Universal Design for Learning

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Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning Information for Educators

Universal Design for Learning Implementation

Universal Design for Learning Resources

 

 

What is Universal Design for Learning?

What is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a curriculum design, development, and delivery framework used to create inclusive, equitable and accessible learning environments in higher education. Ultimately, the goal of UDL is to advance learner agency in order to foster future ready students who are “purposeful and reflective, resourceful and authentic, strategic and action-oriented” (CAST, 2024).

Research identifies Universal Design for Learning as a highly effective teaching and learning practice for all educational environments, including in-person, hybrid, and online.

UDL guidelines are based on three primary brain networks:

  • Affective
  • Recognition
  • Strategic

Each network is identified by a principle to support educators to design options that support learning and student agency. The UDL guidelines recommend educators to design for:

  • Multiple means of engagement
  • Multiple means of representation
  • Multiple means of action and expression

Each network and principle include three considerations (nine in total) to guide curriculum design, development, and delivery by suggesting areas to design options that remove barriers to learning and include opportunities to build learner agency.

  • Design Multiple Means of Engagement
    • Design options for welcoming interests & identities
    • Design options for sustaining effort & persistence
    • Design options for emotional capacity
  • Design Multiple Means of Representation
    • Design options for perception
    • Design options for language & symbols
    • Design options for building knowledge
  • Design Multiple Means of Action & Expression
    • Design options for interaction
    • Design options for expression & communication
    • Design options for strategy development

The graphic organizer below offers a visual representation of the UDL Guidelines used at Mohawk College.

Universal Design for Learning infographic

You can also access the UDL Guidelines as text:

Use the menu at the top of this page to explore UDL at Mohawk College, including information for educators, implementation ideas, and useful resources.

UDL Research at Mohawk College

In 2018, Mohawk College completed the Universal Design for Learning for Technology-enabled Post-secondary Courses at Mohawk College research project. With the grant provided by eCampusOntario the project obtained context specific data to support the strategic direction of UDL implementation at Mohawk College, as well as the development of Mohawk College's UDL Standard and the UDL Course Assessment.

Given the growth in UDL implementation over the past several years, the College's Digital Learning Strategy, and the recent rapid changes to teaching and learning within higher education, updated data was required to support new UDL implementation efforts. The UDL Today: Measuring Mohawk College's Implementation research study was completed in 2024. Please review the UDL Today final report and apply the data and recommendations, as appropriate, to your context. For a summary of the recommendations, review the Research Project Recommendations Brief - 2024.

UDL for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Research identifies UDL as a highly effective practice to meet Mohawk College's quality standards and to support its equity and inclusion targets. UDL gives educators a comprehensive framework to centre equity-deserving and sovereignty-seeking learners in all teaching and learning spaces.

Because of its capacity to support all learners, Mohawk College has built UDL into its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan. To learn more about Mohawk College's commitment to EDI and how UDL supports these goals, review Mohawk's Commitments and Action Plan webpages.

UDL for IDEA for Mohawk College

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) implementation can create inclusive, equitable and accessible learning environments for diverse student populations.

The UDL for Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) project was a collaboration between ten Ontario higher education institutions with the goal of developing an open educational resource to help educators understand UDL and its role in supporting equity, access, diversity and inclusion in post-secondary teaching and learning spaces.

The UDL for IDEA resource has been localized for Mohawk College educators and is now available through the Working at Mohawk. To learn more about this professional development offering and how you can gain credit on your employee transcript, check out UDL for IDEA for Mohawk College.

UDL Standard

Mohawk College's Program Quality Policy outlines the college's commitment to exemplary academic standards through quality program delivery. The employment of a UDL Standard for Mohawk College supports:

  • Advancing Mohawk College's commitment to accessibility, equity, and inclusion
  • Exceeding the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) educational standards
  • Facilitating a culture shift in design, development, and delivery of education and services

The initial development and later revisions of the UDL Standard for Mohawk College is:

The video below explains the UDL Standard and its use at Mohawk College.

The UDL Standard is not prescriptive, and is meant to provide consideration options to support the design, development, and delivery of curriculum. Review the UDL Standard to determine the ideal way to implement UDL in your context.

Universal Design for Learning Contact Information

If you have questions, feedback, ideas for how to amplify UDL at Mohawk College or just want to get more involved, we would love to connect with you. You can contact the Centre for Teaching & Learning Innovation, or the Teaching & Learning Consultant UDL, Darla Benton Kearney, at darla.benton [at] mohawkcollege.ca (darla[dot]benton[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) or complete the CTLI Support Form.

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Universal Design for Learning Information for Educators

UDL requires educators and institutions acknowledge that learning barriers are created and resolved at a systems level, and not within the learner. UDL is not prescriptive; it encourages educators to design options that support student agency and minimize or eliminate learning barriers.

Mohawk College's Program Quality Policy outlines the college's commitment to exemplary academic standards through quality program delivery. In addition, Mohawk's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Commitments and Action Plan webpages outline its dedication to ensuring equitable and inclusive access to education for all learners. Research identifies UDL as a highly effective practice to meet Mohawk College's quality standards and to support its equity and inclusion targets.

Benefits of Universal Design for Learning

UDL has benefits for both learners and educators. Educators who implement UDL often find:

  • A reduction in the need for, and time required to arrange, individual learning and assessment accommodations.
  • The proactive approach supports designing learning opportunities and assessments for every student.
  • Greater opportunities for learners to fully, and more accurately, demonstrate their knowledge.
  • Students who become more self-aware and knowledgeable learners.
  • Improved access, equity and inclusion in their teaching and learning spaces.

To learn more about the benefits of UDL from a student perspective, review the Julia Capra Interview - Universal Design for Learning [2:57] video.

Universal Design for Learning and You

Many educators here have already implemented UDL elements in their courses. The list below, and following graphic, offers UDL examples of UDL in Mohawk College's in-person, online and hybrid courses.

Examples of Designing for Multiple Means of Engagement

  • Using a variety of assessment methods
  • Offering choice of assignment topic.
  • Chunking large modules into smaller segments.
  • Providing opportunities for reflection.

Examples of Designing for Multiple Means of Representation

  • Offering a course glossary.
  • Creating accessible and uncluttered course materials.
  • Providing note taking support.
  • Including additional time for quizzes/tests/exams.

Examples of Designing for Multiple Means of Action & Expression

  • Allowing students to work individually, in pairs or in groups.
  • Inviting learners to develop and share their learning goals.
  • Following a clear and concise learning plan.
  • Offering due date reminders.
To access a text version of this graphic, view the list immediately above.

The following videos provide examples of the UDL implementation process and/or specific interventions by Mohawk College faculty:

UDL Course Assessment

The UDL Course Assessment is a tool for educators to identify the UDL elements already included in a course, and offer suggestions and resources for additional UDL implementation. The tool contains a series of questions based on the UDL guidelines, as well as the data from Mohawk College's recent research studies. The objective of the course assessment is not to answer “yes” to all of the questions, but to consider each of the suggestions; determine if that UDL element is already occurring, or is able to be added; and learn more about UDL in the process.

Take the UDL Course Assessment to determine the UDL elements currently in your course(s) and gain additional, targeted resources to support further UDL implementation. You can access the UDL Course Assessment by using the link above, or clicking the window below.

 

Universal Design for Learning and Us

CTLI is available to support all educators in their UDL implementation journey. For more ideas and support, educators can:

In addition, if you have questions or would like 1:1 consultation, you can contact the Teaching & Learning Consultant - UDL, Darla Benton Kearney, at darla.benton [at] mohawkcollege.ca (darla[dot]benton[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) or complete the CTLI Support Form.

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Universal Design for Learning Implementation

UDL requires educators and institutions to acknowledge that learning barriers are created and resolved at a systems level, and not within the learner. Meaning, the barriers that occur in education are not the result of the learner, but the lack of inclusive options within the curriculum design, development, and delivery process. The UDL framework, and its considerations, identify common learning barriers. The implementation ideas offered here seek to reduce or eliminate those barriers.

CTLI UDL Course Template

The Centre for Teaching & Learning Innovation has designed a MyCanvas course template that embeds many of the UDL elements found below. The CTLI UDL Course Template can be used by Mohawk College educators as a starting point for new course builds or when redeveloping a course. The template is evidence-based, has incorporated student and educator feedback, and includes a wide range of UDL elements ideal for higher education. In addition, the template is customizable and supportive of all delivery modalities.

The CTLI UDL Course Template companion document outlines the purpose and key features of the template, as well as instructions for how to import the template into a course shell.

UDL Course Statement

By including a UDL statement on course sites and learning plans, learners will be made aware of what UDL elements have been included in the course, as well as the options that exist for them to gain course content and show what they know.

If you have implemented UDL in a course copy, paste and modify the UDL Statement below. Once the statement has been customized to a specific course it can be included on the course site, learning plan, as well as anywhere else you feel students will see it.

Universal Design for Learning

This course has been designed using Universal Design for Learning guidelines. The following elements have been incorporated into this course to support greater inclusion and access:

  • 100% additional time has been added to quizzes and tests.
  • Lecture presentations are offered in advance of class.
  • Varied assessment methods throughout the course.
  • Course content and resources are available in a variety of formats.
  • Multimedia learning resources.
  • Closed captioning or a transcript provided for videos.

Additional Time for Quizzes/Tests/Exams

Including additional time on quizzes/tests/exams allows all learners to read questions more carefully, evaluate their answers thoroughly, complete the assessment with less anxiety related to time, and can provide a better reflection of their content knowledge. Wherever possible, applying UDL guidelines to course quizzes/tests/exams can provide a supportive evaluation environment for all students.

Additional time for testing is one of the most common disability related accommodations at Mohawk College, as it supports a wide-range of disability types and needs. While students registered with Accessible Learning Services may continue to book tests in the Testing Centre for other disability related testing accommodations, proactively including additional time to quizzes/tests/exams can reduce time and effort of arranging additional time accommodations for both educators and students.

Sometimes the content being assessed must be done so in a specific amount of time (e.g., an industry standard, an explicit learning outcome, etc.). However, when this is not the case educators may wish to proactively extend quiz/test/exam times to ensure all students have the time they need to fully show what they know. Proactively including additional time does not have to mean for all quizzes, tests, and exams in a course. Faculty can determine which testing assessments would be best suited to including additional time as a UDL element. As the most common additional time accommodations are typically 50% to 100%. To ensure as many students are supported as possible, and to limit additional effort, the recommendation is to add 100% additional time to quizzes/tests/exams when possible or when suitable, unlimited time can be offered.

Once the appropriate amount of additional time has been determined, it is essential that learners be informed. Educators can copy, paste and modify the 'Additional Time for Quizzes/Tests/Exams' statement below and include it anywhere quiz/test/exam information is included in the course.

Implementation for Additional Time

To implement:

  1. Determine where additional time can be proactively added to the quizzes, tests, and/or exams in the course.
  2. Determine the appropriate length of additional time for the assessment(s).
  3. Add the additional time, or unlimited time where appropriate, to the quiz/test/exam.
  4. Modify the statement below and include the statement anywhere quiz/test/exam information is shared with learners (for example, on the course learning plan, the online course overview page, test instructions, etc.).

Additional Time for Quizzes/Tests/Exams

The quizzes/tests/exams in this course have been designed using Universal Design for Learning guidelines and (give the percentage) additional time has already been added to each quiz/test/exam in support of all students.

Communication Options

Concise and frequent communication is central to effective teaching and learning. Open and accessible communication can create community, invite deeper learning and support more comprehensive assessment. Without it, learners can miss key content and important messages, and educators are left not really knowing where support and resources are required.

Effective communication within a course includes options that work for a diverse group of learners. Providing a number of different options for students to communicate with their educator, as well as each other, supports open and inclusive sharing of knowledge and skills.

Implementation for Communication Options

As an educator, including two or more of the communication options below will help learners stay connected regarding all aspects of a course:

  • Provide an email address with details on when a response can be expected
  • Provide a phone number with a voicemail option, ideal times for calls and when a return call can be expected
  • Design learning experiences that use the Discussion tool
  • Hold office hours, in-person and/or online
  • Model the communication functions in MyCanvas (e.g., Chat, Discussions, Announcements, etc.)
  • Design communication focused learning activities (e.g., think-pair-share, collective problem solving, group discussions, etc.)
  • Include guidelines for course communication in the learning plan, course site, etc.
  • Ensure important information is shared in a number of locations and spaces within the course content

Encouraging learners to do any of the following will help them stay connected with each other:

  • Share their college email address with trusted classmates and/or group members
  • Share their preferred phone number with trusted classmates
  • Use the communication options identified by the instructor (e.g., Discussions, Q and A page, Padlets, etc.)
  • Access the communication tools within MyCanvas (e.g., Chat, Discussions, etc.)

Content Options

The UDL framework aims to provide students with options to obtain course content in the way that is the most beneficial to their learning. Additionally, there are learners who require alternate formats. Proactively providing course content in multiple formats, is supportive of all learners and can save educators time and effort.

Implementation for Content Options

There are a number of practical ways to provide content options within a course. Ideally, all course content would be proactively provided in at least two formats. Options for providing multiple formats may include:

  • Content on a page using the Rich Content editor in the online course including a link to Word and/or PDF versions
  • PowerPoint presentations with PDF versions
  • Captioned videos posted with a transcript

To implement:

  1. Create the course content in whatever format you choose.
  2. Copy and paste the content into another format (e.g., copy and paste content from a Word document into the HTML editor in the online course), or save the document as another file type (e.g., saving a PowerPoint as a PDF).
  3. Provide all content options to students and explicitly tell them where the materials are located and how to access them.

If you would like to include links to additional formats, or caption your videos, connect with the Digital Skills team or complete the CTLI Support Form.

To support equity, inclusion and access, it is important that course content is accessible to all learners. To learn more about how to make documents and presentations accessible, review the Accessible Documents and Alternate Format resources on the Accessibility Tools and Resources webpage.

Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are another way to provide a wide variety of content options with minimal effort as OERs have up to nine different formats already included (e.g., PDF, HTMLBook, etc.) for students to choose from.

To learn more about OERs and find suitable course materials to provide content options, review the Mohawk College Library Open Educational Resource webpage.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning has a variety of learning material options for learners to choose from, including accessible multimedia resources suitable for higher education courses. To learn more about LinkedIn Learning at Mohawk College, including how to access materials, review the LinkedIn Learning webpage.

Course Navigation Instructions

Course navigation instructions are intended to provide learners with explicit information about how to work through the course, as well as expectations, communication, learning goals, assessments and important information.

Implementation for Course Navigation Instructions

The following outline suggests headings and content ideas that can guide the development of course specific navigation instructions.

Course Introduction
This section could include:

  • An overview of the course and assessment methods
  • Course expectations
  • A link to the course outline
  • A link to the learning plan
  • A UDL statement that includes all of the UDL elements used in the course
  • Links to program or course policies

Faculty Introduction
This section could include:

  • A welcome message, which may be accompanied with a faculty photo or video
  • Faculty contact information, contact preferences, and/or office hours (virtual and/or in person)

Accessing Content
This section could include explanations of:

  • How the course is laid out (for example by week, by module, or by topic)
  • Other sections included (for example Assessments, Additional Resources, etc.)
  • What order the content should be accessed (for example first, second, third, etc.)

The information above is meant to provide options to develop course navigation instructions and can be altered to meet the specific needs of a course. Alternatively, the CTLI UDL Course Template provides a detailed course structure and prompts to support course navigation. The template companion document outlines the purpose and key features of the template, as well as import instructions.

Interim Due Dates

Executive functioning skills, including time management and organization, can impact students' ability to plan assignments and meet due dates. Learners in the first or second semester can often benefit from explicit support to plan and organize assignments. In addition, providing executive functioning support can reduce issues exacerbated by late assignments for both educators and learners.

To assist learners to produce the most accurate reflection of their knowledge and to ensure educators can accurately assess the course learning outcome(s), consider providing interim due dates on assignment outlines and/or the course learning plan. For example, if an assignment is to be completed in three weeks, educators can outline what elements should be completed in the first week, what should be completed in the second week, and what needs to be done to finish and submit the assignment in the third week.

If educators are able, ungraded feedback can be given for each interim date. Additionally, resources and supports can be offered for each portion of the assignment, such as a link to the Library for research support in the first week or the Writing Centre for editing help in the final week.

Implementation for Interim Due Dates

  1. Identify which assessments would benefit from interim due dates.
  2. Determine steps and resources required to complete the assignment and determine a timeline of interim dates.
  3. Provide the timeline/interim due dates on the assignment outline, the course learning plan and/or wherever assignment information is provided.

Language and Symbol Options

Many learners can find new, subject specific language and abbreviations challenging. To support all learners' equitable participation in a course, a glossary or legend of common terms, acronyms and/or symbols is very helpful. In addition, offering a glossary or legend provides an accurate, time saving resource for learners; makes delivering content more efficient; can serve as a study aid; and/or support more effective note taking.

Implementation for Language and Symbol Options

There are a few ways to create a course glossary or legend:

  1. Using a document or page in the online learning environment, list the common language/symbols/acronyms for the course, post it, and advise students that it exists and where it is located
  2. Develop a collaborative document within the online course using the discussion tool, a page, or the collaboration tool and then invite learners to contribute to the glossary or legend as they come across language/symbols/acronyms that would benefit from clarification throughout the course.
  3. Recommend students create and update their own dictionary of language/symbol/acronyms to refer to as they work through course content throughout the semester. To guide this process, educators can create a template for learners to use to structure their glossary/legend for the course

Note Taking Support

Clear and concise notes support learners to prepare for lessons and learning activities, study more efficiently, and complete assessments more effectively. However, many students struggle with effective note taking. In addition, note taking accommodations are among the most common for students with disabilities, and it can be a challenging accommodation to implement, for both learners and educators.

There are a number of ways educators can proactively support all students to have complete and comprehensive course notes, including:

  • Posting lesson/course notes
  • Posting lesson presentations
  • Crowdsourcing lecture notes
  • Audio (video) recording

Accessibility should be a primary consideration for each of the options listed above.

Posting Lesson notes
By posting lesson/course notes to the online course in advance, learners can proactively review lesson content and prepare for class. Providing notes in advance also removes the individualized accommodation barriers for students with disabilities, as well as educators.

Lesson notes can include:

  • Complete lecture notes
  • Notes that include blank spaces where students can complete notes during the class as topics are presented
  • A series of questions about the lesson that learners can answer in class and/or by using weekly resources/readings
  • An outline of the lesson, with completed notes to be posted after the class

As indicated in the Content Options webpage, greatest inclusion is achieved when content is provided in at least two formats. These formats could include copying and pasting the notes onto a page using the Rich Content editor and providing a link to a Word or PDF document. If educators require support to include links to downloadable documents, connect with the Digital Skills team or complete the CTLI Support Form.

Implementation for Posting Lesson Notes

There are a few ways to create a glossary or legend for language, symbols, acronyms, etc. for your course:

  1. Post lesson notes, in advance, to the online course.
    • Ideally, the notes will be posted with the associated module/unit/chapter content.
  2. Advise students that lesson notes have been posted and provide them with explicit instructions on how to use the notes effectively.
    • Instructions could include reviewing the notes prior to class, printing or downloading the notes to complete in class, using the notes effectively to study, etc

Posting Lesson Presentations
Similar to posting lesson notes, lesson presentations can support students with note taking and preparing for class.

Implementation for Posting Lesson Presentations

  1. Post the lesson presentations, in advance, to the online course.
    • Again, ideally, the notes will be posted with the associated module/unit/chapter content.
  2. Advise students that presentations have been posted and provide them with explicit instructions on how to use the presentations effectively.
    • Again, instructions could include reviewing the presentations prior to class, printing or downloading the presentations to write additional notes from lecture directly on the slides, etc.

Crowdsourcing Lecture Notes
Crowdsourcing of lecture notes was an idea originally developed by Dr. David Rose of Harvard University. It was designed within the framework of UDL to support the note taking needs of learners and to minimize note taking efforts of educators. Crowdsourcing lecture notes has the capacity to:

  • Allow all students to double check content and improve their notes and note taking skills
  • Support every learner to have complete and effective study notes
  • Let educators to see what students are taking away from lessons
  • Reduce the need for peer note taking support for students with disability related accommodations

Crowdsourcing lecture notes involves having learners openly share their notes with the class. At Mohawk College this is most easily done by students posting their notes to a designated space in the online course. Once posted, any learner in the course can access the notes and use them to study, correct their own notes, catch up on missed classes, etc.

Implementation for Crowdsourcing Lecture Notes
There are a variety of ways that educators can provide space for crowdsourced lecture notes in the online course:

  • Use the Collaborations Tool to create a collaborative document for each module/unit where students can post their notes from each lesson.
  • Recommend the Discussion area be used to post notes.
    • In order to let students add documents, create posts, and/or edit their content permission needs to be granted:
      1. Go to your Course Settings
      2. Select "More Options" at the bottom of the page
      3. Check the boxes that state "Let students attach files" and/or "Let students create discussion posts" and/or "Let students edit or delete their own discussion posts"
        Screenshot of the More Options menu with “Let students attach files”, “Let students create discussion posts”, and “Let students edit or delete their own discussion posts” indicated.
  • Develop an editable Page for each module/unit where students can post their notes from each lesson.
    1. Be sure to provide a clear and concise title for each lesson note page and ensure that both educators and learners can edit the pages by using the Options menu in the Pages tab.

If you have questions regarding which would be the best tool to offer crowdsourcing lecture notes within your course, connect with the Digital Skills team or complete the CTLI Support Form.

Once you have determined the best way to include crowdsourcing lecture notes as a UDL initiative in your course, inform learners and encourage them to post their notes. Some educators have found it helpful to offer an incentive for students to share notes by offering a reference letter or encouraging students to apply for the "Student Services - Note Taker - Crowdsourcing" co-curricular record credit when they have completed 15 hours or more of note taking in a course.

Audio (Video) Recording
Occasionally educators may get an accommodation request for audio recorded lectures. However, depending on the structure of the course, learning activities and lesson content, obtaining useful audio recordings can be challenging. Alternatively, you may wish to provide one of the audio recording options below to all students in support of improved note taking.

Implementation for Audio (Video) Recording
Educators can:

  • Create a lecture overview video that includes key lecture information.
    • This option creates both an audio and visual resource that supports not only note taking, but also provides multiple means of representation.
    • Kaltura (My Media) includes an auto-caption function that can be manually corrected for accuracy. Recordings can be embedded into the online course through a page or the Media Gallery.
  • Provide an audio overview of the lesson and post it to the course site in the folder of the week it was taught.
  • If you are using PowerPoint, create an audio overview for each slide.
  • Provide comprehensive lecture notes in Word or HTML in the online course, so that students can use text-to-speech tools to listen to the content.

To learn more about the ways that online course tools can be leveraged to support audio recording of lectures, connect with the Digital Skills team or complete the CTLI Support Form.

Online Course Layout

An explicit and well-organized online course layout allows learners to access course content quickly, with less confusion and frustration. While there is not one ideal course layout that is perfect for every course, there are some general UDL considerations to apply to online course organization to make it easier for learners to access curriculum and assessments.

Implementation for Online Course Layout
When designing the online course layout, consider:

  • Providing course navigation instructions.
    • Letting students know how to access course content, where to find important information, and how to connect makes learners able to engage more effectively in the course. For more information, see the Course Navigation Instructions section of this webpage.
  • Offering multiple ways for learners to access key information.
    • Including key information such as assignment due dates, contact information, placement materials, etc. in a few different locations will support students finding the content easily and reviewing it often. For example, assignment outlines and rubrics can be posted in the week in which they are issued and/or due, as well as in a separate content folder
  • Matching the learning plan to course module names.
    • Having the learning plan match module names allows learners to more easily and quickly reference course materials and assessment information. For example, if the learning plan is divided by week and/or date, the module names in the online course should also be divided by week and/or date. If the learning plan is divided by chapter, the module name should include the chapter number and title.
  • Reflecting on past deliveries of the course, or past course layouts.
    • Reflecting on past deliveries through a UDL lens can lead to improvements in course layout. For example, if students had difficulty finding specific content, this would be good information to duplicate elsewhere in the course. Or, if learners missed a particular assessment, organizing the layout to draw more attention to assessment information would be beneficial.

While there is not one course layout that is ideal for all courses, the following format is one that a number of educators have found beneficial (subheadings are identified in bold text).

Course Information
This module may contain:

  • Getting Started (which can include course navigation instructions.)
  • Course Requirements
  • Instructor Information
  • Course Outline
  • Learning Plan
  • Universal Design for Learning (See the UDL Statement section of this webpage.)

Course Content
Ideally, the modules in course content will be identified the same as they are on the learning plan.

Module items in course content may include:

  • Read
    • Required
      • Include required readings for the week and/or lecture notes.
    • Recommended or Supplemental (if any)
      • Include the additional readings that offer an alternate way of understanding key concepts, or readings that support deepening knowledge.
  • Watch
    • Required
      • Include required videos for the week and/or lecture presentations.
    • Recommended or Supplemental (if any)
      • Include the additional videos that offer an alternate way of understanding key concepts, or videos that support deepening knowledge.
  • Do
    • Include any course activities or lab work that needs to be completed for the week.
    • Include assessment information in this section.

The above format can be modified to meet the needs of individual courses. Some courses may include a separate folder for assignments, readings, lab content, and placement information to support easy access to key resources.

Additional modules could include:

  • Assignments
    • All assignment information and grading rubrics can be included in one folder to provide students an alternate way to access this key information.
  • Readings/Videos/Lectures
    • All readings, videos or lectures, identified as they are in the content section and learning plan, are included in one folder to give additional access to this content.
  • Recommended Tutorials
    • Additional course specific tutorials, or more general options such as those for plagiarism or the online course, can be included in this section to provide students with additional resources to be successful in their studies.

An easy way to obtain this online course layout is to import the CTLI UDL Course Template into your course. You can learn more about the template by reviewing the UDL Course Template section of this webpage and the companion document.

Online Student Accessibility and Preference Instructions

Learners benefit from options that allow them to change their online learning environment to meet their individual learning needs and preferences. Identifying the accessibility and preference options that exist in the online course environment empowers all students to have control and responsibility over aspects of their learning. Learners need to be informed of how their learning preferences can be met in the online course.

Implementation for Accessibility and Preference Instructions
In order to offer online accessibility and learning environment preference instructions, reviewing the accessibility features specific to Canvas is a great place to start. The following links offer resources to support creating adaptable and accessible content:

Post the following links and/or video to your course homepage and draw students' attention to these accessibility and preference options:

Rubrics and UDL

Well-constructed rubrics allow all learners to better understand the desired outcomes of the assessment, know how they will be graded and plan their time accordingly to complete the assignment to the best of their ability. In addition, when assignment expectations are clearly defined on a rubric, grading can be more efficient and concise.

UDL does not have an ideal rubric type; the ideal rubric for UDL is one that accurately and authentically measures learner knowledge of the course learning outcome(s) without constricting how a learner can show what they know. A rubric designed with UDL in mind:

  • Is based on the learning outcome(s) being measured, not the assessment or submission method.
  • Is provided to learners with the assignment outline to ensure they know how they will be graded, and what knowledge is being assessed.
  • Applies to all of the submission options offered to the learners (see the Submission Options section of this webpage for more information).

Educators sometimes feel that they need to have a different rubric for each way a student can submit an assessment, but this is not the case. If the rubric is based on evaluating the learning outcome(s) the assessment is for, and worded appropriately for a variety of submission options, one rubric will be able to support a variety of assessment submission types. For example, if your assessment allows learners to choose if they would like to write an essay, create a video presentation, or develop a detailed infographic, including spelling and grammar in the rubric will not support all possible submission options. Instead, using a phrase like "clearly articulate" or "fully communicate" would encompass all of the submission options offered.

 

Implementation for Rubrics and UDL
To implement:

 

  1. Determine the right type of rubric for your course and your assessments (see the Rubric Section of the Teaching Effectively webpage for more information).
  2. Design the rubric to meet the specific needs of the learning outcome(s) being assessed.
  3. Post the rubric with the assessment outline and draw learners' attention to the rubric.

More information regarding how to create rubrics can be found on the Centre for Teaching & Learning's Rubric Section of the Teaching Effectively webpage.

Submission Options

Providing options regarding how assessments are submitted allows learners to leverage their strengths to demonstrate their knowledge in the best way they can, while supporting educators to more accurately assess what a student knows. Removing barriers that are not related to the learning outcome(s) and allowing options regarding how a student can meet the learning outcome(s) supports a more inclusive and equitable learning environment. Offering even one submission option will improve learner engagement and allow for multiple means of action and expression.

When creating the assessment rubric it is important to ensure it is based on the learning outcome(s) the assessment is designed to measure, as opposed to the submission method. For more information on creating rubrics with UDL in mind, review the Rubrics with UDL section of this webpage.

Implementation for Submission Options
To implement:

  1. Consider an assessment method already in the course and determine if there are alternate ways learners could demonstrate the same knowledge, but in another format. Here are just a few examples:
    • Discussion posts could be done in writing, audio or video
    • Essays could be submitted in writing, a comprehensive infographic or created website
    • Presentations could be done in person or via video
    • Reflective journals could be completed in writing, using a blog, a video log, or as photographs.
  2. Determine which submission options are feasible, taking into consideration marking time, grade value of the assessment, etc. and eliminate the ones that would not be possible given the course context.
  3. Provide explicit instructions on the assignment outline of the submission options available. Offering exemplars of assignment submissions and including the grading rubric.

Implementation Tools and Support

In addition to the implementation initiatives provided here, the Centre for Teaching & Learning Innovation have developed a number of tools to support Mohawk College educators:

If you would like assistance to implement UDL in your specific context, need support to customize the UDL Statement for your course(s), or have implementation ideas, please connect with Darla Benton Kearney, Teaching & Learning Consultant - UDL, in the Centre for Teaching & Learning Innovation, at darla.benton [at] mohawkcollege.ca (darla[dot]benton[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca).

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Universal Design for Learning Resources

Looking to delve deeper? The resources found below are in addition to those presented throughout Mohawk College's UDL webpage. They are intended to help educators learn more about UDL, how it applies to their teaching and/or learning, and provide implementation support.

If there is a UDL resource you need, or you know of a resource that would be valuable here, contact Darla Benton Kearney, Teaching & Learning Consultant - UDL, in the Centre for Teaching & Learning Innovation, at darla.benton [at] mohawkcollege.ca (darla[dot]benton[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca)

Quick Links to External Resources

Websites

The following websites offer a wealth of information on UDL implementation in higher education.

Videos

The following videos provide foundational UDL information, as well as Mohawk College examples of UDL directly from educators.

UDL on Campus
Todd Rose at TEDx Sonoma County
Anthony Jack at TEDx Cambridge

Books

Mohawk College has a number of the books listed below avialable to borrow.

Canadian Higher Education UDL Collective

The Canadian Higher Education UDL Collective (CHEUDLC) is a group of post-secondary educators from across Canada who are looking to learn and share all things UDL.

To learn more about the group, resource sharing, professional development opportunities and information on how to join, access the CHEUDLC website.

Quick Links to Mohawk College Resources

A variety of resources have been shared through Mohawk College's UDL webpage. Quick links to the most commonly used tools and supports are provided below for your convenience.

Accessibility Resources

While UDL and the accessibility requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) are distinct from each other, if you are designing content options for learners you will want to ensure your materials are accessible and inclusive. For more information on creating accessible documents, please review the Accessible Documents and Alternate Format resources on the Accessibility Tools and Resources webpage.

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