scholarly journals Universal Design for Instruction and Learning: A Pilot Study of Faculty Instructional Methods and Attitudes Related to Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R David Black ◽  
Lois A Weinberg ◽  
Martin G Brodwin
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Faculty Attitudes ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Universal Design For Instruction ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Instruction And Learning ◽  
Attitudes Toward Students ◽  
And Training

Universal design in the education setting is a framework of instruction that aims to be inclusive of different learners to reduce barriers for all students, including those with disabilities. We used the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL focuses on the learner) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI focuses on instruction) as the basis for this study. The purposes of this study were to determine if faculty were incorporating UDI/UDL into their instruction, and their attitudes toward students with disabilities, as these could be barriers to learning. The study revealed that some faculty were incorporating principles of UDI/UDL into their instruction, the variety of methods used varied, and faculty attitudes still create barriers to an equitable educational environment for students with disabilities. More education and training is needed in working with students with disabilities and adapting teaching methods for these students using UDI/UDL.

scholarly journals Universal Design for Learning and Instruction: Perspectives of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D Black ◽  
Lois A. Weinberg ◽  
Martin G Brodwin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Preferences ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Universal Design For Instruction ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Learning And Instruction

Universal design in the setting of education is a framework of instruction that aims to be inclusive of different learning preferences and learners, and helps to reduce barriers for students with disabilities. The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) were used as the framework for this study. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the perspectives of university students with disabilities on teaching methods and strategies conducive to their learning, and evaluate how their perspectives align with UDL/UDI. The findings of this study revealed that there are barriers to learning for students with disabilities. Students with and without disabilities reported having a variety of learning preferences, and rated UDL/UDI principles as useful in improving their learning. The students gave several perspectives that supported the principles of universal design in higher education to enhance the learning of students who have disabilities.

Universal Design for Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 002205742110319
Author(s):  
Sandra Levey
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Design Learning ◽  
The World ◽  
Design For Learning

This review presents the Universal Design Learning (UDL) approach to education. Classrooms have become increasingly diverse, with second language learners, students with disabilities, and students with differences in their perception and understanding information. Some students learn best through listening, while others learn best when presented with visual information. Given the increased number of new language learners across the world, the UDL approach allows successful learning for all students. UDL has allowed students to acquire information more effectively. UDL provides guidance to educators that is especially valuable for the diversity of classrooms and the diversity in modalities in learning,

scholarly journals Reimagining Disability and Inclusive Education Through Universal Design for Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Doolittle Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
White Male ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Regular Classroom ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Design For Learning

In 1975, Congress enacted a law eventually known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which ensures that children with disabilities receive a free, appropriate, public education. Since then, scholarly and popular debates about the effectiveness of inclusive education have proliferated and typically focus on the ability or inability of students with disabilities to succeed in so-called regular classrooms. These debates reflect widespread assumptions that the regular classroom is rightly the province of nondisabled students and a neutral, value-free space that students with disabilities invade and disrupt via their very presence and their costly needs for adaptation. But as many scholars in the field of Disability Studies in Education (DSE) have argued, these discussions often fail to recognize that the space of the regular classroom, far from neutral, is constructed for a nondisabled, neurotypical, white, male, middle-class "norm" that neither reflects nor accommodates the wide range of diverse learners within it, regardless of whether these learners have been diagnosed with a disability. A DSE perspective sees the educational environment, not students with disabilities, as the "problem" and calls for a Universal Design for Learning approach to education, or the design of instructional materials and activities that allows the learning goals to be achievable by individuals with wide differences in their abilities and backgrounds. Agreeing with this DSE perspective, this article uses an autoethnographic approach to reexamine inclusive education and to consider how university classrooms, pedagogy, and curricular materials can be improved in order to accommodate all students, not just those with disabilities. Ultimately, the article argues that Universal Design for Learning has the potential to radically transform the meaning of inclusive education and the very concept of disability.

Using the SAMR and UDL Models to Differentiate Online Instruction

2020 ◽  
pp. 141-157
Author(s):  
Joanne Caniglia ◽  
Michelle Meadows
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Interactive Software ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Inclusive Learning ◽  
Design For Learning

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss two frameworks that are useful for integrating and differentiating technology within online learning environments for students with disabilities: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition Model (SAMR). Following a review of the literature of each framework, the interactive software program, Desmos®, will be used to demonstrate how to integrate these two models. Finally, the authors make recommendations that will support all students to benefit from an online environment and engage in inclusive learning experiences.

Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction in Physical Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 359-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mey A. van Munster ◽  
Laureen J. Lieberman ◽  
Michelle A. Grenier
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Elementary School ◽  
Physical Education ◽  
Differentiated Instruction ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Traditional Curriculum ◽  
School Students ◽  
Design For Learning

The aim of this case study was to describe the distinct approaches used by physical education (PE) teachers to accommodate students with disabilities in New York elementary school PE classes. The participants included 1 adapted PE specialist, 5 PE teachers, and 5 elementary school students with various impairments. Through thematic analysis, observations and interviews revealed 3 main approaches: (a) normalized instruction—traditional curriculum with no differentiation in the program; (b) differentiated instruction—adaptations tailored specifically to the needs of each student with disability; and (c) universally designed instruction based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility to all students. Differentiated instruction, entailing modifications in the program and pedagogical accommodations, was the most prevalent approach at the research site, but lessons based on UDL principles were also observed. In association, the 2 approaches (differentiated instruction and UDL) represented significant resources to accommodate students with disabilities in PE.

scholarly journals Educational Inclusion through the Universal Design for Learning: Alternatives to Teacher Training

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Diaz-Vega ◽  
Ricardo Moreno-Rodriguez ◽  
Jose Luis Lopez-Bastias
Keyword(s):  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Special Educational Needs ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Universal Design For Instruction ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Educational Inclusion

Universal design for instruction (UDI) is a teaching strategy that has proved its value in the process of educational inclusion, resulting in a fundamental tool for the achievement of objective 4 of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. The lack of time of university professors and the scarce training offered in this subject make it difficult to know and implement UDI in university classrooms, increasing the risk of exclusion of students with some kind of disability. This study analyses the level of knowledge and implementation of the principles and strategies of UDI by university professors. Those professors did not have prior training, but they had access to the Curricular Adaptations of University Students with Special Educational Needs (CAUSSEN) tool as guide to implement different guidelines. The CAUSSEN tool is a document, developed by the Unit of Attention to People with Disability, in which there is information about UDI guidelines and accommodations referring to students with special educational needs. Results show a wide implementation of the UDI principles, despite the low level of previous knowledge its principles. This study concludes that there are practical alternatives to the lack of training, and that teachers’ self-perception of their own effectiveness and ability to cope with the inclusion of all students should be strengthened.

Barriers With Implementing a Universal Design for Learning Framework

Inclusion ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaRon A. Scott
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Education Teacher ◽  
General Education Teacher ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Service Training

Abstract Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education settings is often contingent on teachers' liberties to use inclusive instructional strategies. The current qualitative investigation used focus group, observation, and interviews of 9 special education teachers to understand their attitudes and beliefs concerning challenges with implementing the universal design for learning (UDL) framework to meet the needs of students with and without disabilities. A constant comparative analysis method was used to categorize the data into the following themes that emerged as barriers for implementing the UDL framework: (a) general education teacher support for inclusion, (b) need for administrative support, (c) need for improving general education teacher knowledge of UDL, (d) additional preservice field-based training on UDL, and (e) additional in-service training on UDL. Although the teachers in the study continued to indicate a passion for implementing the UDL framework, the need to address the barriers faced by teachers, and future research and implications significant to moving UDL forward as an inclusive teaching framework are underlined for discussion in the study.

scholarly journals Universal Design for Learning in Assessment: Supporting ELLs with Learning Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Delaney ◽  
Maiko Hata
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
English Language ◽  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Language Learner ◽  
World Population ◽  
Design For Learning

Studying English is challenging and, for many learners, undiagnosed learning disabilities can present a serious threat to their success. Recent studies indicate that up to 10% of the world population has a non-apparent disability, such as autism or dyslexia. At the same time, few English language learner (ELL) instructors in higher education have training in learning disabilities, and they are often unsure of how to support learners who seem to have extra challenges. This is especially true when it comes to assessment, as instructors often rely on traditional tools that could negatively affect the validity of the assessment outcomes. In this brief reflection, the authors share how instructors can apply the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to their assessment practices to support students with disabilities, regardless of diagnostic status. First, disabilities that affect language learning will be briefly discussed, followed by the explanation of how English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) assessments present specific challenges for students with disabilities. Then, the authors will provide an overview of UDL theory, which proposes that learners with disabilities are often best served by accommodations in representation, expression and engagement that can benefit the entire class. Most of the paper will focus on specific, practical strategies for implementing UDL within assessment in higher education. Such strategies include building executive function, implementing multi-channel assessment, and learning about students through an “evaluation loop.”

scholarly journals Post Secondary educators can increase educational reach with Universal Design for Learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Kimberly Coy
Keyword(s):  
Universal Design ◽  
Universal Design For Learning ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Environment Design ◽  
Barriers To Learning ◽  
Secondary Educators ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
College And University ◽  
Design For Learning ◽  
Learning Environment Design

Meeting the needs of a variety of learners in college and university settings is of vital importance. By designing courses infused with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, guidelines and checkpoints; professors and instructors create environments targeted toward meeting the educational needs of a wider variety of students. UDL works most effectively at the design stage. This paper aims to support learning environment design by presenting ten specific strategies for infusing UDL within post-secondary courses at the university level. These strategies will include: identifying barriers to learning, alternatives for participating during class time, effective alternative assessments based on construct relevance and UDL meta cognitive goals and transparency.

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