Universal Design for Learning: Framework, Implementation, and Assistive Technology

All flashcards

What is the central design principle of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)?

Plan flexible learning environments and curriculum in advance to anticipate learner differences and reduce barriers.

What are the four curriculum components in UDL literature?

Goals, methods, materials, and assessments: what learners achieve, how they are taught, what resources they use, and how they demonstrate learning.

What is an assistive technology (AT) service?

Support that helps a person select or use an AT device.

How should educators choose among low-, mid-, and high-tech AT?

Choose based on the learner and task, considering cost, complexity, power needs, and training—not on complexity alone.

What emphasis did CAST’s 2024 UDL Guidelines Version 3.0 add?

Greater emphasis on learner agency and on addressing barriers caused by bias and exclusion.

Quiz questions

1. Why are Universal Design for Instruction (UDI), Universal Instructional Design (UID), and UDL not interchangeable terms?Answer: They are distinct frameworks, although they can share goals and compatible practices.
2. In what year was the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which refers to UDL, enacted?Answer: 2008
3. What was the main goal of the National Universal Design for Learning Taskforce formed in 2006?Answer: To raise UDL awareness among national, state, and local policymakers.
4. What did the Universal Design Fund under PATH 4 Phase 1 provide in Ireland?Answer: €3 million for higher education institutions during 2022–2024.
5. Why can research findings about UDL be difficult to interpret?Answer: UDL is sometimes combined with other teaching approaches, making its separate effects hard to isolate.