Week 10 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), as described by CAST (2018), is a framework to create inclusive teaching and learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all. When environments are intentionally designed to reduce barriers, all learners can engage in rigorous and meaningful learning. It is about making the learning journey tractable for as many learners as possible (UDL on Campus, 2015). 

The UDL framework for education helps to prevent barriers, protect learners’ rights to equitable opportunities, and support academic success for all learners.  It can be applied in any ID model as an approach to their design and development process. This framework allows Instructional Designers (IDs) to integrate supports in a thoughtful and elaborate way. By using the UDL framework to design and develop a learning environment, IDs provide learners with the opportunity to become “expert learners”, that is, learners who are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, strategic and goal-directed. 

When IDs make design decisions taking into consideration how a strategy can support learner’s mastery of learning objectives, it is more likely that the strategy will be useful and effective for learners (Rao, 2019).  Furthermore, Rao (2019) mentioned that an inclusive learning environment provides the opportunity for social and academic inclusion of all learners while improving learners’ engagement and motivation. 

Surely, I will include UDL in my ID philosophy statement as I believe that it is significantly important to design learning that works for all our learners. Creating an inclusive and accessible learning environment to support the learners’ expertise must be integrated into any steps of any ID model.