Your online classroom includes students with varied identities, experiences, and ways of learning. Universal design for learning (UDL) was developed by CAST, a nonprofit education research and development organization, to explore how learning environments should be designed to accommodate the full range of human variability. Designing with UDL in mind helps create a flexible, accessible learning environment, reduces unnecessary barriers, and supports every student in reaching the same rigorous learning goals regardless of how they best engage, process information, or demonstrate what they know.
UDL is organized around three principles: multiple means of engagement (the “why” of learning), multiple means of representation (the “what” of learning), and multiple means of action and expression (the “how” of learning). The strategies below are grouped around course design and course delivery, but all of them map back to these three principles.
Course design strategies
By intentionally structuring your content, expectations, and learning experiences, you can create an environment where all students can access, engage with, and succeed in the material.
Establish a foundation of respect and shared understanding at the start of your course.
- Add a course values or accessibility statement to your syllabus that names your commitment to flexible, barrier-free learning
- Define expectations for respectful communication and disagreement in your netiquette guidelines
Students engage and learn in different ways, so your course design should offer more than one path to the same.
- Combine video, written, audio, and interactive content so no single format is the only way to access key material
- Design activities that let students choose how they engage with content: for example, a recorded mini-lecture alongside a readable transcript or infographic
Course materials should present ideas through more than one lens and format, and should reflect a range of examples, contexts, and contributors in the field.
- Include varied examples, images, and case studies that reflect real-world contexts your students will encounter
- Draw on materials and perspectives from a range of authors and professionals, and pre-teach unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts to reduce barriers to understanding
Flexibility and accessibility are core to UDL.
- Offer multiple ways for students to demonstrate learning (e.g., written, verbal, visual)
- Ensure all materials meet accessibility standards (e.g., captions, alt text, screen-reader-friendly documents, sufficient color contrast) and are ADA-compliant
Course delivery strategies
Accessible, learner-centered teaching continues through how you facilitate and engage during the course. Your approach plays a critical role in fostering a supportive, participatory learning environment that sustains student motivation and agency.
Discussions of complex or sensitive topics can be uncomfortable, but they’re often where the deepest learning happens.
- Address challenging topics directly and use them as teaching moments
- Model respectful, honest, and open communication, and set clear norms for how disagreement is handled in your course
Intentional engagement helps sustain motivation and gives students a genuine sense of ownership over their learning.
- Encourage broad participation across course activities
- Recognize student contributions in discussions and announcements to reinforce a sense of belonging and progress
Students’ lived experiences can deepen learning when meaningfully included.
- Invite students to share their own perspectives and connect course content to their goals and experiences
- Allow those perspectives to shape discussions and activities
Ongoing feedback helps you identify and remove barriers you might not otherwise notice.
- Ask students for input on what’s working and what’s getting in the way in the course
- Use that feedback to make continuous, iterative improvements to design and delivery
Key takeaway: Designing and delivering your course using universal design for learning principles creates a more flexible, accessible, and effective learning experience for all students.
