, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is an approach that addresses and redresses the primary barrier to making expert learners of all students: inflexible, one-size-fits-all curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners with disabilities are most vulnerable to such barriers, but many students without disabilities also find that curricula are poorly designed to meet their learning needs.
The research done by CAST concludes diversity is the norm, not the exception, wherever individuals are gathered, including schools. When curricula are designed to meet the needs of the broad middle—at the exclusion of those with different abilities, learning styles, backgrounds, and even preferences, they fail to provide all individuals with fair and equal opportunities to learn.
Universal Design for Learning helps meet the challenge of diversity by suggesting flexible instructional materials, techniques, and strategies that empower educators to meet these varied needs. A universally designed curriculum is designed from the outset to meet the needs of the greatest number of users, making costly, time-consuming, and after-the-fact changes to curriculum unnecessary (CAST 2009).
Almost 10 years into the 21st century, educators are faced with both challenges and opportunities. This course is designed to assist you in confronting those challenges and exploring the unimaginable opportunities of education for all learners in the digital age.