Resource Library

CAST: About Universal Design for Learning - This resource provides a brief overview of the UDL framework and its guidelines. 

Michael Nesmith: Why We need Universal Design – This video resource provides an explanation and clear examples on why universal design is important and needed. View time: 10:30

 7 Things You Should Know About … Universal Design for Learning – This brief article includes information on what UDL is, how it works, who’s doing it, why it’s significant, downsides, where it’s going, and its implications for teaching and learning. 

Interactive UDL Guidelines Graphic Organizer – This resource includes an interactive tool developed by CAST to support the development and design of goals, assessments, methods, and materials that lead to accessible, meaningful, and challenging learning experiences for all. Aligned with the nine guidelines are a total of 31 checkpoints—suggestions for ways in which instruction may be varied in its design for each guideline area. Each checkpoint includes research that was used to support its development.   

UDL Guidelines Graphic Organizer – A more simplistic version than the interactive resource, the UDL guidelines are presented in a simple PDF format.  

UDL Guidelines and Structure – This video provides an overview of the organizational structure of the guidelines as well as a rationale for why it is organized the way it is. View time: 2:28

UDL Guidelines Navigation – This video provides guidance on navigating through CAST’s Interactive UDL Guidelines graphic organizer. View time: 0:56   

UDL and the Learning Brain -  A short article that highlights the results of targeted brain studies that illustrate the diverse ways in which our brains learn, implying that educators must provide flexibility in the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners.  

Executive Functioning – Executive Functioning (EF) is a term used to describe a set of cognitive capabilities that influence behaviors in areas such as problem-solving, goal setting, and prioritizing. This resource includes specific strategies that faculty can use in the online environment to support executive functioning.  

Research Evidence – CAST provides research on UDL principles, promising practices, implementation, as well as foundational research, all of which is organized on their site by checkpoint. To view specific research, navigate to the individual checkpoint’s page and select the Research link in the sidebar. 

Course Design Considerations for Inclusion and Representation – This article examines the importance of inclusive course design and presents several models and theoretical approaches to designing inclusive courses. UDL is discussed as one of the models.

Inclusive Pedagogy  – This  video, originally part of JHU’s “Inclusive Online Teaching Teach-Out” Coursera course, provides specific examples when approaching an online course in terms of inclusive pedagogy. View time: 10:33

Inclusive Pedagogy: Resources and Ideas for Teaching – Comprehensive overview of Inclusive Pedagogy with optional in-depth material.   

 “Plus-one” thinking: A framework for inclusive teaching  – An easy way to take the first step toward inclusive teaching. 

Hopkins Universal Design for Learning Initiative – This is a webinar from February 2019 that introduces JHU’s UDL initiative and commitment to investing in UDL to improve education across the university. It features Nicole Ofiesh (Stanford University) as keynote speaker. View time: 58:19

Four Areas of Focus – A series of videos highlighting the Hopkins Universal Design for Learning (HUDL)’s four areas of focus that are aligned with CAST’s three main principles of UDL. Total view time: 19:10. 

UDL Exemplars – Explore exemplars to learn how Johns Hopkins faculty have collectively integrated each of the three UDL principles across all of the HUDL four areas of focus. 

General UDL in Higher Ed

UDL: A Powerful Framework – This article, from Faculty Focus, provides an overview of Universal Design for Learning.    

Universal Design in Higher Education: Promising Practices – This PDF textbook provides an overview of how Univerval Design principles can be used in education. 

Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education – This video, from Humber Center for Teaching and Learning, gives an overview of how UDL is used in higher education. View time: 4:42

Universal Design for Learning: The Hidden Chapters – This webinar, with Thomas Tobin, shows higher education staff and faculty how to implement UDL strategies.  View time: 59:05

UDL and Retention – This brief video provides an overview of how UDL can potentially impact student retention. View time: 1:02 

Emotion and learning – This resource provides an introduction to the ways in which instructors can design educational activities to address the interplay between emotion and learning. 

Postsecondary Institutions with UDL Initiatives – This page lists some of the universities and colleges that maintain active, systematic approaches for implementing UDL. 

UDL in Higher Education – Short video explaining how UDL can benefit students in higher education. View time: 2:10

Inclusion of Alignment of UDL principles in Higher Ed courses

Applying Universal Design for Learning in Online Courses: Pedagogical and Practical Considerations  – This paper discusses the inclusion of the universal design for learning (UDL) model as a guiding set of principles for online curriculum development in higher education. 

Applying the Principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the College Classroom – This journal article provides a brief overview of UDL, as well as strategies faculty and staff can use to integrate UDL principles into their higher education courses. 

UDL in Higher Ed: UDL Examples – This site allows for the exploration of how several courses of different areas of study at various higher education institutions have integrated UDL. Areas of study featured include: education, music, construction management, and criminal justice. Each example showcases the challenges faced in the classroom, the UDL strategies used to address, them, and outcomes from the implementation. 

Post Secondary Educators Can Increase Educational Reach with Universal Design for Learning – This article discusses 10 strategies (paths) for incorporating UDL into university-level courses as well as digital tools that can be used for each. 

Measuring the Effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning Intervention in Postsecondary Education – This peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, addresses instructor training in UDL and compares student perceptions of instructor teaching methods and their effectiveness.  

Voices From the Field: Implementing and Scaling-Up Universal Design for Learning in Teacher Preparation Programs – The title of this article is a bit misleading. The article highlights a qualitative study that draws insights from faculty members who have experienced a degree of success in implementing UDL. The author suggests that the work of a single dedicated faculty member can not only affect the lives of students but also improve student retention, and enhance learning for all. The article concludes by encouraging faculty to reach out and actively find others on campus who can collaborate in promoting UDL.  

Identifying Barriers to Learning 

6 Barriers to Learning (And How to Overcome Them)  – As the title implies, this short article highlights common barriers to learning and suggestions for helping students overcome them. The intended audience seems to be corporate leaning, however it could certainly apply to an academic environment.   

Moving Towards Inclusive Learning and Teaching: A Synthesis of Recent Literature – This article reviews literature published between 2010-17 that examines work done by university stakeholders in the areas of inclusive curriculum design, inclusive curriculum delivery, inclusive assessment, and institutional commitment.  

Removing Barriers to Online Learning Through a Teaching and Learning Lens – This 2020 comprehensive research report highlights ways in which students in online learning environments experience inequities in education and offers concrete, evidence-based strategies to overcome these barriers. Specifically, faculty may find strategies on pages 10-16 of particular interest.

Implicit Bias Resources  

Untold Stories and Difficult Truths About Bias in Academia  – Why the author believes unconscious bias is more prevalent in academia than conscious bias. 

The Dangerous Mind: Unconscious Bias in Higher Education – Of all the barriers to learning, the worst may be Unconscious Bias.    

Implicit Bias, Stereotype Threat and Higher Ed – This TEDx talk explains the key to knocking out Stereotype Threat. View time: 11:15 

Addressing Barriers to Learning 

Addressing Barriers to Learning: Providing Feedback – Easy to apply best practices for feedback that break down barriers to learning.  

Creating a Sense of Instructor Presence in the Online Classroom – As an instructor, connecting with your students can break down barriers to learning online.  

Seven Keys to Effective Feedback – The difference between good and poor feedback. 

Engaging Learners in Online Environments Utilizing Universal Design for Learning Principles – This article from eLearn Magazine describes how to use UDL principles to engage Learner in an online learning environment. 

How to Break Down Barriers to Learning with UDL –  This article from Understood describes how to plan for and reduce barriers to learning using UDL. 

UDL-Aligned Strategies  – This comprehensive toolkit aligns hundreds of instructional methods and tools to UDL guidelines.  The resource helps educators select strategies that remove barriers so that all students can achieve learning goals.  Though many strategies are K-12 specific, many can be applied to higher education.  

Implementing UDL / Getting Started 

General UDL Strategies - A continuously growing list of UDL strategies curated by Northwestern University.

Tips to Start Incorporating UDL into Your Class - Northwestern University’s UDL Workshop top takeaways, plus tips on how to start incorporating UDL into your course now.  

Top 5 UDL Tips for Fostering Expert Learners  – The ultimate goal of UDL is to develop expert learners who are purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and directed.

Getting Started with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) – A brief infographic focusing on the three principles of UDL with examples of how to implement each one.  

Barriers with Implementing a Universal Design for Learning Framework  – This journal article discusses various barriers that might be encountered while implementing the UDL framework. 

Design for Access to Enhance Accessibility—and Engagement – This article presents different ways to support and engage learners when developing eLearning content, using the framework of UDL. 

Creating Courses Using Universal Design (Accessibility) Principles – How to apply the principles of UD and achieve course and classroom goals to benefit all learners are outlined in this article. 

Roadmap to Web Accessibility in Higher Education – This comprehensive resource provides information about accessibility, laws, guidelines, and why providing accessible content is critical now more than ever in higher education. It also explains why making content accessible doesn’t just benefit those with disabilities. Practical strategies and resources are also provided that can help faculty to ensure course content is accessible.

National Center on Universal Design for Learning - Useful hub run by CAST for reading and sharing stories, ideas, and tips about UDL.